Prologue -- Poob plig (soul-loss) -- The trouble with me -- Niam's bride price -- Unanswered questions -- Who owns what -- Doing the right thing -- Marriage talks -- Damaged goods -- To save a life -- It takes a family -- Not good for the family -- Captured -- Being Hmong and American -- The wedding, take one -- The wedding, take two -- You may now begin your life -- A knot between two clans -- What is it worth? -- When Niam and I last talked -- Hu-plig (soul-calling) -- Finding grandfather -- Finding father -- The truth -- Finding family -- Made whole -- The garden full of weeds -- The year without Niam -- Risk -- Saying nothing at all -- A new beginning.
Summary:
"A principled decision brings unexpected consequences for a Hmong American woman struggling to reconcile the two cultures--and to be a good daughter while breaking the rules. When Mai Neng Moua decides to get married, her mother, a widow, wants the groom to follow Hmong custom and pay a bride price, which both honors the work the bride's family has done in raising a daughter and offers a promise of love and security from the groom's family. Mai Neng, who knows the pain this tradition has caused, says no. Her husband-to-be supports her choice. What happens next is devastating, and it raises questions about the very meaning of being Hmong in America."--Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.