I Begin My Life All Over November 17, 2008

            The book, I Begin My Life All Over, is a collection of oral histories provided by 36 Hmong immigrants in the United States.  The book was written by the professor/author, Lillian Faderman, with the help of Ghia Xiong as her translator and gateway into Hmong culture.  This compilation of first-person accounts provides a view into the reasons the Hmong have increasingly immigrated to the United States, what life was like in Laos, and the experiences and difficulties of their new lives in the United States. 

              In the first part of the book, we are introduced to the Hmong, an ethnic group that for many years lived in the mountains of Laos.  Although they lived for many years in Laos, “where the Hmong came from originally is a mystery” (1).   After we are introduced to the people who will be guiding us through the Hmong immigrant experience, we soon learn that life in Laos was difficult and the country’s communists were intent on removing and killing the Hmong.  Although some men stayed and joined opposition forces, many families fled to nearby jungles and began a dangerous journey to the Mekong River where they could cross into Thailand.  During this time, families were separated and many people died.

            Those who survived and were able to immigrate to the United States, found that life was difficult in ways they could never have imagined.  Although some camps provided instructional videos on the difficulties they would have in America, none of the refugees were prepared for the culture shock they received in America.  In Laos, polygamy and “kidnap marriage” were norms.  Traditionally, men were able to kidnap women and then negotiate a dowry with the woman’s parents.  This was often successful, as the woman’s family was concerned about saving face for themselves and their daughter.  Also, “fourteen was not too young to get married for the Hmong—it was just the right age” (148).  Not only did women marry young, they were expected to immediately start having children.  These customs could not be more different than what they encountered in the United States.  Once in America, the Hmong found that many of their traditions were actually considered illegal activities in their new homes.

            Many of the second generation of Hmong immigrants found it increasingly difficult to feel connected to their ethnic traditions.  While other American youngsters enjoyed much more freedoms, the Hmong households were very restrictive.  Many young women were not allowed to have a social life, and when they could, it was supervised by a family member.  For others, like Pao Her, they did not visit their friends for fear their friends’ families would stereotype them or view them as different.  Sadly, for many of the younger generation, their restrictions and difficulties within the education system led them to pursue life in gangs.  Some accounts explain that gangs were the only place they felt they were understood and could be cared for.

            The accounts in the book also demonstrate that there was a widening gulf between the generations of Hmong immigrants.  Many of the first generation did not learn English when they came to America, which caused them to be in an uncomfortable position of relying on their children.  Many of the second generation learned much more English and had to translate for their parents.  As the younger generation became more American, they let go of many of their Hmong traditions.  This often shocked and caused the older generation much grief. 

            Overall, this book provides a lot of insight into the lives of the Hmong—an ethnic group which I, myself, had no prior knowledge.  The only place I found the text to fall short, was the author’s inclusion of her own family’s personal immigration experience.  Although I found her accounts to be interesting, they often times became a distraction and did not quite fit with the rest of the text.  Still, through the oral histories provided I was able to find many similarities between their lives and those profiled in the previous texts we have read.  Like in the Takaki texts, older generations had to rely on the younger generation to survive in the U.S.  Some customs had to be given up while new ones had to be adopted. 

Shamanism

Some of the accounts that I found most interesting were the ones that addressed Shamanism.  I was surprised to hear so many accounts of Shamanism working for patients that western medicine could not help.  As an agnostic, I have a hard time believing that spirits provide answers to the Shamans, but based on the accounts, Shamanism many times successfully helped the patients.  I’m inclined to believe that the human mind is a very powerful tool in healing.  If you truly believe that you are getting better, many times you do–this is why placebo often works.  (How the mind helped the lady get her guts back inside, I’m not so sure).  Still, I found these account to be very interesting.  

Leaving Laos

            For many immigrants, moving their families to the United States is the only option they have for survival.  Although some groups have the option to stay in their own countries, others must leave because of political instability.  The Hmong is one group of immigrants that had little choice but to leave their home country.  Communists in Laos tried to kill the Hmong and viewed them as nothing more than “slaves.”  Fearing for the lives, many families fled to the jungle and escaped to Thailand across the Mekong River.  Sadly, many did not survive this dangerous journey.  Many people were killed along the way and sickness killed others.  Babies were even given opium in order to remain sedated and protect the family from being caught due to noises.  Some babies died because of overdoses.  For ethnic groups like the Hmong, these risks are still worth taking.  They have better chances for survival than if they were to stay in their home countries.

