There are slightly more than six million Hmong worldwide, and close to a million in America. Yet few Americans know much about them. Originally non-Asians, they migrated to Siberia and then into China. For most of their history the Hmong have been perpetual migrants. In China, it was the only way they could avoid forced assimilation. Later, in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand they again voted with their feet, drifting up into the mountains beyond the reach of state officials who abused them with impunity. After the Second World War, the Hmong of northern Vietnam and Laos allied themselves with the French, and later with the U.S., to fight against the Vietnamese communists. Nearly a third of the Laotian Hmong perished in combat or died from starvation and disease caused by the war. After the communist takeover, thousands more died in concentration camps, perished in rebellions, or were killed trying to escape to Thailand. Of those who did escape, nearly a hundred thousand resettled in the U.S. The Hmong are a unique race with a rich heritage. The story of their persecution rivals that of the Old Testament Jews. Through it all they retained their unique religion and culture. They also produced leaders of such remarkable courage that there are few equals in history. Perhaps the greatest of these leaders was Vang Pao, who devoted his life to severing his people, both in Laos and America until his death in 2011. Hmong : History of a People is a detailed rediscovery of the Hmong saga from their early years in China, tribulations in Indochina, the major role they played in the Vietnam War, and their adjustment to life in America. Few Americans have ancestors with such a rich and heroic past. We are fortunate they are now part of the American story.