I stumbled on this one playing a bit of Kindle-roulette when choosing my next read early last week. This is a non-fiction story is about the Hmong people from Laos who are forced to flee their country following the American withdrawl of military support shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. After forced conscription under a previous leader, the Hmong people find themselves on the wrong side of the new leader and it is proving to be a very dangerous time to live in Laos. The story follows the life of Ai (also named Ia) who grows up as one of the youngest in her family and female, but is also a very efficient and effective business person, even from her first business venture, farming opium, at age 11. Unfortunately, due to her gender and status, she must figure out how to avoid becoming the third wife to a much older man she is arranged to marry, and in the end regrets who she quickly elopes with as a young teen. Somehow Ia and her husband survive (as does their rocky relationship) first, an escape to Thailand, then decades in an under-equipped and over crowded refugee camp, and finally to the United States where they manage to raise 11 children. All through the story we see Ia's persistent resiliency and motivation for a better future in everything she does, despite almost killing herself in many dangerous situations. It's a gruelling story but also a remarkable one!

This book is described as reading like a novel, and at times I would agree, but at others it very much feels like a historical text. I appreciated the background about the history, culture, geography and political information, as I went into this with almost no prior knowledge, but at times it was a bit excessive. I also felt like the first 1/3 or so of the book was the most interesting, her time trying to survive in Laos and Thailand. When I was about 35% in I thought, "what could the rest of this book even be about? It's already 2016!" I'm not sure if it was that the book was too long, if the second half of the book just was dragged out, or if there was just too much detail throughout, but I did find that my interest in the book dropped off as I went through it. I am glad I read it though, as I learned a lot about a time in history and a culture that I know very little about. The writing is extremely detailed and easy to follow and the author clearly is well researched and created a thorough retelling of this incredible woman's story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

The Hungry Season is the story of Ia, a Hmong girl born in Laos during the war. This is a work of non-fiction retelling Ia's life, from her childhood in Laos, her escape to Thailand as a refugee, and her pursuit for freedom in the United States. The Hungry Season is also an intergenerational story of hard work, of love, of forgiveness, of culture and traditions.

This is an excellent book for those with an interest in history. Unfortunately, I found it rather difficult to read this historical recounting of a story through the third person. However, I did learn a lot about the history of Laos and the Hmong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this book.

The book revealed a part of history I knew nothing about. Prior to reading the book, I had never read a book about Vietnam refugees and their struggle coming to the US.

Learning about their culture, struggles and lives was eye opening and educational.

Recommend.

One amazing book this woman went through so much at a very young age and handle it very well and she kept herself going somehow. LA Was part of the HMO. N. G. Society in laos. She had to do a lot of the work. And she was a girl and not a boy. So she had a lot of struggles and she was determined to get on with her life. When she turned thirteen, her family tried to marry her off to a man who is much older. But she won't against the green and married. A man who was not very good for her or very kind to her, but she did it anyway.. So she was forced to leave Her clan and move in with his family. There was a lot of war going on during this time. So eventually they had to make their way to thailand. She had to leave her family behind. And they survived in a cave until they could get to thailand. She was very resourceful and trying to keep her family alive. She was a very strong woman because she also gave birth to her baby in an alleyway. When she reached Thailand they had practically no money. Because she had to sell her gold bars to keep her child alive. She did everything to keep everybody going And she Did embroidery on fabrics and this bought Some money into the family. She also found a way to make tofu to sell to the hospitals. Her husband beat her the second time. She wanted to get a divorce but she stayed on one condition if he did not hit her again then. She somehow got to America with her all her family and she tried really hard. It was a struggle but she found a way to make money again. She started to grow Rice little-by-little By little-by-little, she made the special rice. And these people really respected her for. This type of Rice was put aside and it was a special time in October, and this was to get through the winter and they would get dressed app in their clothes and it was a happy time for them.. She showed a lot of courage and how she got through all this. I have no idea. I learned a lot about their culture. And it's very interesting how they're very spiritual and how they talk to people in the dead.. She was also ashamed so people would come to her for advice and what to do if people got sick. This book would be a great book for history class. Because then you could understand what these people went through and how they had to leave a lot behind.

The Hungry Season is a biography about the incredible life of Ia Moua, a member of the Hmong people who was born in Laos, fled to Thailand and then settles in Fresno, California with her husband and 11 children. In California, Ia becomes a rice farmer and struggles with the risks and uncertainties inherent to farming.

This book is very well researched. I learned a lot about the history of the US and Laotian Civil War and the ensuing challenges that the Hmong people faced. I also really enjoyed learning about rice cultivation. Ia’s story is fascinating, and her bravery is inspiring.

As I was reading the book, I struggled to understand who was narrating the book and why many of Ia’s 11 children are not involved in her adult life. The book paints a very negative picture of Ia’s brother who continues to live in Laos but then he is thanked in the acknowledgements. He was interviewed, but was he given a chance to review the manuscript? Was Ia given a chance to review the manuscript? I fully recognize that the language barrier is a challenge, but I really hope that Ia and her family feel comfortable with the portrayal of the family. This is my own opinion and I still recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first few pages immediately got my attention. To be someone of similar background, I felt that this hit close to home. With immigrant parents, it’s hard to not imagine them in the same situation – searching and surviving for the sake of building a better tomorrow for your family. I would say not many people know about the Hmong people and this showcases just a few of the struggles this group of people had to endured. Being plucked from your home in the midst of war wasn’t ever what anyone wanted to happen to them, but the war in Vietnam brough about many refugees marching on foot to reach Thailand in hopes of securing their future. If you have met any of the older Hmong generation, you know their story all share one goal: escape the war. Whether they were soldiers, victims, or refugees, war changed the course of their lives forever. For Ia, it was in many different ways but coming to California and building her own life was what seemingly became her constant. But even if California has more life to offer, it definitely isn’t short of life challenges. From here on, we see a community laboring to put food on the table. Conversations about everything and anything are shared from person to person as well as reminiscing old memories, but one that often comes up are the struggles of surviving daily life. Nonetheless, we get a glimpse of Ia’s world as it paints a bigger picture of what life is – past and present.

The Hungry Season
A Journey of War, Love, and Survival
by Lisa M. Hamilton
Pub Date 26 Sep 2023
Little, Brown and Company
Biographies & Memoirs


Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company provided me with a copy of The Hungry Season:


An infant is born amid combat in Vietnam and Laos. As a daughter and a member of the Hmong minority, Ia Moua enters the world at the bottom of the social order. When Ia, at thirteen, is promised in marriage to a man three times her age, her future seems set. After brutal communist rule upends her life, this intrepid girl charts her own defiant course.



With an indestructible spirit, Ia builds a new life for herself and her children, first in the refugee camps of Thailand and then in California's industrial heartland. She grows Hmong rice, just as her ancestors did, and sells it to those who yearn for the Laos of their memories. The booming business brings her power, but also forces her to face her past. To endure the present, Ia must confront everything she left behind, and somehow find a place in her heart for those who chose to leave.


Featuring meticulous reporting over seven years and written with the intimacy of a novel, The Hungry Season follows one radiant woman's journey to survival.


I give The Hungry Season five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!