How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"The family really took care of Lia and really cared for her too, but maybe she missed us too much and that is why she got sicker." (7.34)
They might have a point with this one: Lia always seems to feel better when she's home with her family. You might attribute this to traditional Hmong treatments (as Nao Kao and Foua do) or you might attribute it to psychology, but it's difficult to deny that Lia needs her family.
Quote #5
Jeanine['s...] relations with her own family [...] had been strained [...] since they had learned she lived with a lesbian partner. (9.16)
Cue the prejudice bell. Just in a totally different context here. In many ways, the Lees become the family Jeanine wished she had. They don't judge her for her choices. They don't value their beliefs over their children. They love unconditionally. For Jeanine, this is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
Quote #6
"When we were running from Laos at least we hoped that our lives would be better. It was not as sad as after Lia went to Fresno and got sick." (13.1)
This is staggering. Although the Lees went through some seriously awful stuff on the road to Thailand—war, fleeing their country, and losing a child—Foua is far more devastated by Lia's sickness. And it's only made worse by the fact that this is happening in America, the "promised land" for many Hmong refugees fleeing their war-town homeland. It isn't exactly living up to its promise.