A year without home

Gao Sheng is accustomed to fighting and uncertainty--it's been years since the Laotian civil war began, in congruence with the Vietnamese one--but life on her hillside is beautiful during fleeting intervals of peace. She loves spending time with her extended family and tending to the nearby peach trees, though she's beginning to chafe at the expectations placed on her as an obedient eldest daughter, duty-bound to persevere without complaint. Any remaining hopes of a calm life in Laos are dashed when her American-allied Hmong father is warned to escape the country to evade capture, and the entire family flees under cover of darkness. They race to an abandoned airfield, avoid arrest, canoe across borders, adapt to refugee camps, and finally start over in the U.S. This riveting account, based on the real experience of the author's family, is told through evocative, urgent prose, equally adept at capturing moments of stillness and beauty as well as those of suspense and horror. The book is many remarkable things: a harrowing history lesson on an often-overlooked war, an incredible account of the love and tension held in a family, a coming-of-age story about a girl bursting with questions and passions, and a sympathetic spotlight on the plight of refugees. It all comes together as a transfixing tale, sure to stay with readers long after they've finished its final page.

This edifying novel by Bidania, narrated in evocative verse by 11-year-old Gao Cheng, traces the year during which she and her extended family of 20 lived as refugees following the end of the Vietnam War. As the war concludes, Hmong residents who stood against communism alongside the American military--like Gao Cheng's elite soldier father--must flee Laos with their families. Bereft at the loss of their hilltop house, where "perfect" peach trees grow, the family contends with myriad obstacles before they finally arrive in Thailand; there, they live in two consecutive refugee camps. Gao Cheng, always an exemplary daughter, cares for her family's younger children and helps prepare meals while stifling her resentment of the traditional respect and leniency accorded to her younger brother. Portrayals of a loving family balance Gao Cheng's growing perspective on expected female roles in Hmong culture as she internalizes her struggles and finds ways to advocate for herself. The protagonist's perceptive voice, at once gentle and firm, makes for a powerful story of personal growth as well as an affecting historical narrative. A contextualizing author's note concludes. Ages 10--up. (Jan.)

Bidania distills her family's experiences as refugees into resonant historical fiction. It's 1975, and Gao Sheng lives "in a sunny mountain town" in Pao Kao, Laos, in a house with plenty of room for her extended family: nine adults and 11 kids. Eleven-year-old Gao Sheng silently, obediently helps with cooking, shopping, and child care: "This is what's expected / of the oldest daughter." When the communists take over, her father's army service alongside Americans puts the family at risk, forcing them to flee. The scattered clan members endure separation, survive two Thai refugee camps, and start new lives in America. Gao Sheng is an insightful witness, keenly aware of her 8-year-old brother's elevated status just because he's male, while she's overlooked: "My arms drop to my sides, / limp and wilted." Despite disappointments, she's steadfast in fulfilling her mature responsibilities. But when she finally refuses to keep quiet--"Today / I will be loud / I will show my strength"--her family sees and eventually acknowledges and proudly appreciates her. An epilogue describes Gao Sheng's arrival in Wisconsin with her parents and siblings. The candid verse deftly grounds precious experiences in tangible reminders--peach seeds that Gao Sheng saves to plant "someday, / when the country is at peace," and soft buns that taste "like sugar and happiness." With inviting vulnerability, Bidania transforms her war-torn past into a rallying cry to "build empathy, curiosity, and awareness." A lyrical, heartfelt account of personal growth and endurance. (author's note, photos)(Verse historical fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.