Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis

The Lee family's journey to America was long and arduous. They first attempted to leave Laos in 1976. At that time they were captured by Vietnamese soldiers and forced back to their village at gunpoint. After three more years in an occupied, war-torn country, the Lees reconsidered escape. They didn't have enough food to eat and the infant Foua was breastfeeding died of starvation when her milk supply waned. Their 1979 attempt was successful but not without hardship. The Lee family left Laos along with four hundred other refugees. They hiked through the forest to avoid soldiers. They carried babies and the elderly on their backs. Many died along the way due to illness, starvation, or injury. The soldiers tried to force them out of hiding by starting brushfires and setting mine traps. After walking for twenty-six straight days, they crossed the border...