A Year Without Home

Bidania, V.T. A Year Without Home

January 13, 2026 by Nancy Paulsen Books

ARC provided by Follett First Look

In this novel in verse, Gao Sheng is the oldest of five children living an idyllic life with their parents, grandmother, and extended family in a how in Pa Kao, Laos in 1975. The father has been involved in the Vietnam war, but isn't on active duty anymore. When Gao Sheng's school releases students abruptly, the children find out that the communists are threatening to take over their area. Gao Sheng's father comes home, and tells the family that they will be leaving. The family horse and dog are set free, the family packs meager supplies, and takes off in a taxi for an air base. Sadly, they miss the two planes, so go to Vientiane to stay with the mother's cousin and regroup. Since the officials are checking identification on the main roadways, the father disguises himself and goes through the jungle, since he could be arrested for having been in the army. While in the city, the mother is arrested, the police having been tipped off by a taxi driver. Luckily, she is released. Eventually, the family crosses the river into Thailand, where they stay at the Nam Phong refugee camp. The accomodations are basic, but there is food, and the children are able to play soccer. Gao Sheng does needlework with the women, and eventually there is a school set up. Gao Sheng makes a friend, Choua, who leaves to go to live in Tennessee with her family. The family has a short but successful stint of selling moon cakes before the camp authorities shut them down over health concerns. An uncle and his family get sponsors in the US and leave, taking Gao Sheng's brother Yia with them because he is considered very important, being the only boy in the family. The family is transferred to the Ban Vinai refugee camp, where they have to build their own shelter. About a year after leaving g their home, the family eventually makes it to Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1976, not too far from Yia. 

Strengths: While Gao Sheng was losing her home, I was finishing fourth grade, wearing Hee Haw overalls and wondering what 5th grade at the middle school would be like. This put the history into perspective for me. While there weren't as many Hmong refugees in Ohio as there were in Wisconsin or Minnesota, there were a few, and looking back to the history 50 years later after so many people left the country is important. It was interesting that the author was so young that she didn't remember her family's journey very well, so she set it from the point of view of her oldest sister, and interviewed family members to get details. This might be why the journey doesn't seem quite as fraught as it no doubt was. This was a fascinating look at a period in history that many readers might not know about. 
Weaknesses: While this is a beautifully written novel in verse with a lot of poetic descriptions and palpable longing for a lost home, I'm not sure how many of my students will make it past the detailed descriptions of small events and feelings. The authors note at the end was helpful in explaining the history behind the family's experience, but it would have been good to see more of that in the text. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are interested in tales of displacement such as Lai's Inside Out and Back Again, Athaide's Wings to Soar, or Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna.