The Hungry Season

A Journey of War, Love, and Survival

By: Lisa M. Hamilton

Narrated by: Lisa M. Hamilton

In the tradition of Katherine Boo and Tracy Kidder, this nonfiction drama traces one woman’s journey from the mist-covered mountains of Laos to the sunbaked flatlands of Fresno, California as she struggled to overcome the wounds inflicted by war and family alike​.

As combat rages across the highlands of Vietnam and Laos, a child is born. Ia Moua enters the world at the bottom of the social order, both because she is part of the Hmong minority and because she is a daughter, not a son. When, at thirteen, she is promised in marriage to a man three times her age, it appears that Ia’s future has been decided for her. But after brutal communist rule upends her life, this intrepid girl resolves to chart her own defiant path.

With ceaseless ambition and an indestructible spirit, Ia builds a new existence for herself and, before long, for her children, first in the refugee camps of Thailand and then in the industrial heartland of California’s San Joaquin Valley. At the root of her success is a simple act: growing Hmong rice, just as her ancestors did, and selling it to those who hunger for the Laos of their memories. While the booming business brings her newfound power, it also forces her to face her own past. In order to endure the present, Ia must confront all that she left behind, and somehow find a place in her heart for those who chose to leave her.

Meticulously reported over seven years and written with the intimacy of a novel, The Hungry Season is the story of one radiant woman’s quest for survival—and for the nourishment that matters most.

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice | A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year | Finalist for the 2024 Biographers International Plutarch Award | Longlisted for the 2023 California Book Awards | Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize | Longlisted for the 2023 Northern California Book Awards

Critic reviews

“Lyrical … Ia’s story has real suspense to it… Hamilton is a master observer, as attentive to Ia’s world as Ia is to her seedlings.”—New York Times

"The Hungry Season is a deeply reported and intricately narrated story of displacement, homelessness, and identity. Hamilton crafts an intimate, searing portrait of one marginalized woman, devastated by politics and poverty, patriarchy and tradition, wars and colonialism, and the resilient way she finds solace and strength in one thing that brings her home: rice."—Suki Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Without You, There Is No Us and The Interpreter

“I can’t recall any telling of the refugee’s story with so much depth, texture, and heart. Lisa M. Hamilton is a devoted, inspiring listener and The Hungry Season shines with empathy. I loved this book.”—Ted Conover, National Book Critics Circle Award–winning author of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing and Cheap Land Colorado

“The Hungry Season reads like a novel while offering an eyewitness account of Laos's history and a vivid portrayal of one remarkable life. Ia Moua’s incredible tale of survival puts our daily problems in perspective and reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of defining our own paths. A must-read."—Le Ly Hayslip, author of When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace

“The Hungry Season is a rare feat of reportage. Hamilton devotes herself so completely to learning the story of Ia Moua that there seems to be no barrier between writer and subject—the two voices have fused. The result is transcendent. It does not happen often, that the best of nonfiction reads like the best of fiction. This is that sublime book.”—Mark Arax, bestselling author of The Dreamt Land and The King of California

“Hamilton writes with precision and grace about displacement, family ties, and how the human connection to land—and what grows there—can serve as a lifeline. This is a tremendously reported story about a tremendous life.”—Lauren Markham, author of The Far Away Brothers

“A radiant work of compelling portraiture. . . . a brilliant narrative that blends an intimate story into the larger cultural, political, and agricultural history of Laos and the Hmong people. Comparisons to Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers (2012) are certainly apt, and book clubs will quickly embrace the stark humanity in this unforgettable title.”—Booklist (starred review)

"Sensitive and carefully written... A deeply reported story of aspiration and desperation."—Kirkus (starred review)

Beautiful book

Such a beautiful rendering of the story of a woman who wouldn’t usually get told, a Hmong farmer. So beautiful to hear about the Hmong culture, farming rice (amazing!), and Fresno.

Vivid writing, compelling story and great narration.

It will be a classic of California narrative nonfiction. Lisa M. Hamilton brings us into a world we know little about.

Deeply interesting story, beautiful narration.

Listening to this book has been an unexpected pleasure. There are so many ways an account like this can go wrong, I was hesitant to try the book -- I'm so glad I did! This is a clear, insightful account of a very compelling woman's life, told with great skill and respect, and WITHOUT melodrama or moral pronouncements. The author's calm, straightforward tone is perfect for this book. Overall, a wonderful experience.