The Latehomecomer By Kao Kalia Yang: Literary Analysis

The book The Latehomecomer was written by Kao Kalia Yang. She wrote it after her grandmother’s death in order to tell the story of her family and their struggle against persecution and genocide in the jungles of Laos, for survival in Thai refugee camps, and to fit in and prosper in the United States. The historical-biographical lense is used to examine the life and experiences of the creator of a piece of literature and the broader historical context and events in which and alongside which it was written or takes place. When viewed through the historical-biographical lens the book The Latehomecomer shows the reader that the experiences and struggles of the author and her family parallel those of the Hmong community as a whole.
Kao’s family was hunted through the forest by the Pathet Lao but they were not the only victims, the entire Hmong population was facing genocide at the time. “North Vietnamese and Laotian soldiers walked the perimeter of the village with guns in their hands.”(Pg. 25) This quote shows how real the existential threat of
extermination was to Kao’s family at all times and demonstrates the stakes of their struggle. “The communist government… declared a death warrant against the Hmong.” (Pg. 7) This quote shows that the experiences of Kao’s family were all part of a broader campaign of genocide and that their heartbreaking story is just one of many.
Kao and her family suffered and witnessed death first hand in the refugee camps to which they fled, just like countless other victims of the war.
“It was a place in which death cried in familiar voices. I can still hear the wailing coming past our rickety gates, as mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, lamented for the person they loved, lying heavy and stiff in the clothes of the dead, being carried someplace on the surrounding hillside, to be buried in graves unmarked, mounds of earth covered by a few toppled stones.” (Pg. 64) This quote demonstrates the suffering of Kao’s family in Ban Vinai and the ubiquity of death around them. “Hmong men and women were beaten, raped, and killed when they ventured too far from the safety of their families and friends.” (Pg. 65) This shows that the suffering and oppression of the camps were common to all of the Hmong refugees and that Kao’s family was not alone in their
struggle.
Just as Kao’s family fled from temporary residence to temporary residence, the Hmong people as a whole have never had a permanent home. “I couldn’t understand why the Hmong people had to run for their children, how their children had to make lives, again and again, in different soils, to know belonging.” (Pg. 203) This quote shows the perpetual flight and cycle of settlement and uprooting that the Hmong people have experienced. “...these young Americans had a better world than we’d ever known.” (Pg. 165) This quote shows that Kao’s family directly experienced that perpetual struggle and unending placeless flight.
By looking at a book through the historical-biographical lens, the reader can explore the relationship between the experiences of individuals and the broader historical narratives and group experiences within which they occur. When a reader views The Latehomecomer through this lens, they find that the struggle and journey of the author’s family represents that of the Hmong community as a whole. This is helpful because it allows us to connect the poignant family stories of this individual with those of a community of 200,000, giving us new ways of understanding all of their histories and predicaments.