#WorldKitLit: Hmong

Posted on by katieday

Wednesdays are reserved for #WorldKidLit posts, and today’s will do double-duty as both #WorldKidLit and #IntYALitMonth.

Vicky Lyfoung‘s recently published “Hmong: A Graphic History,” translated from French by Kao-Ly Yang (2026), is an accessible account of the long and complex history of the Hmong people, now strewn around the world. She starts with her own ignorance, searching for answers while growing up in France with parents who were unwilling to share much of their story.

In this April 2026 interview on the Lerner Books website, Vicky says it took her fifteen years to realize this very personal and political project, and she cites two famous French comics as inspiration: Marjane Sartrapi’s Persepolis (2000) ( two volumes translated into English by Mattias Ripa (2003)) and Fabien Toulme’s L’Odyssée d’Hakim (2018) (three volumes, translated into English by Hannah Chute (2021)) — not to mention manga.

After outlining the long history of oppression by China, starting in 2000 BCE and leading up to the legendary Battle of Mount Leigong when 10,000 Hmong were beheaded, the author then shifts to 1893 when France colonized Laos and introduced the forced production of opium, resulting in the first Hmong revolt against the French in 1896. During World War One, the French pressured the Hmong for more opium, not only for morphine for the soldiers, but also to finance the war. Consequently, the second Hmong uprising started in 1917 and lasted for five years. During the troubled years leading up to World War Two, trafficking in opium continued and by 1940 all taxes had to be paid in opium. After World War Two, the Hmong were caught between the Indochina independence movements, led by the Communists, and the French. Then the Americans arrived after France’s defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

Vicky Lyfoung introduces Hmong culture (language, traditions, spiritual beliefs) and interweaves the many political and historical threads of Hmong history in the 20th century with her own family’s difficult journey as refugees, ending up in France, where she still lives today.

The book opens with a preface by Cyril Payen, a France 24 Senior Correspondent with a long history of reporting on Southeast Asia. Young people reading it will be confused or perhaps intrigued by what he describes, but hopefully they will return to re-read it after finishing the book.

Vicky Lyfoung credits seeing his documentary in 2005 when she was 15 with her desire to write about her family and the Hmong. (If you understand French, this YouTube clip of him may be of interest.)

In looking for other background information, I found this 7-minute video online that illuminates the history behind the French silver coins on the distinctive traditional dress of the Hmong, which is tied to the colonial opium trade for taxes system which existed until 1954. It is an interesting complement to the story told in Vicky Lyfoung’s book.

Here is a selection of other books by or about the Hmong.

See also this Goodreads List of Hmong Authored Books.

TITLE: Hmong: A Graphic History

PUBLISHER: Graphic Universe, Lerner Books, 2026. Originally published in France by Delacourt in 2023,

AUTHOR: Vicky Lyfoung was born in Villeneuve-la-Garenne into a humble Hmong family. She spent her childhood there, surrounded by her parents, her brothers, and her sisters, some of whom became great artists. During her studies, she constantly drew and chose to move towards visual arts options. Vicky continued to develop her favorite graphic techniques and tried digital drawing while working in parallel. With her sisters and friends, she also communicated through manga by offering humorous stories in fanzines sold in various Parisian salons. Currently, she is developing workshops to teach children to draw. (Via publisher website). See Vicky’s website and her Instagram.

TRANSLATOR: Kao-Ly (pronounced Gao-Lee) Yang is Lecturer of Hmong of the Linguistics department at CSU Fresno. She also serves as Coordinator of the Hmong Studies Program, Advisor of the Hmong Minor and Chair of the Hmong Voices Series.   Dr. Yang is specialized in Anthropology, Hmong and French Linguistics, Teaching of Hmong and French, Hmong Culture and Literature.  She is passionate about preserving and transmitting Hmong cultural and language heritage to all learners, especially the heritage students. Her research focuses on Hmong cultural and religious changes and on developing best materials to teach Hmong language and culture. She is the author of the sets of Hmong textbooks for college students, “Planting a Tree. Let’s Learn Hmong Language. Kawm Lus Hmoob“.  To reward her effort for the creation of the Hmong Minor, her generosity in sharing her 11 textbooks on Hmong language and culture to students and instructors, and her excellent teaching, she received the Provost’s Award of Outstanding Lecturer in 2020.  For more about Dr. Kao-Ly Yang’s work, feel free to visit her website: Hmong Contemporary Issues. (Via the California State University: Fresno State academic directory).

Note: She has a YouTube channel called “Learn Hmong with Kao-Ly Yang.”

ISBN: 979-8-7656-5982-3

REVIEWS:

Katie Day is an international school teacher-librarian in Singapore and has been an American expatriate for almost 40 years. She is currently on the GLLI Board and has served as the chair of the GLLI Translated YA Book Prize and co-chair of the Neev Book Award in India — as well as being heavily involved in international school librarian initiatives such as the Red Dot Book Awards in Singapore and the Siam Book Awards in Thailand.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of GLLI.

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