Overview:
Hamilton will join Hmong scholar Seng Alex Vang later this month in conversation about the book at the main Merced County Library.
“The Hungry Season” tells the true story of Ia Moua, a Hmong refugee who lost everything she loved and reclaimed it through the cultivation of a small rice crop on the outskirts of Fresno.
Written by Lisa M. Hamilton, an award-winning journalist who has covered agriculture and rural communities around the world, the book initially was conceived as a project looking at rice, the resilience found in agriculture and plant genetic diversity. But, in meeting rice farmers, she says, she discovered something greater and more complex.
“If I were to write about one crop, it was going to be rice,” Hamilton said during a March 21 appearance at Fresno State. “It’s the most important food crop in the world and is arguably the most diverse.”
Hamilton was deep in pursuing a story in Sierra Leone when a farmer friend called to tell her about rice he’d seen growing in a community near Fresno. Intrigued, Hamilton came to the area in 2016 and spent the next year listening to the stories of several Hmong rice farmers, including those of Moua.
Hamilton was immediately captivated by Moua. She had embodied what Hamilton was looking for in a rice farmer, and more. Hamilton described Moua as resilient and charismatic.
“The book naturally shifted from being a book about rice to being a book about Ia,” Hamilton said. “Her spirit, her story, her power and herself became the story.”
Born in Laos in 1964, Moua knew of only war for the first 15 years of her life. She spent the next 15 years in a refugee camp in Thailand, where she gave birth to eight children, before emigrating to the United States.
The book follows Moua as she finds herself and creates a new definition for what it is to be a Hmong daughter, experience her husband’s world of falling victim to a cycle of abuse, and push her limits to ensure the safety of her children — all during a time where the future of the Hmong people was blurry and unforeseeable.
Reported over seven years, the book dives into the complicated dynamics of culture, gender norms, family and more. Hamilton spent several years working alongside Moua on her farm. She recalled being exhausted, but she gained a greater appreciation of Moua’s dedication.
“The work was hard, and many days I walked away from the field aching and exhausted,” Hamilton said in an email sent to Fresnoland. “The same is true for Ia: she gets tired, feels pain, gets hot, even sick from the heat, but year after year she returns to farming. My experiencing the discomfort of her work gave me a greater appreciation of her dedication to the work in spite of its troubles.”
Hamilton and Moua developed a close bond over the period, attending traditional family gatherings together and making several visits to Laos.
“Traveling to Laos added an additional and essential dimension to my understanding of both Ia’s family and Hmong from Laos generally,” Hamilton said.
“The persecution that began immediately after the war’s official end in 1975 has continued on to this day, though now it is more obtuse, using economics and government policy as its weapon,” Hamilton added. “Many Hmong in Laos continue to be marginalized and experience extreme poverty, and this is true of Ia’s kin there.”
Today, Moua is still seen at her farm with other Hmong farmers. After picking their rice, they would all have lunch together and share a laugh, heartfelt moments that are reflected in the book.
Moua, who spoke with Fresnoland by phone, said she appreciated Hamilton’s patience with her, particularly when she had to recall difficult moments from her life. She came to call Hamilton “Niam Tais Lisa,” meaning “Auntie Lisa.” “Auntie” is a term of endearment one would call another whom they respect dearly, regardless of age.
Moua said that it was not hard for her to share her story, but that she found it unusual that anyone is interested in her “zaj dab neeg” (pronounced za-dah-neng) which translates to “life story.”
Speaking in Hmong, Moua said she is sad to think of all the loved ones she lost over the course of her life, but she is happy knowing that her story is out there and that people are willing to listen.
“The Hungry Season” is available in print and audio in English, but Hamilton said she hopes to have it translated into Hmong for both formats.
Moua, who cannot read English nor Hmong, said she is grateful that her youngest daughter reads it to her every now and then.
Published in 2023, “The Hungry Season” was named as a finalist for the California Book Award and the Plutarch Award for biography. Kirkus Reviews selected it as one of the best nonfiction books of 2023, and The New York Times Book Review described it as “lyrical.”
Hamilton’s writing turns the crop into “a full-fledged character, whose blights are as chilling as a horror film,” Times’ writer Ellen Barry said. “Hamilton is a master observer, as attentive to Ia’s world as Ia is to her seedlings.”
Hamilton will be in Merced on April 27 to join Hmong scholar Seng Alex Vang in conversation about the book at the main Merced County Library. Click here to RSVP for the event.
THE HUNGRY SEASON: A Journey of War, Love, and Survival | By Lisa M. Hamilton | 355 pp. | Little, Brown & Company | $30
