Harvesting Pa Chay's Wheat: The Hmong and America's Secret War in Laos

by Keith Quincy

America's secret war in Laos from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s sounds like the stuff of conspiracy theories, but it actually happened. Keith Quincy uncovers the secret war America denied for over 30 years. From the Hmong's war of independence with France to America's use of Laos as a military staging point during the Vietnam War, the Hmong were exploited because of their geographic location and passive culture. "Harvesting Pa Chay's Wheat" traces the history that led to the mass exodus of the Hmong people and their immigration into neighbouring Thailand and the United States in the early 1980s. Keith Quincy is professor of government at Eastern Washington University. He is the author of "Hmong: History of a People" and other books.

597 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Lisabet Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of painful details but ultimately left me amazed by the resilience and the courage of the Hmong.

[Bryan Worra · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are flaws within it, contestable versions of history, and in that there is virtue- it should provoke alternate takes from the veterans and elders themselves, and Hmong and Lao youth in particular should study this work and seek out the relations of their families to these accounts and work to create work that can correct the records or affirm it.

[Pa Chee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history book....some of the incidents described in the book has been described by my family members too. A lot of info though...maybe too much?

[Selika · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the Secret War. Read it with Tragic Mountains to get right and left views.