Jeff Thungc

The author

A life of work rooted in story.

Jeff is the author of Love in Wonderland, a memoir and story of survival, identity, and the quiet, enduring search for belonging. He wrote it to leave a legacy for the younger Iu Mien generation and to share Iu Mien history and culture with readers beyond the community. The book offers an intimate glimpse into the Iu Mien experience and the ways ancestry, survival, and resilience shape identity.

Born in Laos during the CIA's Secret War, Jeff is part of the Iu Mien ethnic group. His father fought alongside the CIA and lost his life. As a child, Jeff fled to Thailand, moved through five refugee camps, and later resettled in the United States. He faced assimilation, a new language, and unfamiliar systems; as a teenager, he became head of household for a family of ten while navigating depression and culture shock.

For 25 years, Jeff served the broader community — first spending a decade in local municipal roles providing community services, then a decade and a half in public education, providing educational tools and resources to students and teachers. Beyond his day job, he became a trusted resource for the Iu Mien community: translating and interpreting, helping families navigate assimilation, addressing food security needs, and mentoring youth away from drugs and alcohol.

Today, Jeff runs JLT Web Design & Digital Marketing, co-founded Thungc Enterprises to provide Iu Mien interpretation nationwide, and serves as President of the Mien International Enrichment Network, advancing Iu Mien literacy.

His background brings together digital strategy, project management, cultural and language consulting, and community-centered storytelling — the same thread that runs through Love in Wonderland itself.