Hmong Immigrant Families

Like many other second generation immigrants, the Hmong children were needed to translate for their parents once they were in the United States.  This made many adults uncomfortable as they were always accustomed to having the control and power in the family.  As Negi was required to visit the welfare office with her mother in the book, When I was Puerto Rican, Hmong children found themselves fulfilling similar duties.  Parents depended on their children to teach their elders about American life, something that was completely foreign and frightening for the older generation.  Many of first generation Hmong immigrants found that because of the extreme differences between cultures, life in America was very lonely.

Traditional Gender and Family Roles (When I was Puerto Rican)

 In the memoir, When I was Puerto Rican, gender and family roles are major themes.  Traditionally, Puerto Rican women were expected to cook for their families, do all of the household chores, and raise the children.  While women were traditionally expected to stay at home with their families, men had greater freedom to work where they wanted and go where they want without question. 

Although these gender and family roles were not indicative of every family in Puerto Rico, they were the norms for Negi’s family.  Her mother woke early every morning in order to cook for the family, and was not treated as an equal by her husband.  Mami and the children were often left for extended periods of time, when Papi would presumably visit his mistress.  At one point in the book, Mami had a fight with Papi, and she threw his clothes out in to the mud.  Still, by the next morning his clothing was cleaned and ready to be worn.  Despite the lack of respect she received from Papi, she still remained committed to her own duty to her family. 

As the book progresses, Mami’s gender and family role gradually changes.  The family has grown, yet Papi still left for extended periods of time.  As Papi was away from Macun and was not upholding his duty to fully provide for his family, Mami began to take her family’s well-being in to her own hands.  Negi explains that “Mami was one of the first mothers in Macun to have a job outside the house” (122).  In order to help provide for her family, Mami got a job in a nearby factory.  Working outside the home was very uncommon for most women, and Mami became the object of much gossip.  Her new job caused Mami to be away from the family and required that Negi take over many of the household responsibilities— duties that the oldest daughter must acquire.  Negi’s added responsibilities were not something she wanted, but were required under their traditional family values.

Life in New York

I felt somewhat disappointed by the last part of When I was Puerto Rican.  I’m glad that everything worked out for Negi and she had a bright future full of accomplishments, but I found that the ending was too hurried.  Throughout the book, the reader grows to care for Negi as we are privy to all her internal thoughts and struggles.  We learn so much from her about what her life was like in Puerto Rico, but too little about her life in New York.  I know the book is titled, When I was Puerto Rican, which denotes that a large amount of the text will be devoted to her life in Puerto Rico; however, it also suggests that she now has a new life—one that the reader learns to little about.  From Negi’s description of life in New York, we know that it was tougher than any of her family could have anticipated.  Luckily, they had family members already living in New York, which ultimately made it easier for Negi and her family to transition to their new lives.  It is hard to imagine what life would have been like for her family if not for the help of their extended family.  It is likely they would not have even come to the U.S.  Still, from the perspective of someone wanting to learn about the immigrant experience in America, this book provided slightly too little perspective.

Los Americanos

During the “American Invasion of Macun,” Negi and her classmates begin going to the “centro comunal” for an Americanized breakfast which has been provided by aid workers.  Sadly, the food provided can barely even be called food as it is mostly of the “just add water” variety.  Although some of Negi’s friends enjoy this new American food, she is unable to swallow it without becoming sick.  The aid workers even hold a meeting on a Saturday for the parents to teach them about the food pyramid and what types of foods they should be feeding their families.  When asked what group the breadfruit fit into, the aid worker simply told the crowd that “it [was] best not to make substitutions for the recommended food.”  I’m sure the aid workers were there to do some good, but clearly they had no idea about the local culture and the abundant healthy foods that was already available to the villagers.  The food provided to the students seemed totally lacking in nutritional merit.  Although the workers most likely provided little help with their teachings of the food pyramid, they may have helped to keep families healthier from better hygiene.  As Negi had worms, this is a lesson her family definitely needed. 

