Dark Sky, Dark Land: Stories of the Hmong Boy Scouts of Troop 100

I am a bit late catching up on my readings. But amazings stories are timeless. I am inspired by David Moore's incredible love and compassion that he took the time to learn about the kids, whose stories would have vanished forever but now they can be read from generations to generations--especially the descendants of the boys and anyone in similar situation. This book is, in a way, Mr. Moore's story...how an incredible person would just take interest in someone (someone that seems to be out of place like fish out of water) and love them in a way that it would change their life (for the good) forever. I wonder how many folds over the love and understanding that the author shown to the "boys" had multiplied through the boys' lives?

Perhaps someday white male eurocentric assumptions will be sufficiently combatted so that we may learn about the incredible suffering of People of Color during the U.S.'s conflicts. I certainly hope so. This is an interesting book, marred only by the emphasis on males, when there are obviously many important voices that need to be heard from the Hmong.

Moore does a wonderful job of writing the stories told to him by the young Hmong refugees, as they fled from Laos at the end of The Vietnam War. The book is written in an easy to read style, yet tugs at your emotions. I have recommended the book for reading at numerous conferences and diversity presentations for anybody wanting to start trying to understand the Hmong. I have also suggested it to some of the Hmong teens born in the US, so they can have an understanding of their parent's sacrifices. Many people are unaware that The Hmong lost 1/3 of their race to help us. Maybe reading this book will help kindle compassion for such loyal allies!