Customer Reviews

Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When you read any book about a particular immigrant experience, your greatest hope is that it distinguish itself in some way. There are many good books about coming to America from war torn countries but many more so-so books on the same topic. In the case of "Tangled Threads" by Pegi Deitz Shea, the book had the job of being interesting, informative, and (most difficult of all) genuinely touching. And it does, to some extent. As other reviewers of this book have mentioned, some of the Hmong words in this tale are misspelled and it's debatable whether or not this accurately depicts the Hmong-American teen experience. But Shea has written a truly interesting book, one that deftly balances the heaviness of its subject with lighter more hopeful feelings. It is not a book for small children or those kids who are reluctant readers, but it's a good book all the same. A boon to the world of Hmong-centric children's literature.

Having basically grown up in the dirt and squalor of a Thai refugee camp, Mai has spent her existence learning the art of pa'ndau, or storycloth from her grandmother. Her dream has always been to join her uncle, aunt, and cousins in America. Now, with her stomach ailments growing worse and the refugee camps threatening to close, grandmother and granddaughter are able to leave their homeland behind and travel across the ocean to Providence, Rhode Island. Mai expects that all her problems will be gone once she reaches that magical land. Instead, she finds worlds, both outside and insider her home, difficult to navigate. Her grandmother is reticent and displeased with everything new in America. Her uncle and cousins are constantly at war with one another over boundaries and choices. And Mai herself must learn about handling money, dealing with a new language and life, and her increasing annoyance with her grandmother. It isn't until Mai learns a horrible secret that's been kept from her, however, that she can start to come to terms with what it means to be Hmong in America.

At first the book struck me as slightly similar to "A Step From Heaven" by An Na. The immigrant experience of one girl in America, dealing with patriarchal figures that demand total obedience, holding onto traditions, etc. But where "A Step From Heaven" is mostly about the problems within a broken family, "Tangled Threads" is more about the search for identity after a recent immigration. Now I need to be perfectly clear here and state that this is not a book for younger children. Heck, the protagonist only barely escapes a rape attempt in the first 38 pages. Consider this a title for older readers, especially those with an interest in people from various cultures around the world

Now I can't attest the accuracy of the events portrayed in this book. But certainly author Shea has done her homework. She even includes a detailed afterword, glossary, pronunciation guide to Hmong names, list of Thai words, definition of Hmong symbols, and (most interesting to me) a wonderfully complete bibliography of any and all Hmong children's books and websites for further reading. As for the story itself, it's okay. This isn't the most unique book I've ever read in my life. The story's rather basic and a twinge predictable. But it makes for good reading all the same. This is a title that gives a strong look at a little known culture living in the United States. I only wish every group of immigrants to America had at least one book about their people that was half as good as this one. A strong showing.

This book was very good. I believe it to be accurate and without any faults. Now, for the woman who said that the spelling in the book of Hmong words was wrong, please let me out in my opinion......if you look in the back of the book at the glossary, the author does say when she abbreviates words (for example pan'dau is really panjdau)so they aren't really mispelled! This book is good for people interested in immigration, or the Oreint, but should be read by Young Adults because there is mentioning of rape and menstrauting.

and adjusting to change, but I felt some of the situations did not portray the true way of life for Hmong teens.
I'm surprised that with so many people editing and contributing feedback to this book, how come there were consistent Hmong spelling errors? I question why the only Hmong words that were used repeatedly were derrogative ones? ('Raum' which was meant to be 'ruam', meaning stupid)The pronounciation keys could use some work too.
I do appreciate the interesting facts about the paj ntaub designs. This skill is being deprecated and the knowledge being written will be useful.
This book should inspire Hmongs to create a voice that will ring true and represent the complicated emotions of growing up in America and holding on to your roots.

This Book is awesome. I would recomend this to people ages 10 and up. A young girls journy to America and new experiances. Hard times, awesome foods, and much much more. AWESOME!!!

This book is actually a very good book because for me, it succeeds in portraying what the author wants to reveal. It makes you understand how an immigrant, has to deal with different issues involving coming to America and learning new customs and beliefs. It deals with issues teenagers are faced with right now everywhere in the world, and how immigrants from other countries look upon these actions.

This book taught me a lot of different things about Hmong cultures and customs and how people lived in camps. It showed the differences between living styles here and there and how much of a change Mai and her grandmother had to do before adapting to the living environment here. It conveyed all the struggles needed to overcome such a change and how adapting to a place could take time, whether you are an adult or a child. Things and aspects that we find normal and understandable seem different and abnormal to outsiders. It is hard to change when you don't know or understand why you are changing or what you are changing too.

I could relate to some of the things and situations Mai had to go through. Although I am not an immigrant and I have lived here all my life, there are certain situations you are put in where you don't want to be. In Mai's case, she didn't know what was happening but teenagers everyday are faced with issues that may affect their life. I know a lot of people who drink although they are underage, and even though I don't do it, it's hard to watch them throw away their lives without caring. When you care about a person a lot, it becomes difficult to watch them suffer or know that there will be consequences to the decisions they chose to make.