Mangoes: The forbidden fruit

I found the prologue of When I was Puerto Rican, to be both sad and in many ways a similar reflection of the experiences we have read of immigrants’ new lives in America.  While in Puerto Rico, Negi was able to enjoy mangoes that were bountiful and only needed to be plucked from the trees on which they grew.  Mangoes were so accessible to her that as a child she even chose to eat the unripe ones.  She describes the methodical and careful precision that goes in to eating a mango.  Based on her description, the reader knows that she ate so many of these fruits that she was an expert in her own rite.  Once she is in the United States; however, this very simple pleasure became a luxury that she could not afford.  .  Like Negi, many immigrants find that life in their new home is not always as good as they may have imagined it to be.  It is true that many immigrants enjoy more opportunities, but still, there are so many aspects of their former lives that have to be surrendered.

A Birthright Denied: Monica Sone October 17, 2008

            During World War II, Executive Order 9066 changed the lives for Japanese-Americans in ways they never would have thought possible.  As Americans became increasingly xenophobic toward the Japanese, this Executive Order led to all those in the United States with Japanese ancestry to be sent to internment camps for the duration of the war.  According to the historian, Ronald Takaki, after the Executive Order was given; “the army promptly began evacuation and internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of them citizens by birth” (188).

            Takaki includes in his book, A Larger Memory, a portion of Monica Sone’s autobiography which provides valuable information about what life was life for the Japanese-Americans during this time in our nation’s history.  Perhaps one aspect that makes her story so interesting is that the Japanese interment is often time left out or only briefly covered during many classroom history lessons on World War II.  Monica Sone’s autobiography allows her readers to understand the reality of the internment from someone who actually experienced it firsthand.  Although I previously knew some details of Japanese internment, it was surprising to learn that people were given so little to evacuate their homes, and they could take with them only what they could carry.  I was also saddened by the fact that the family pets had to be abandoned.  Luckily for Monica Sone’s family, some friends were willing to adopt their family dog.  Many times pets are like family members; I can imagine this must have been very difficult for her as child.  Even worse than all the Japanese had to leave behind, were the despicable conditions at the camps.  Their shelters “resemble[ed] chicken shacks” and inside “the flooring consisted of two by fours laid directly on the earth, and dandelions were already pushing their way up through the cracks” (197).

            Monica Sone’s story is just one out of many, but it still is invaluable in understanding our country’s troubled past.  Her story is a good reminder of what racism can lead to, and mistakes that should never be repeated.

             

Dear Editor: Letters from Jewish America—Problems and Advice

            In Takaki’s book, A Larger Memory, he includes a collection of letters written by Jews seeking advice from an editor at the Jewish Daily Forward.  I particularly enjoyed reading these letters and their corresponding answers, as they give the reader a good idea of what was going on in history at the time without actually having to read a dry textbook.  In fact, in addition to being able to gain insight about major events that were happening at the time, the reader is also able to learn about Jewish culture, family identity, and issues between the genders. 

            During the late-19^th Century many Jewish immigrant women were working in New York sweatshops.  In the book, A Different Mirror, Takaki writes that “what probably mattered more than the values they might have carried to America was the fact that many Jewish immigrants brought something even more useful – their skills, especially in the sewing trades” (288).  Unfortunately, these skills did not always put the immigrants in the safest working conditions.  From the collection of letters sent to the Jewish Daily Forward, Takaki includes one called “A Death at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.”  In the letter, a young Jewish woman tells the editor her story of coming to America as a newlywed with her “faithful and devoted” husband (178).  Everything her husband ever did, he did for her.  They loved being together and even worked besides each other at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  This particular factory is now well-known for the fire that broke out there, and as being the place of one of New York’s worst building disasters.  After reading the girl’s letter, we learn that her husband died in the fire while trying to save others.  She has had a very difficult time recovering from the loss, and has become faced with the dilemma of marrying someone else.  Not only did this letter give a first-hand account of the factory fire, but I think it also says something about gender issues.  The editor responds to the girl that she should basically move on and get married no matter what.  I found this odd that the editor found it so important for her to marry when she was obviously still grieving.

            Overall, the letters are very interesting accounts of Jewish culture during the late-19^th Century.  They show that beyond struggling to make money in the United States, many Jewish immigrants also struggled with assimilating and often time there were complex differences between the generations.