Kao Kalia Yang celebrates childhood memories in new book

Kao Kalia Yang Celebrates Memories in New Book

Author Kao Kalia Yang is out with her latest children's books sharing a story of life in a new country as a child and the family home that holds so many fond memories. 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang is bringing cherished memories to life in her latest children's book.

The blue house in St. Paul

The backstory:

Yang's new book, "The Blue House I Loved," centers on a blue house where her aunt and uncle lived on the east side of St. Paul. The book is about more than just a physical space; it captures the essence of family memories and the refugee experience.

Yang said the book reflects not only her family's story but also the experiences of many Southeast Asian families. Yang's storytelling is inspired by her own experiences as a refugee girl in a new world, finding beauty in her grandmother, and holding onto memories that shape her identity. 

"We live in an age that is so keen on forgetting when histories are getting rewritten continuously, and I think remembering does so much, not only for the heart but for hope itself," said Yang.

The blue house was a place where Yang's family spent summers and holidays, creating lasting memories. "When we first came here, it was the only field trip that we took as a family. We would drive from the McDonough Housing Project to this blue house. It was where we spent summers and holidays, so many days," she said.

A universal story

Dig deeper:

Yang's book delves into the misunderstandings about refugees and portrays the first few years of a refugee family's life in America. 

"There is so much misunderstanding about refugees. This particular book is about a refugee family in those first few years in America. It is about seeing the world through the windows, the fears that we carried in our hearts, and the hopes that we came here with that we embed in our young. I think it is about love at the real heart of it. And I think that story is universal," said Yang.

Even though the house no longer stands, its memory lives on for Yang. "So the house is no longer here, but every time I drive past that empty lot, I say to my kids, that's where the blue house was. And they'd be like, okay. And the ghost of the house rises for me. It's still there. And in that house, I'm young again. And so are my cousins and my aunt and uncle are young again," she said.