Tangled Threads

“I nodded. I'd never seen a dead person up close before, none that I remembered. My parents had died when I was three, and we had fled west immediately toward Thailand. I remembered their smiles the way people remember the pictures of loved ones, more than the loved ones themselves. That is quite a trick the mind plays, framing the loved ones silent, motionless, unable to feel pain, but still able to cause it." (199)

           I enjoyed reading Tangled Threads, but while thinking of the discussions we have been having lately in class, about truth and facts, I was a bit cautious about whether I can fully believe this tale. Granted, it is a novel (and claims to be on the cover of the book) but I imagine it to be accurate. One of the biggest questions it brought up for me was that of the role of Christianity, and whether many Hmong join immediately and adapt their customs like Mei's family did.
       Other than that, I found the book engaging and inviting. While the story focuses on Mei's experience, with her narration providing amazing insight into her world, and simultaneously seeing her try to understand the actions of those around her. Mei is a teenage girl and does have many experiences that all readers can relate to. She has crushes, need to belong, and as an ELL she has struggles (and successes) in the American school. Her resilience throughout the story is incredible, in particular, her focus and determination to go to school and gain an education was very moving. Another part that touched home with me, was the experience with losing her grandmother. When the New Year's celebration came around, I could empathize with her emotion and could feel the absence of her grandmother with a hint of her constant presence. Holidays are very tough, yet important and moving, for those who have experienced loss.
       I appreciate Pegi Deitz Shea's labeling this as a novel and the additional disclaimer that this is a work of fiction, but at the same time I hope that it is not inaccurate and could be considered contemporary realistic fiction. I do not know much of the refugee experience or that of the Hmong culture, and this book provides a great vantage point into both of them.
       The image of threads comes up multiple times and in many contexts. The threads of the Hmong traditional pa'ndau, the spirit threads that the shaman ties on the wrists of the sick, the threadworm that sickens Mei, and the threads of all the characters' lives allow for a deep understanding of the intricate nature of the refugee and immigration experience. The title being "Tangled Threads" alludes to the tangled nature of the differing generations and their mixed desires to assimilate while maintaining their cultural identity.
       This book is easily accessible to a young audience and I feel would definitely be a great addition to my curriculum as I feel that many students do not have knowledge about the experiences of their classmates and community members. There is a valuable glossary of terms, traditions, and additional resources in the afterword.
       Critically, I am a bit weary that the book does not have any endorsement from the culture the author is writing about. She claims to have "studied the Hmong people" and "treasures he many Hmong friends" (back dust jacket). But this is troubling, although I stated previously that that it would not matter to me if the author is not part of the culture. Here I think it troubles me most, because I do not know the culture much at all and the traumatic experience is not something to profit from.