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Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad Audiobook
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A groundbreaking, breathtaking history of the Chinese workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, helping to forge modern America only to disappear into the shadows of history until now.
From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would suffer a different kind of death—a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory.
In this groundbreaking account, award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers' stories and celebrate their role in remaking America. An invaluable correction of a great historical injustice, The Ghosts of Gold Mountain returns these "silent spikes" to their rightful place in our national saga.
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“Narrator David Shih does a remarkable job with this audiobook…His deep, gentle voice is inviting, and he urges us to keep listening by pacing himself well and enunciating clearly. Shih gives Chang’s story depth and heft by accentuating the trials these workers were forced to undergo. His understated approach underscores the humanity of the story…The story of the transcontinental railroad is familiar to many; this audiobook will serve to make that story more complete. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“This epic account will stand as the definitive history of how Chinese laborers, including members of my own family, did monumental work under some of the most difficult physical circumstances imaginable on a project that would eventually transform our country. Fascinating and heart-breaking, Ghosts of Gold Mountain is a must read.”
— Lisa See, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“A remarkably rich, human, and compelling story of the railroad Chinese.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“The lived experience of the Railroad Chinese has long been elusive…Chang’s book is a moving effort to recover their stories and honor their indispensable contribution to the building of modern America.”
— New York Times -
“A work of history and remembrance, bringing to light the arduous and often tragic work of Chinese immigrants on America’s transcontinental railroad.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Chang’s] writing is vibrant and passionate.”
— Publishers Weekly
Awards
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A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
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A #1 Amazon.com bestseller in History of Railroads
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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About Gordon H. Chang
Gordon H. Chang is the Olive H. Palmer Professor in humanities and professor of history at Stanford University, where he also serves as director of the Center for East Asian Studies and codirector of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. He is the author of Fateful Ties and editor of four other books.
About David Shih
David Shih is an actor who has done voice-over work and has worked in television, film, and theater. He has appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Unforgettable, and Law & Order, among others. His voice can be heard in video games in the Grand Theft Auto series, on History.com and the History Channel, and as the narrator for several books, including 47 Ronin and The Third Son. He is the winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award.