Presented by Valley Bookseller & Literature Lovers’ Night Out
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
6 pm Doors // 7 pm Event
All Ages
$25 Advance General Admission (includes $10 coupon towards the purchase of Where Rivers Part, available for purchase at the event)
Ticket purchases are final and non-refundable
Celebrate the release of acclaimed Hmong American writer and author Kao Kalia Yang's forthcoming new memoir, Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life (released 3/19/24).
Acclaimed author Kao Kalia Yang will read from the new release and discuss her work, followed by an audience Q&A and book-signing.
In her new book, she shares her own mother’s astonishing saga with tenderness and unvarnished clarity, giving voice to the countless resilient refugees who are often overlooked as one of the essential foundations of this country. Evocative, stirring, and unforgettable, Where Rivers Part is destined to become a classic.
Additional award-winning titles by the author will also be for sale at the event!
Stunning Advance Praise for Where Rivers Part
Kao Kalia Yang's retelling of her mother's life is so many things: haunting, moving, riveting, powerful. It is a testament to the miraculous strength of women and the indomitable resolve of the human spirit. But above everything—a story of unshakable love—is itself an extraordinary act of love in return —Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans
Kao Kalia Yang’s account of her mother’s survival against a backdrop of unspeakable violence is told in moving, lyrical language that I could not draw my eye away from. A cherishing of a story and a community that has often been rendered silent, a love story in more ways than I can count, and an immense and important addition to the world’s literature —Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made
From the first page to the last, I wept. I was swept away by this lyrical tale about a mother’s love and its reverberations throughout generations. With Herculean strength, Kalia Yang not only humbly documents the story of her mother’s life but the history of Hmong people as well. As the daughter of immigrant refugees, I will forever thank her for writing this book —Carolyn Huynh, author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women
Told from the perspective of her mother, Kao Kalia Yang’s new memoir Where Rivers Part is a narrative of survival and perseverance. It is impossible to not be enraptured and subsequently moved by her account of what her mother and the Hmong people lived through and what they eventually overcame through their unimaginable experience. A survival story for the ages, the memoir not only speaks to the strength of the bond between a mother and a daughter, but also the lengths we will go to ensure the safety and happiness of those we love most.
With an incredible talent that has secured her as a finalist for PEN USA Literary (2016, 2008) and National Book Critic Circle Awards (2016), Kao Kalia Yang has long been writing the stories of her Hmong family and people to unwavering acclaim. Kao Kalia Yang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and came to America at the age of six. She is the author of The Latehomecomer, The Song Poet, Yang Warriors, and most recently, Where Rivers Part. She also coedited What God Is Honored Here? and is the author of a collective memoir about refugee lives called Somewhere in the Unknown World.
