{"product_id":"bamboo-son-pao-lor-9781976600654","title":"Bamboo Son: A Hmong Refugee's Search for Identity and the American Dream","description":"\u003cb\u003ePao Lor's stirring journey of self-discovery and belonging in his new home--America.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"In Hmong, the word \u003c\/i\u003ebamboo\u003ci\u003e or \u003c\/i\u003entsuag\u003ci\u003e has two meanings. It refers to the bamboo plant, which has many significant cultural and practical uses in Hmong life. The word also means orphan. Therefore, \u003c\/i\u003ebamboo son\u003ci\u003e, in Hmong, means \u003c\/i\u003etub ntsuag\u003ci\u003e or \u003c\/i\u003eorphan son\u003ci\u003e. To survive and succeed as a Hmong orphan, like bamboo, one must be resilient and adaptable, bend without breaking, and stand tall against enormous odds.\"\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this follow-up to his acclaimed memoir, \u003ci\u003eModern Jungles\u003c\/i\u003e, Pao Lor picks up his story as a young Hmong immigrant building a new life in a new home and shares the narrative of his ensuing journey into adulthood. Lor emerged from war and tragedies in the jungles of Laos and refugee camps of Thailand in the 1970s to pursue a vision of the American dream in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the 1980s. The distance between his humble beginnings and that dream life was littered with challenges as well as possibilities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Lor's transformation from an insecure but determined high school student to a husband, father, teacher, administrator, and author is marked by triumph and defeat, trauma and joy, and always hope and optimism. As he navigates school, first loves, family relationships, and a career, Lor must contend with language barriers, discrimination, and his own inner demons stemming from feelings of inferiority. Threads of his identity--Hmong, American, and Wisconsinite--intersect and occasionally come into conflict. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Lor's search for belonging comes full circle when he travels to Laos and Thailand with his wife, Maya, in 2022. Seeing his birthplace for the first time in forty-five years, he revisits the isolated mountain villages where he spent his early childhood; the places where his parents and sister died as the family fled the region in the violent aftermath of the Vietnam War; and the two refugee camps where Pao and his siblings lived before being relocated to the United States when he was seven. As he reexamines these memories and reconciles his past, Lor finds peace and the freedom to move forward with his soul renewed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Lor's story is an uplifting journey of resilience, adaptation, love, and forgiveness, inspiring readers to reflect on the meaning and accessibility of the American dream.","brand":"Wisconsin Historical Society Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49988411654337,"sku":"9781976600654","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0781\/5512\/0833\/files\/9781976600654.jpg?v=1771360644","url":"https:\/\/www.porchlightbooks.com\/products\/bamboo-son-pao-lor-9781976600654","provider":"Porchlight Book Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}