How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The Hmong [...] regarded a child as "the most treasured possession a person can have." (3.4)
Nao Kao and Foua would do anything for Lia. Though this urge leads them to take some actions that we wouldn't exactly call brilliant in the grand scheme of things, it's also the only thing keeping their family together through hard times.
Quote #2
"When your child is in the hospital, suddenly somebody else is feeding them [...] It takes all the autonomy of being a parent away." (5.12)
This would be rough for any parent, but it's particularly hard on Foua. In Laos, Foua was with her children twenty-four hours a day—she even carried them while she worked the fields. Now that she's in America, however, Foua feels like her children are being taken from her, and Lia's illness makes that all the more bitter.
Quote #3
"Hmong fathers say, girl okay if die, want many boys. But this family, they wanted so much for her live they just adored her." (5.14)
Nao Kao and Foua are exceptional parents, even by Hmong standards. While many a Hmong have a somewhat disappointing hierarchy of importance based on the gender spectrum, this family doesn't care if their children are boys, girls, or anything in between: they just want them to be happy and healthy. Sadly, Lia is neither, which gives all that well-meaning parenthood a run for its money.