For the tenth year in the row, the Wichita Public Library will be hosting its Big Read Wichita event. This year the Library has chosen The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang. The Big Read will take place this fall from October 1st-November 15th and will encompass a series of events centered around the theme of the book that take place throughout the city.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir is the first memoir written by a Hmong-American. The author tells her family's story—and the story of the Hmong people. The book was written as a "love letter" to her grandmother whose spirit held her family together through their imprisonment in Laos, their escape across the Mekong River and into a refugee camp in Thailand, their immigration to Minnesota when Yang was six years old, and their transition into life in America.

The IRC in Wichita was asked to be a community partner by the Wichita Public Library this year for the Big Read and the IRC proudly accepted this invitation. IRC staff, clients and supporters will be participating in The Big Read events over the course of the next month and a half. Members from the IRC staff and past clients will participate in a panel discussion on Sunday, October 8th from 2:30-4:00pm at the Wichita Art Museum. For more information about the Big Read please visit: www.bigreadwichita.org

A special thank you to the Wichita Public Library for hosting this special series of events and inviting the IRC to be a partner in this year’s Big Read.