Longlisted for the National Book Award for PoetryThe 2016 winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets, selected by Carolyn ForchéWhen I make the crossing, you must not be taken no matter whatthe current gives. When we reach the camp,there will be thousands like us.If I make it onto the plane, you must follow me to the roadsand waiting pastures of America.We will not ride the water today on the shoulders of buffaloas we used to many years ago, nor will we foragefor the sweetest mangoes.I am refugee. You are too. Cry, but do not weep.―from “Transmigration”Afterland is a powerful, essential collection of poetry that recounts with devastating detail the Hmong exodus from Laos and the fate of thousands of refugees seeking asylum. Mai Der Vang is telling the story of her own family, and by doing so, she also provides an essential history of the Hmong culture’s ongoing resilience in exile. Many of these poems are written in the voices of those fleeing unbearable violence after U.S. forces recruited Hmong fighters in Laos in the Secret War against communism, only to abandon them after that war went awry. That history is little known or understood, but the three hundred thousand Hmong now living in the United States are living proof of its aftermath. With poems of extraordinary force and grace, Afterland holds an original place in American poetry and lands with a sense of humanity saved, of outrage, of a deep tradition broken by war and ocean but still intact, remembered, and lived.
✔ Author(s): Mai Der Vang
✔ Title: Afterland: Poems
✔ Rating : 4.3 out of 5 base on (53 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1555977707
✔ ISBN-13: 9781555977702
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about Afterland by Mai Der Vang
Virginia Savage
The author's writing style is so captivating; I couldn't put the book down. Every sentence was beautifully crafted, and the descriptions painted vivid images in my mind. A true literary gem.
Daphne Garner
The rich historical context of the book added a layer of depth that I found fascinating. It was like stepping back in time and experiencing history firsthand.
Aileen Menzie
I'm already planning to reread this book. It's one of those stories that you can revisit again and again, discovering new layers of meaning each time.
