The Latehomecomer

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2008

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-11

Chapters 12-15

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

In the prologue, Yang repeats the idea that for people on the outside, “Hmong is only skin deep.” What does she mean by this, and in what ways is this demonstrated through her experiences?

Yang discusses how growing up in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp makes her and Dawb different than their younger siblings, who are born in America. What makes her feel this way?

The link between the spiritual world and the world of the living plays an important role in the lives of the Hmong. How does this connection effect the lives of Yang’s family once they live in America?

Throughout her memoir, Yang’s Hmong identity shifts. How does her identity evolve once she lives in America?

Yang describes how she felt isolated in American school. What made her feel this way?

Explain the significance of Grandma Yang’s stories. How do they influence Yang’s life in America?

Throughout her memoir, Yang’s family has been constantly searching for a home. How does Yang’s definition of home change throughout the memoir?

What is the significance of writing in Yang’s life?

Yang experiences many illnesses throughout her life. How does her grandma’s shamanism influence these sicknesses? And how does this contrast western medicine?

10.

How does Grandma Yang’s funeral demonstrate about Hmong family values?