Bookology: The Shared Room

Interview with The Shared Room author Kao Kalia Yang

A family gradually moves forward after the loss of a child—a story for readers of all agesWhen A Map into the World found its way to my desk last year, I had to remind myself to breathe. This gem of a book captures feelings of love and friendship in a way that crosses generations and speaks to each of our hearts. What else had she written, I wondered? Her memoir for grownups, The Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family Memoir, caused quite a stir when it was published in 2009. She followed that book with a book about her father, The Song Poet. If you haven’t read them yet, I highly recommend that you do so. Kalia’s language is not only lyrical and soul-touching, but her vision is piercing, her storytelling astute. Her newest picture book, The Shared Room, will be released in June. It is the story of a family’s grief at the loss of a child, a sister, a daughter. It is a book that will help you when your own need to grieve presents itself. The Shared Room will encourage your children to develop their own empathy. We are fortunate that Kalia generously answered our questions about the work she does and how she does it.

 

Read the whole interview.