Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter with Lan Cao and Harlan Margaret Van Cao

In this interview, I’m joined by Lan Cao and Harlan Margaret Van Cao, who are the mother and daughter team who have written the beautiful duet memoir, “Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter.” Lan Cao immigrated to the United States in 1975, after the end of the Vietnam War. She raised her daughter, Harlan, in the US. In their beautiful memoir, they both share about their journey in growing up.

In this interview, we talk about:

• Lan and Harlan’s experiences growing up
• The importance of the role of both of their fathers in their lives
• How they wrote a duet memoir as mother and daughter
• The relationships between mothers and daughters
• The awkwardness of high school
• Dealing with isolation and the longing to belong
• Vietnam, the war, and what it was like to move to the US as a Vietnamese immigrant

Get all the show notes and a full transcript at the website.

Sign up for Newsletter on my website.