From the Bookshelf of La Crescent Public Library…

[close] Our library's May book club pick was Folklore by Bao Xiong. Copies were generously donated by Cia Siab Inc.

We were lucky enough to host the author and had an absolutely wonderful morning together! Our readers loved the book, despite it being quite different from what they normally choose. Bao's descriptions are so vivid that several members commented how easy it was to imagine it all playing out like a film. And since Bao has a background in film and screenwriting, that's no surprise.

We loved learning how Bao adapted the original story she heard from her mother into the novel. The crux of the tale of Xai and Sia is there, but she also added in many extra cultural references of other creatures, spirits, clothing, charms, curses, and more! Bao had a reason for everything! And even when she didn't, there was a reason for why not - fascinatingly enough, some stories are so old that they're dialogue was partially told in an ancient Hmong dialect, so Bao and her family no longer know what the words mean. And Bao took great care to translate the story of Xai and Sia from Hmong to English and shared that was one of the biggest challenges she faced when writing as not everything had a same to same translation.

Everything Bao shared about the folklore was so interesting and our book club LOVED having her and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.