Kao Kalia Yang

This book was very interesting, a little sad, and a true story. It is about a young, immigrant girl, who stopped speaking. Particularly she stop speaking English. She sees how hard her mother has it trying to learn English and get around in an English world , when she doesn’t speak English. And her little act of rebellion of not speaking English lasted for decades. This book doesn’t have a happy ending, and it doesn’t tell you how to stop this behavior. It says this is me and this is how I was feeling. The way to help other children in similar situations feel seen. to feel that they’re not alone in their immigration status or their language barriers.… (meer)

It is terrifying to be in a world where your attempts to speak their language is most often unintelligible to the others. Kind of like when I try to speak NyNorsk or Hmong. It is why immigrants say that they don't speak the English. But most often they do understand the spoken (or written) words. This young person simply stopped speaking (except at home) and felt a great sadness for all those who had much difficulty with the English. It is a book which helps to learn acceptance. Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
The illustrations by Jiemei Lin are clear, simple, muted colors, and meaningful.
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books ® via NetGalley. Thank you!

Jul 30, 2021 · The St. Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area is home to 70,000 Hmong, while about 30,000 to 40,000 Hmong live in California. Hmong refugees from Laos make up 10 percent of the population of Wausau, Wisconsin.… (meer)