Customer Reviews

Ban Vinai: The Refugee Camp

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Unfortunately, I never actually received this book. This may not be at the fault of the seller's, and it may have just gotten lost in the mail. However, when I contacted the seller to advise them that I had not received the book, they advised me to wait the full 30 days (after which my class would end and my use for the book would essentially be unnecessary) before I could get a refund. This was a bit disappointing.

I am Hmong and have lived in Ban Vinai in the very early days (July 1976) of the camp. Having read this book, I can say that it is nothing more than an academic exercise. From the intellectual aspect, Lynellyn D. Long may have achieved her goal. However, as a subject (since I am Hmong and she is writing about us, that makes me the subject), I do not sense any compassion or understanding from her writing.

I also have no clue why on page 13 she referenced Numbers 14:2-3 (21st Century King James Version) of the Bible. The Israelites were a free nation at that point; not refugees. They were freed from under the grip of Pharaoh by God "...so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert." Exodus 5:1 (NIV). The Hmong's plight is a result of superpower nations struggling for power. An African proverb says that when elephants fight, only the grass that get hurt. We are like the grass.

Khoua|