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Chia Gounza Vang is a social studies teacher and an author. She and her husband have four children. Her family came to America from Laos after the Vietnam War and Secret War. The Americans’ withdrawal from the wars brought fear as the communists retaliated, forcing her family to flee countless times domestically in search for safety. She was born while her family trekked to a village to surrender after months of hiding. The civil war was a time of homelessness and uncertainty. The communists’ constant arrest of former CIA soldiers, her father included, and their brutality forced her family to flee to the neighboring country of Thailand for safety. At the time, she was old enough to have some memories of the escape. They traveled through the jungle for two weeks before reaching Thailand. Their survival was challenged often and yet they were successful in reaching the Thai shore in the early 1980s. They lived in the refugee camps for a few years before coming to the United States.
Chia Gounza Vang is a social studies teacher and an author. She and her husband have four children. Her family came to America from Laos after the Vietnam War and Secret War. The Americans’ withdrawal from the wars brought fear as the communists retaliated, forcing her family to flee countless times domestically in search for safety. She was born while her family trekked to a village to surrender after months of hiding. The civil war was a time of homelessness and uncertainty. The communists’ constant arrest of former CIA soldiers, her father included, and their brutality forced her family to flee to the neighboring country of Thailand for safety. At the time, she was old enough to have some memories of the escape. They traveled through the jungle for two weeks before reaching Thailand. Their survival was challenged often and yet they were successful in reaching the Thai shore in the early 1980s. They lived in the refugee camps for a few years before coming to the United States.
The second book in her Young Guardian series, “Dreamer’s Dream,” is the story of Nou, a Hmong refugee, who at 17 year old escapes Communist Laos only to face prejudice in the small Wisconsin town where she now lives.
The Young Guardian series is aimed at igniting curiosity in young audiences about the rich tapestry of Hmong culture and history.
The intention behind the series is to use storytelling to captivate readers and encourage a thorough exploration of the Hmong community and its roots in the United States.
The Young Guardian series is aimed at igniting curiosity in young audiences about the rich tapestry of Hmong culture and history.
The intention behind the series is to use storytelling to captivate readers and encourage a thorough exploration of the Hmong community and its roots in the United States.