Foua and Nao Kao
- When the author, Anne Fadiman, first arrived in Merced in 1988 (yes, after the events she's telling about), she had expected Nao Kao and Foua to be standoffish. In fact, her early, awkward interactions with the local Hmong community seem to validate this concern.
- Then Anne meets a psychologist named Sukey Walker. Sukey tells Anne that there are two keys to earning the Hmong's trust: being respectful and using a good translator.
- A young woman named Max Ying Xiong fills the role nicely. May Ying is the "third-most-poised Hmong woman in the United States" (we wonder who came up with that ranking). Plus she's related by marriage to the Lees. Both of these details work in Anne's favor (8.8).
- Finally, Anne meets the fam. Over the hundreds of hours she spends at their apartment, Anne becomes close to Nao Kao and Foua. Foua even starts calling her "mi Anne," which means dear little Anne (8.12). Adorbs!
- Foua, in particular, takes a strong interest in Anne's life. When she learns that Anne's boyfriend is in town, she decides to "dress [Anne] as a Hmong bride" to entice her bae into popping the question (8.17). What's crazier is that he does, and a mere week later.
- One night, Foua tells Anne about their life back in Laos. Foua longs for her former life—for her former freedom. She just feels lost here in America. Dressing American journalists as Hmong brides is the only joy she's got left.