About This Book:
A poignant novel in verse about a Hmong girl losing and finding home in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. For fans of Jasmine Warga and Veera Hiranandani.
“As gripping as it is informative and as beautiful as it is heartbreaking, A Year Without Home does what all great books do: spark curiosity, ignite compassion, and leave its readers changed for the better. The young people who read V.T. Bidania’s story will feel energized and empowered to make their future kinder, more peaceful, and more just than either the past or our present.”—Jarrett Lerner, award-winning author-illustrator of A Work in Progress
For eleven-year-old Gao Sheng, home is the lush, humid jungles and highlands of Laos. Home is where she can roll down the grassy hill with her younger siblings after her chores, walk to school, and pick ripe peaches from her family’s trees.
But home becomes impossible to hold onto when the communist government takes over after U.S. troops pull out of the Vietnam War. The communists will be searching for any American allies, like Gao Sheng’s father, a Hmong captain in the Lao Army who fought alongside the Americans against the Vietnamese. If he’s caught, he’ll be killed.
As the adults frantically make plans – contacting family, preparing a route, and bundling up their silver and gold, Gao Sheng wonders if she will ever return to her beloved Laos and what’s to become of her family now. Gao Sheng only knows that a good daughter doesn’t ask questions or complain. A good daughter doesn’t let her family down. Even though sometimes, she wishes she could be just a kid rolling down a grassy hill again.
On foot, by taxi and finally in a canoe, Gao Sheng and her family make haste from the mountains to the capitol Vientiane and across the rushing Mekong River, to finally arrive at an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.
Inspired by author V.T. Bidania’s family history, A Year Without Home illuminates the long, difficult journey that many Hmong refugees faced after the Vietnam War.
*Review Contributed by Sara Perrera, Staff Reviewer*
A Year Without Home is a middle-grade novel in verse based on author V.T. Bidania’s family. It focuses on eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family as they flee their home in Laos after the Vietnam War and seek refuge in Thailand.
What I Liked: I absolutely adore a novel in verse. They are incredibly engaging, especially for reluctant readers who appreciate the “white space” on the page, the concise language, and the fast pace. While the story spans an entire year, Bidania’s pacing makes the journey feel urgent and immediate.
The book takes place in the aftermath of Vietnam and goes into a bit of detail on the Hmong people and the secret war. I love historical fiction and have not read much that takes place during this time period, so reading this story was a bit of an interesting history lesson. The emotions throughout the book are palpable; I could feel Gao Sheng’s grief over leaving her home and her fear during the trek to Thailand. Bidania’s writing creates an instant, deep connection to the characters.
I also appreciated the exploration of gender dynamics within Gao Sheng’s traditional family. At the start, she is burdened with chores and childcare while her younger brother enjoys more freedom and status. However, during their year in the refugee camp, we see Gao Sheng realize that her voice truly matters. A particularly moving moment occurs near the end when she overhears her mother and aunts describing her as smart, kind, and strong.
Ultimately, A Year Without Home is a heartbreaking yet deeply inspiring story of resilience.
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