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Author / Speaker / Coach
A Secret War Within US
The Lao'd One Speaks
by Niphaphone Laura Robertson
During the Vietnam War, between 1959-1975, the U.S. conducted a secret bombing mission on Laos, dropping more than 2 million tons of bombs and making Laos the heaviest bombed country per capita in history. Despite the devastating impact of the Secret War on Laos, the bombings were kept a secret from the American public at the time. It was not until the 1990s that the U.S. government began to acknowledge its role in the conflict and provided aid to the people of Laos.
Long after the Secret War on Laos ended, the internal war within the Lao community continues. In Laos, farmers and children are still losing their lives and limbs from the unexploded remnants of the heavily bombed country. Those who escaped had their own personal struggles. They had to learn to navigate through a new life in the US while managing the pain and anguish of being forced to leave their loved ones and homeland behind.
In this book, the author, a Lao refugee, shares the beauty of the Lao culture while walking you through the dark path that Lao refugees overcame to live the American dream.
Forty Dollars and a Dream
Breaking Through The Bamboo Ceiling
by Niphaphone Laura Robertson
A memoir of a Lao Refugee and author, Niphaphone Laura Robertson (Sanavongsay). Niphaphone was born to parents, Seme & Chita Sanavongsay. Born into homelessness and extreme poverty, Niphaphone lived with her family in the shelters of the refugee camps of Thailand before arriving in America as a malnourished child, unable to speak English.
In her book, she uncovers her family's heart-wrenching story of escape from the communist invasion of their war-torn country, Laos. She walks you through growing up in a refugee household and the hardship she faced in trying to fit in as an Asian American. She reveals the racism that she endured along the way, the struggle with her identity, and what she had to overcome while chasing the American dream.
Niphaphone's journey is only one of thousands of untold stories of refugees from Southeast Asia. Laotians, along with many other Southeast Asians, were forced to escape after the Secret War on Laos ravaged their homelands. Many made America their new home. She hopes that her book will educate the world and inspire other refugees to share their stories!
Now as a business coach, trainer, and speaker, she helps clients find the power to live a life of meaning and purpose regardless of their circumstances.
It is a powerful, riveting, and truly engaging story that will leave readers inspired and moved!
