Hmong: A Graphic History by Vicky Lyfoung is a little under 200 pages and most of those are dedicated to the history of the Hmong people. Which is really fun. Or interesting. Or unique. Or well, all the above and more. We probably know little to nothing about the Hmong history and people, which is a shame as they have a very rich culture and background.
The book fits the genre of nonfiction, biography, graphic novel, historical, history, culture, politics, religion, war, and is young adult. But it is more than that. It is more than telling us the first people identifying as Hmong. And even before that. It is more than its culture and religion. It is more than the tug of war between different peoples and governments, and even within their tribes. We see how things could be different but how they are is what we have. We saw a mass exodus of the people to France, where we then pick up the author’s story.
The overall picture of things is great. I really liked getting to know about these people and this part of the world. You can see how we are similar and how we are different from each other and even how Asian cultures are both beautifully different and similar due to how we all live side-by-side. Also, we see how minorities can become almost extinct due to greed, politics and other changes. Once we get to the “present day” of the story, the author’s family story is brought into play. The pieces of history have an active role in shaping how Lyfoung’s life would turn out. Perhaps the history and background takes up over half the story, but this does not take away from the personal perspective.
However, I am not a huge fan of illustrations. This is not to say that they are bad, but things like a few times colors were mentioned (the clothing differences for different tribes within the Hmong community) and it was difficult to imagine this when everything is in sepia, other browns, and a black/white tones. And, unfortunately, due to the similar looks of the people (few distinctive elements to their character/person) I wasn’t always sure who the person on the page was. But otherwise, the details are good as they do not crowd the panels, but mostly the idea is there.
Best for ages 10 and up, it is a fun, informative and clever read.
