The Waiting Years

A mesmerizing true story of a young Hmong girl in Minnesota that celebrates the immigrant experience.

At fourteen years old, Kalia feels like two different girls. At home, she is the reliable daughter who makes dinner and takes care of her younger siblings, while her older sister is in class and her parents work long hours. But at school, she is silent, shy—waiting for the day her life will really begin.

Kalia and her family are Hmong refugees who have immigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota, into...