Staring Down the Tiger: Stories of Hmong American Women

by Pa Der Vang (Editor)

Tsov tom, or tiger bite—an insult in Hmong culture—means you were stupid enough to approach a tiger and get bitten. In this remarkable new book, Hmong American women reclaim that phrase, showing in prose and poetry that they are strong enough and brave enough to stare down the tiger.

Contributors celebrate the power of bonds between daughter and mother, sister and sister, and grandmother and granddaughter. Only after climbing a mountain in Nepal can Kia M. Lor finally understand her mother's life. Pa Xiong provides a recipe for squirrel stew, remembering in telling detail the gender roles that mark each step—and how her mother broke those rules. Kao Kalia Yang sketches the extraordinary everyday achievements of a Hmong leader, her older sister, Dawb. Contributors to this volume bring life and character to the challenges of maintaining identity, navigating changes in gender roles, transitioning to American culture, and breaking through cultural barriers.

These pieces were brought together through the work of Hnub Hmong Women Achieving Together, an organization founded in St. Paul to be a catalyst for lasting cultural, institutional, and social change to improve the lives of Hmong women.

Contributors : MayKao Y. Hang, Npaus Baim Her, Gaosong V. Heu, Linda Vang Kim, Dee Kong, BoNhia Lee, Duabhav BJ Lee, Tou SaiKo Lee, Kia M. Lor, Kia Moua, Mai Neng Moua, Mainhia Moua, Douachee Vang, Gao Vang, Maly Vang, Talee Vang, MaiThao Xiong, Pa Xiong, Renee Ya, Boonmee Yang, Kao Kalia Yang, Lyncy Yang, Nou Yang, Song Yang

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Anthologies, Biography Memoir, Asian American

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Lonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating look at the immigrant experience of the Hmong who arrived in the US following what they called "the secret war"...the time when they fought on the side of the US. The various authors portray the angst of the conflict between Hmong culture and US culture, especially for women.

[Alec Marentic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-notch educative anthology of strong Hmong women leaders and trailblazers.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empowering

I enjoyed this read very much. I'm in my early 30's and was able to relate to the events, histories and feelings. I enjoyed that there were so many stories from different perspectives. This was a great way to continue and bring forward to the 3 forefront the work and mission of Hnub Tshiab, Hmong Women's Circle. After finishing this read, I now will reread this with my children. Thank you!

[Nannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic anthology of works about Hmong female leaders in America, the women reclaiming the insult tsov tom or “tigerbite”, traditionally meaning a child who’s stupid enough to approach a tiger and get bitten. In these works, women show that they’re brave enough to stare down the tiger.

Content warnings:
- domestic abuse
- sexism
- substance addiction
- suicide mention
- infanticide
- racism
- genocide

Representation:
- everyone in these works is Hmong

Staring Down the Tiger is a collection of thirty-three short stories, poems, essays, and song lyrics in five parts: A Woman’s Journey, Ua Siab Ntev (Be Patient), Grand(Mothers) We Love, Moving Through Cultures, and Breaking Barriers. The works are diverse, showing different kinds of strong women and different perspectives. The ones that stood out to me the most were The Grandmothers We Love by Boonmee Yang, The Back of the Line by Dee Kong, and The Reasons We Stand by Boonmee Yang--but every poem and story was excellent and beautifully written.

This was an excellent and poignant look into Hmong culture. Before reading this, my knowledge of what I now know as the Secret War could have stretched to a sentence at most. This book covers that and more through the effects it had on Hmong women. It has stories about grandmothers and mothers escaping Laos after the Secret War, it has stories about mothers raising children in the US while trying to deal with the trauma of the war, and it has stories of girls trying to fit into the US culture while not initially understanding their mothers’ (and their own) culture.

In the preface it’s mentioned that this is the second publication that Hnub Tshiab (Hmong Women Achieving Together) has created, but Goodreads doesn’t have anything linked here, so I’ll have to look around. I'd love to read more.

[Dianne Sandberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into Hmong culture.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something indulgent in reading these stories back to back. I barely made it halfway before realizing I hadn't yet set down the book since cracking it open. I set down my book to pick up my phone, and form a new text thread to include my aunts, sisters and mother.

"Yo, I just started reading 'Staring Down the Tiger'. I highly recommend for Hmong women, your daughters and so on. Just short stories that Hmong women have shared about their experiences as a woman, wife, daughter, sister, refugee, and creatives. I cried once already." Once I hit send, I picked the book back up again and finished the rest of the book in one more sitting.

I am so grateful for this collection of stories, and the work Pa Der Vang has done to making these stories accessible to all readers. I can share this book with my family, my colleagues, and even my partner's family. There is a little piece of each story that any first or second generation Hmong woman can relate to. Hmong women behind a pen have proved to be both resilient and inspiring as they share the struggles and healing in discovering their identity and autonomy.

[Toby Hopstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The editor, Pa Der Vang, has collected short, moving pieces written by Hmong-American women from Minnesota. They share their moments of understand, leaps of faith, importance of support systems, passion for family, as well as their perseverance in achieving professional goals. The many essays and autobiographical writings also share their need to address those parts of Hmong culture that have subjugated women, and begin to challenge the thinking behind this. This is a vibrant selection of exciting and driven women whose voices are an inspiration to the youth of the next generation.

[Darian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teared up after almost every essay, it was absolutely brilliant. I feel like I have a new understanding and appreciation for Hmong culture and Hmong women. I couldn’t help but think of my students while I read.