Written by: Mai Neng Vang
Front cover illustrated by: Peevxwm Lauj
Paperback, 118 pages, 6x9, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64410-009-7
DEJSIAB: FROM MY LIVER TO YOURS is a one of a kind poetry book that explores colonialism, patriarchy, hope, and healing through a critical Hmong womxn’s lens:
“Through the years, I’ve come to realize that healing is not a linear process - there are no definitive steps to take before one can say they have healed from their traumas. More than this, healing looks different for everyone, but regardless of how we heal or how long it takes us to heal, healing is so necessary for us to reconcile with the generations of trauma and hurt that our ancestors, mothers, sisters, aunties have endured…The poems found in this book are a series of love letters: love letters to who I was, from who I am, for who I will become. As a reader, you bear witness to the struggles, the joys, and the thoughts that I have as someone who is constantly becoming. In this way, we, too, are having a heart-to-heart throughout this book. I hope that you find relevance and solace in my words and are able to draw strength and dejsiab from these pages.” – Mai Neng Vang, Author.
“Vang writes with a deeply idiosyncratic and authentic voice, courageously indicting the life-extracting mechanisms of patriarchy and racism that are produced within institutional and social life. And within the crevices of the gendered and racist violence perpetuated against Hmong American women emerges a spirit of hope which powerfully reveals Vang’s willpower as a profoundly empathetic being. And in the grand finale of it all, Vang’s poetry resurrects our faith in the transformative change emblematic of the human spirit. This book of poetry is truly an astronomical feat and a joy worth contemplating!” – Kong Pheng Pha, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of UW-Eau Claire.
“I’m so thankful for Mai Neng. Thank you for putting these beautiful words on paper. Generations from now our people will be able to find pieces of themselves on these pages. Vang captured our lived experiences so well, from waiting to hear our names mispronounced in class, to surviving depression, to finding our own voices in this world. I’m so grateful to see my voice and stories reflected in this book as I’m sure many Hmong folx will also be able to relate to what Vang has put into words. I’m inspired.” – Kabzuag Vaj, Co-Executive Director of Freedom, Inc.