Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Orginal Publication Date
1985
Journal Title
Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Volume
5
Issue
ess/vol5/iss1
First Page
48
Last Page
49
Abstract
Becoming American is an extraordinary documentary which traces the odyssey of Hang Sou and members of his extended family as they flee the highland hills of war-torn Laos, await resettlement in a refugee camp in Thailand, and eventually resettle in the United States. Sou and his family are preliterate farmers, who served as mercenaries for the CIA's "secret war" in Laos. The Sou family face months of intense culture shock and prejudice after being transported thousands of miles in physical distance from their homeland as they seek to adapt to their new urban and alien environment in Seattle. For the most part they and other displaced persons were not welcome when they arrived in the United States.
Rights
Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1985