Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugee’s Childhood Story of Survival

by Pao Lor

As a five-year-old boy, Pao Lor joined thousands of Hmong who fled for their lives through the jungles of Laos in the aftermath of war. After a difficult and perilous journey that neither of his parents survived, he reached the safety of Thailand, but the young refugee boy’s challenges were only just beginning.

Born in a small farming village, Pao was destined to be a Hmong clan leader, wedding negotiator, or shaman. But the course of his life changed dramatically in the 1970s, when the Hmong faced persecution for their role in helping US forces fighting communism in the region. After more than two years in Thai refugee camps, Pao and his surviving family members boarded the belly of an “iron eagle” bound for the United States, where he pictured a new life of comfort and happiness. Instead, Pao found himself navigating a frightening and unfamiliar world, adjusting to a string of new schools and living situations while struggling to fulfill the hopes his parents had once held for his future. Now in Modern Jungles , Pao Lor shares his inspiring coming-of-age tale about perseverance, grit, and hope. 

Included are discussion questions for use by book clubs, in classrooms, or around the dinner table.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, History, Biography

160 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2021

Reviews

[Andrew Kuether · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible recount of the journey of a Hmong boy from the mountains of Laos to America (and back again). A story of family, culture and hope within tragedy. I knew Pao in high school as an outstanding student and athlete but I didn't really realize what else he was dealing with. I consider it fortunate that our paths crossed.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, and I'm excited because the author may be coming to our library later this year. It's written quite differently from other memoirs I've read, consisting more of glimpses and specific moments in childhood, as far as he can recall him. These can end somewhat abruptly, and you don't always find out everything you want to find out about a particular story he's told, but it feels like he cuts off because it's all he can remember.
It kind of blows my mind to think about what he was going through with his family in Laos and Thailand in the 70's, at the same time I was just a few years older than he was, doing gymnastics, climbing trees, wearing hand-me-down bell bottoms and taking for granted my safe, comfortable childhood.
Learning about his experiences as an immigrant in California and then Wisconsin was really eye-opening. I was moved by how much the Hmong people helped each other out and made room for others in already crowded living spaces. The constant moving sounded really hard, and I was impressed by the resourcefulness of Lor's brothers, who were barely adults themselves, navigating life in a new country.
I wasn't surprised by the stories of bullying and racism, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ones about the supportive teachers and coaches who encouraged Lor and helped him succeed. I was glad to read there was so much help available for Hmong immigrants in Wisconsin at that time.
I thought the last chapter when his uncle told him about the soul calling ceremony a few days after his birth was really fascinating. I was glad too that he added an epilogue about his life after the events of this book.
A really worthwhile read!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
My family also fled Laos to Thailand, ended up in a camp, and then came to America. However, every story is unique. Lor’s story is heartbreaking, but also beautiful, and I am glad I found this on Edelweiss and requested a copy. So thank you for the review copy and I hope many many people read this!

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my good friends growing up was Laotian and her parents came from Laos in the 80s and I never once asked her about her family’s story. I met her when we were in second grade. She didn’t speak English, but yet we managed to communicate and become friends. This book was very touching to me. I related to it because of my childhood friend and because I am from Green Bay. My friend and I have not been in contact for many years and after reading this, I regret not inviting her to share her family’s story.

Great book. Highly recommend.

[Terri Gulyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal memoir of author's life from Hmong refugee as a toddler to university professor. Sad to read about the meanness of classmates but inspiring to read about his resilience.

[Eric Brinkmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and moving, Pao Lor tells his story in a straightforward manner that only underscores his harrowing and ultimately triumphant journey.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pao Lor’s "Modern Jungles: A Hmong Refugee’s Childhood Story of Survival" is unique because it’s the Secret War told from the perspective of the author as a young boy. Lor describes playing with friends, then witnessing frightening things in the dark that are outside the realm of anything a 5-year-old child should experience. It’s both a transporting portrait of boyhood, where sensory details of the beauty of Laos and Hmong traditions shine through, and a no-holds barred account of starvation, loss, and trauma. The author writes: “Almost 700 people had started the journey from our home in Laos. Only around 50 made it to Thailand.” Modern Jungles is a testament to the lengths Hmong refugees went to save their families and a cautionary tale about who really pays the price in war. It's also a story of resilience as the author comes of age in America.

Accessible reading level for high school students and above, but with depictions of violence that may trouble younger readers (infant loss, parent loss). The book includes discussion questions at the end that are thought-provoking for the classroom or book club.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary memoir, very steeped in the Hmong experience and a true pleasure to read. Lor manages to take several extraordinarily traumatic experiences and transfer them into profound transcendence and grace. I inhaled the book in a single day.