It wasn't always the kids who had a hard time adapting. In this case, it was more of the elder. Like any elders, making a change after so long is very hard, not only because you are older, but because you have been living a certain way for so long. It is hard to change the ways you live after living that way for your whole life. These are some aspects that the author successfully portrayed to me about how difficult it was to not only move here and change their customs and beliefs, but to adapt to new ones as well.

Although this book did succeed in portraying a lot of things to me, there were some stereotypical ideas. The way Americans were portrayed seemed a little bit of a stereotype in my opinion. Their behaviors, decisions and appearances seemed like what people thought of Americans, not what is really true. This was really the only thing that I didn't agree and didn't like about this author's story.

Something that I liked a lot about this book was the author's writing style. I was never confused while reading the book and never lost as to where I was. However, there were some parts that kind of confused me but only because some words were in Hmong, but there was a Hmong short glossary in the back of the book, which helped me understand the words. Otherwise, the writing and plot of the story made sense to me. It actually really helped me because I was always engaged in the story and there was never a dull moment while reading this book.

I would recommend this book to people because it is not only an interesting book, but it also teaches the reader a lot about Hmong cultures. The reader will learn a lot about how immigrants from other countries have to learn to adapt to new environments. It will teach them that things that we think are okay or normal, other people might not and that is not a bad thing. Every person is entitled to their own opinions and culture and because people aren't all raised the same ways, they have different goals and mind sets. This book is a great way for readers to realize the hardships the Hmong had to go through and be able to relate and understand their journey.

This book is about a Hmong girl struggling to fit in the new American culture, with strange foods like pizza and giant shopping malls all around. Her grandma is very doubtful of this new culture and many times wishes for her old life. As their time in America passes, secrets are revealed and her destiny in America unfolds.

This book is a great read for teenagers and young students, the story line allows young readers to relate to the character, so they can understand her feelings. It has an interesting Introduction to the book when they describe the conditions and scenery in the Hmong holding camps. Throughout the book the young girl tries to adapt to the modern culture. The difficulties she has in separating her time with her old culture and the new one is thrilling. The progress of her relationship with her grandmother rollercoaster's over her travel to America, This allows the teen reader to compare it with a relationship they may have with a parent or family member, this provides an excellent experience for the reader and future entertainment throughout the book.

The downfalls of this book is that there is no in depth information about the Hmong culture, it focuses more on a average girl's life than the Hmong traditions and way's of the people. In the book the life of the girl before America is brief and that is one of the important details for a reader who is trying to learn anything they can about the Hmong. The reading level for this book is also very limited, this book is only a good read for children between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Anyone older will have trouble being entertained because all the characters have basic backgrounds and the plot is extremely typical.

I recommend this book to a teen in middle school. Overall it is a catchy book yet it lacks concrete information about the Hmong people and their history.

This book really made me understand what it was like during the war. I felt very bad for the girl in the refugee camp and then when she got to America her cousins acted strange. I would recommend this book to every girls/women everywhere.

Tangled Threads chronicles the immigration story of a young Hmong girl whose experiences parallel those of refugees from many parts of the world. Mai Yang is fifteen years old when she and her grandmother leave the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand to reunite with her uncle's family in Providence, Rhode Island. In a realistic, yet sympathetic, way the novel tells of Mai Yang's long journey to the United States and her difficult adjustment to life with her assimilated family and indifferent American classmates and teachers. The end of the novel, by which time Mai Yang has found a place for herself in her family, her school and in the Hmong-American community, is a testament to the will of immigrants.

Because of some graphic scenes and difficult subject-matter, this novel would be best for a high-school audience. The reading level makes it well suited for high-school TESOL students.

Shea had visited a refugee camp in Thailand in 1989 and acknowledged many people in helping her form the characters and traditions of the Hmong people. For the women in this book, the center of the Hmong tradition is the pa'ndau, or storycloth. There is a custom of making, and a custom of wearing, pa'ndau. It is a vivid reminder of so many things uniquely "Hmong." The story within the cloth shows Hmong history, the style of stitches show of the care and pride that goes into each item, the type of item signifies the occasion - a sash for New Year's Day, a burial collar, a splendid vest - these all represent a long and valued ethnic heritage.
What does it mean to be Hmong? Different things to different people. On one hand you have new waves of immigrants that want hold on stronger to their native culture because they have witnessed so much destruction of their personal history. They don't want to see their traditions die. Another group may not value their cultural history as much and is more willing to embrace change. They have been immersed at a young age into a society so different from what they remember; their homeland may seem more like a distant dream to them. It is a very individual experience, and Shea does a good job at giving us a peek into various stages of immigrant adjustment.

As a Hmong-American, I thought the book did a good job explaining parts of the Hmong culture and had interesting information about the Hmong people, despite the fact that some Hmong words were spelled incorrectly. But overall, I thought the book was only okay. The plot was basic and characters were not very well-developed. The reading level of this book would fit more with middle school kids, so I would only suggest it to kids in grades 6-8.