Where Rivers Part

A Story of My Mother's Life

By: Kao Kalia Yang

Narrated by: Pamela Xiong, Kao Kalia Yang

This powerful memoir about a Hmong family’s epic journey to safety is a profound “testament to the miraculous strength of women and the indomitable resolve of the human spirit” (Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans).

Born in 1961 in war-torn Laos, Tswb’s childhood was marked by the violence of America’s Secret War and the CIA recruitment of the Hmong and other ethnic minorities into the lost cause. By the time Tswb was a teenager, the US had completely vacated Laos, and the country erupted into genocidal attacks on the Hmong people, who were labeled as traitors. Fearing for their lives, Tswb and her family left everything they knew behind and fled their village for the jungle.

Perpetually on the run and on the brink of starvation, Tswb eventually crossed paths with the man who would become her future husband. Leaving her own mother behind, she joined his family at a refugee camp, a choice that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Eventually becoming a mother herself, Tswb raised her daughters in a state of constant fear and hunger until they were able to emigrate to the US, where the determined couple enrolled in high school even though they were both nearly thirty and worked grueling jobs to provide for their children.

Now, her daughter, Kao Kalia Yang, reveals her mother’s astonishing saga with tenderness and clarity, giving voice to the countless resilient refugees who are often overlooked as one of the essential foundations of this country. “Haunting and painfully relevant” (Booklist), Where Rivers Part is destined to become a classic.

Critic reviews

"Author Kao Kalia Yang’s soft Hmong-accented voice opens this forthright and heartrending refugee story with the birth of her own children. She then moves on to chronicle family history from her mother Tswb’s (pronounced “Chew”) point of view. Yang narrates the introductory and concluding elements of the story herself, with Pamela Xiong picking up the body of the narrative, which includes episodes on her mother’s childhood, fleeing the Pathet Lao, finding safety in Minnesota, being changed by motherhood, and more. Xiong’s melodious tones and unhurried tempo keep listeners anchored in a memoir that does not always unfold in chronological order. Xiong’s facility with Hmong names, places, and sprinklings of conversation lend authenticity to her performance."

Beautiful Writing

The author tells the tale from her heart. The characters and sense of place are detailed and true.

Poor Performance, Beautiful Story

I purchased and listened to Kao Kalia’s previous books and they were beautifully written. Although her voice was a bit monotonous at times, no one knew better than the author on when to make voice inflections. I cried when I listened to her previous books. When I listened to Pamela Xiong’s performance, I was annoyed. Words like parents’ turned into parentses, brothers’ turned into brotherses, etc. The reader had a good understanding and pronunciation when it came to the Hmong words, but her understanding of the English language seemed to be lacking. Her voice inflections and singsong voice seemed inappropriate at times and was such a distraction that I decided to purchase the e-book and read it myself. I wish Kao Kalia had read the book herself as she did with her first 2 books.

Soul touching and deep

What a great book! Moments of tears and sadness. I love reading about what my parents and grandparents endured. I felt like I was there in that time with them. Thank you for giving me a piece of the experience. I appreciate my mom so much more. ❤️

It’s a story about all our grandmothers and mothers life

Your memoir about your mother’s life is a reflection of similar stories of other Hmong Mothers and Grandmothers that could not be told because they didn’t know where to begin and where it ends. The trauma and suffering petrified in their throats. My grandmother would only tell me the happy stories and never could tell me the dark stories that were also part of her life story. I’m so thankful for your amazing ability to create a beautiful memoir that made sense of the memories and stories that felt like a beautiful quilt in a book. I cried from the beginning to the end.

The schreeching performance

Interesting only because of the descriptions of the Hmong experience. Main character whines too much.