The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s PageView column recently profiled Chia Youyee Vang’s new book Hmong America: Reconstructing Community in Diaspora, including a short interview with Dr. Vang.

“Q. As a member of the one-and-a-half generation, do you feel as if the experiences of the older generations of Hmong were shared with you as you were growing up? Or was it not until you began your work as a historian that you learned in any detail what led to the diaspora?

A. Even before I began my work as a historian, I was interested and paid attention to things occurring in the Hmong community. Many in the 1.5 generation have heard about our parents’ experiences during and after the war. Parents often remind us of the difficulties they encountered as a way to encourage us to work hard and make something of ourselves.”