In Yer’s Kitchen: Memoir of a Hmong Daughter
“A moving and satiating memoir rich with food, family, tradition, and most undeniably, love. This book will make you hungry and feed you all at once.”
— Nicole Treska, author of Wonderland: A Tale of Hustling Hard and Breaking Even
"In the Hmong tradition, we do not call our spirits in. We rely on others to cry out into the night, to beckon us home, and yet Vang not only calls her own spirit home, but her mother's. This is a brave telling of two women's journeys away from and toward each other."
— Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet
“Yia’s book recounts how she reconnected with her mother and her Hmong heritage through food and cooking. The roots of our being are not just psychological, but grow from culture, ancestry, and family lineage, and they are all the more nourishing with acknowledgement and attention.”
— Edward Espe Brown, author of The Tassajara Bread Book
“This is perfect for lovers of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and Crying in the H Mart. Mother-daughter relationships are rough country, but this author’s discovery of her mother’s extraordinary story in midlife offers nothing but hope. Connection is always possible.”
— Beth Wareham, author of Hair Club Burning and The Power of No
“Vang's memoir reminds us of how much we can learn about our families, and our cultures, through cooking. You'll walk away with a better understanding of not just Hmong cuisine but of how food can shape a whole family.”
— Wylie Dufresne, author of wd~50: The Cookbook
"Written with warmth, grace, and importance. A wonderful tribute to a Hmong mother and the Hmong people."
— Elizabeth Miki Brina, author of Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir
“Masterful interweaving of the personal and the political. Vang doesn’t just share recipes; she reveals how food becomes a lifeline for displaced communities.
Her mother’s kitchen wisdom—emphasizing simplicity, seasonality, and connection to the earth—stands in stark contrast to the processed abundance
of American supermarkets.”
— Nonfiction Book Awards
“Vang displayed an excellent example of how great writing can also embrace strong culture.”
— Page Turner Awards