Nonfiction Alumna Kao Kalia Yang '05 recently published two books, Somewhere in the Unknown World (Metropolitan, 2020)—a collective refugee memoir—and The Most Beautiful Thing (Carolrhoda Books, 2020)—a picture book based on Yang's own experience as a young Hmong refugee. The books are available for purchase here and here, respectively.
Somewhere in the Unknown World is a poignant collection of fourteen stories of refugees who have settled in Minnesota's Twin Cities. In a time when nativism is on the rise, Minnesota has unexpectedly welcomed more refugees per capita than any other state. Yang has gathered the stories of people who come from as diverse countries as Syria, Thailand, Bosnia, and Liberia—and the result is a testament to human resilience in the face of loss. Publishers Weekly called the book a "heartfelt and exquisitely written account [which] shines a poignant light on the immigration debate;" and Kirkus called it "A work of technical as well as empathetic mastery...The stories are as powerful as they are unique, and Yang makes the wise decision to let her subjects express themselves."
The Most Beautiful Thing is part picture book, part memoir in which the young Kalia struggles with the pressures of growing up in a Hmong-American home with very little money, but ultimately discovers through her grandmother that love and family are far more valuable. Kirkus Reviews praises the "poignant storytelling with stunning visuals" in this "picture-book memoir for older readers [that] explores perseverance, financial hardship, and the richness of family connection." The book was recently included in NPR's list of Best Books of 2020.
Kao Kalia Yang is the author of The Song Poet, which received the 2017 Minnesota Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA Literary Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her previous book, The Latehomecomer, also received the Minnesota Book Award. Her children's books include A Map into the World, which won the Minnesota Book Award, and The Shared Room.
