Out of the stories heard in her childhood in Los Angeles's Chinatown and years of research, See has constructed this sweeping chronicle of her Chinese-American family, a work that takes in stories of racism and romance, entrepreneurial genius and domestic heartache, secret marriages and sibling rivalries, in a powerful history of two cultures meeting in a new world. 82 photos.
"I have read almost all of Lisa See's books, so it only made sense for me to read about the true story concerning the past generations in her family tree. Gold Mountain, the west coast in America, was supposedly filled with gold, and that truth/rumor drew multitudes of people from America and overseas to the west. So many Chinese men came, leaving their wives and family back in small Chinese villages, hoping to make a fortune. In order to survive, the Chinese were hired to do the backbreaking work of building a railroad for very little money. In reality, little money was sent "home," and families were separated for years on end. Lisa's ancestors were those people. The first person to come over to America was an herbalist. Little money was made. His son, Fong See, however, had a good head for business, and became one of the only respected Chinese citizens living in Chinatown. At first, his workers made lacy underwear for prostitutes. When Fong See met a white woman with business sense who needed a job, and eventually became his wife, his store no longer sold underwear, but Chinese antiques that appealed to the wealthy whites. Fong See opened up many stores and profited greatly. Fong See and his wife escaped much of the prejudice that Chinese families faced because they had amassed quite a fortune. Chinese people at the time were not allowed to marry Caucasians, (many married in Mexico), families were not allowed to come to America from China due to immigration laws and horrendous American interrogations.
Most of Fong See's children also had business sense, and when the war put a damper on Chinese Antique Inventory, See's sons made good business decisions themselves to add money to the "pot" that benefitted the whole See family. As Fong See got older, his Chinese heritage came to the forefront of his very being. He no longer wanted a wife who made family decisions. He wanted to be a "traditional" Chinese man. He divorced his white wife, traded in his fancy suits for long silk robes, and married several Chinese women who bore him two more families. Many of his older children married Caucasians. Lisa See came from one of those mixed marriages.
Lisa told every story well. I felt like I personally knew most of the characters, and suffered along with their failures, their heartbreaks, and reveled in their successes. Her family's stories were worth the telling. Lisa has embraced her Chinese heritage in the wonderful books she writes - stories from China, and stories of Chinese immigrants who left China to live in America. I am so glad I got the chance to become somewhat intimate with Lisa's family!"
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Marcy (5 out of 5 stars)