The Girl With Ten Names: My Escape from Laos to Freedom

In 1979 eight-year-old Choua Lee, a Hmong girl, was forced to flee from her mountain village in Laos with her family. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, they faced gun fire from guerrilla fighters, starvation, and land-mines. Travelling on foot through the jungles and high mountain rainforests, Choua was separated from her sisters and feared she would never see them again. Crossing the Mekong River into Thailand, the family was reuinted at the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp, funded by the United Nations. After eight months in the refugee camp, they made their way to the US to freedom. Here on the other side of the world, Choua and her family made a brand new life for themselves. This is a story of courage and determination of a girl and her family and their love that burned so bright that it guided them through a dangerous time. Written with simple language, the story is suitable for pre-teens as well as young adults and a speedy but satisfying read for adults.