[Carolyn Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for antiracist book club; wanted to be more educated re Wisconsin Hmong. His story is so sad; can't believe what he went through at such a young age! Definitely have a better understanding of the Hmong community.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great perspective on a culture that doesn't have much written history.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* read via audio book on Hoopla app for Milwaukee County Historical Society book club

Spoilers:
Moving autobiographical book about a Hmong boy born in Laos. As a very young child, he witnessed his father's assassination. He then fled through Laos to Thailand with his mother and siblings and other refugees, nearing dying due to starvation, crossing the river into Thailand, but losing his mother and sister in that river by drowning.

After living in refugee camps in Thailand, he and his siblings are sponsored by his brother's MIL. They first end up in Long Beach, CA and then in Green Bay, WI.

I found this book interesting on many levels- his many moves both before and after his arrival in America, the societal obstacles he faced- racism, poverty, relocation, loss of parents and more. I also enjoyed the discussion of cultural norms- naming, funerals, weddings, clans, family obligations, shamans and healing, etc.

On a personal level, I couldn't help but think how close we are in age (approx 10 months younger) and how his experiences in life contrasted with mine, knowing that we were both teens in Wisconsin during the same time frame.

Audio is not read by the author and the person reading is just ok.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pao Lor's Modern Jungles is the story of the author's journey of fleeing Laos as a small boy, reaching the safety of Thailand, and his experiences of immigration in the United States. It is the story of loss, yet also overcoming obstacles and finding success. I found the author's experiences describing his schooling in Green Bay surprising and sad.

This is an important story to read, not only from the perspective of the author's experience but also in revealing what kind of experiences many Hmong students experienced in our community and educational system.

[G X · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I've always enjoyed the kind of stories where Hmong authors share with us their life during the Secret War, in the refugee camps, and then the migration to the US! I've never heard of this book before and only found it by chance when I was browsing for Hmong authors.

I enjoyed how authentic this book was--we read about the orphan boy who was raised by his brothers, the millions of times they've moved, living under the same roof as other relatives, being bullied in school, etc. I, too, am Hmong, and all of this resonated with me. This was a really good read!

[Nancy Malone Williquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fascinating to read this personal account of world history from a contemporary who lived it. Political suspicions and violence driving the family to flee their the jungle village home life. Growing up in the turmoil of fleeing home after home, splintered family, refugee camp, and Green Bay schools.

[Jeanne Wright-brusky]

This was a great story of a Hmong family's heroic escape from Cambodia and eventually resettling in Wisconsin. A story all Americans should read so that we can understand what this unfortunate group of people had to endure because they helped the Americans during the Vietnam war.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative...we do not know of the suffering and hard lives of so many of our immigrants...and how badly they are treated...for no reason. It is amazing of all the success immigrants bring to our country and our society. What wonderful examples...

[Amanda Walker]

This book is a great way to get an understanding of Hmong culture and the Hmong experience here in Northeast Wisconsin. I am going to use this book in some capacity in my classroom, possibly as a whole-class text.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this look into the life of a Hmong immigrant from Wisconsin! I’m going to add the introduction as a reading to my Migration and Immigration unit in U.S. History. Many of my students can likely relate to his story or know someone that does.

[Koneazny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always appreciate someone's story. He tells you his life story from birth to 14. There are lots of themes throughout this book besides survival. Easy read.

[Heather Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and insightful.
Appreciated memories of Green Bay.

[Wisconsin Alumni]

Pao Lor PhD’01
Author

[Hilmg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly childhood memories, with an epilogue of adulthood, an important contribution to history. I would next like to read about why the SEA communists were enemies of the Hmong

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fine and inspiring memoir. Pao Lor tells of his remarkable journey from a Hmong village in Laos, to refugee camps, to the United States. It's a story marked by war and tragedy as both his parents died while he was just a young boy. His journey was difficult--poverty, prejudice, language barriers, cultural transitions. However, love and hard work brought hope and success to the family. Pao Lor is now a professor of education at UW Green Bay.

I learned so much about the history of the Hmong people from their roles as soldiers fighting with the U.S. military in Vietnam, to their struggles in refugee centers, to immigration. I worked with Pao Lor when he taught ELA for a few years 20 years ago at the high school where I worked and recently retired from. I'm so proud to know him and to learn about his amazing story.

[Annetteb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating reflects this author's courageousness rather than the writing skill. Telling this story must have been incredibly difficult. The author's pain and resilience come through with great clarity. I applaud him for his ability to disclose and hope for the best as he tries to heal from his childhood terror.