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What We Brought Across The River - A Look At The Secret War - Ep. 166
Description
Welcome to episode 166 of The American Dream in the Eyes of Immigrants Podcast. I am your host, Heidy De La Cruz, and I am on a mission to change the narrative of immigration one immigrant story at a time!
Amber Inthavong shares her experience growing up in Colorado as the daughter of refugees from Laos, and how learning her parents’ story changed how she understood her own identity. Today, she is a self-published author whose memoir, What We Brought Across the River, honors her family’s journey while raising awareness of a part of history often left untold.
Amber reflects on growing up in a predominantly white suburb with very few people who shared her background. She opens up about not fully understanding where her family came from as a child, being mistaken for other Asian identities, and eventually asking her mother questions that led to learning how her parents escaped war and came to the United States. She also shares how Laos' absence from history books left her wondering where her family’s story fit and why such an important part of their history was rarely discussed.
Amber takes us through the process of learning more about her parents’ experiences during the Secret War in Laos, their time in refugee camps, the family members they had to leave behind, and the trauma and guilt that followed them into their new life in the United States. She shares what it was like to finally sit down with her parents and hear their story from beginning to end, and how those conversations became the foundation for What We Brought Across the River.
With Love, Heidy
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