The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore Book Spotlight!

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown

by Heather B. Moore

Publication Date: 9/1/20 

Hardcover

ISBN: 9781629727820

Retail Price: $26.99 Page Count: 384

Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Based on true events, The Paper Daughters of Chinatown in a powerful story about a largely unknown chapter in history and the women who emerged as heroes.

In the late nineteenth century, San Francisco is a booming city with a dark side, one in which a powerful underground organization—the criminal tong—buys and sells young Chinese women into prostitution and slavery. These “paper daughters,” so called because fake documents gain them entry to America but leave them without legal identity, generally have no recourse. But the Occidental Mission Home for Girls is one bright spot of hope and help.

Told in alternating chapters, this rich narrative follows the stories of young Donaldina Cameron who works in the mission home, and Mei Lien, a “paper daughter” who thinks she is coming to America for an arranged marriage but instead is sold into a life of shame and despair.

Donaldina, a real-life pioneering advocate for social justice, bravely stands up to corrupt officials and violent gangs, helping to win freedom for thousands of Chinese women. Mei Lien endures heartbreak and betrayal in her search for hope, belonging, and love. Their stories merge in this gripping account of the courage and determination that helped shape a new course of women’s history in America.

About the Author:

HEATHER B. MOORE is a USA Today bestseller and award-winning author of more than seventy publications. She has lived on both the East and West Coasts of the United States, including Hawaii, and attended school abroad at the Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. She loves to learn about history and is passionate about historical research.

For author interview requests, please contact Callie Hansen at chansen@shadowmountain.com

Advanced Praise:

“Recommend to fans of compelling, character-driven historical fiction inspired by true events, such as Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours (2017). YAs will be drawn to the dramatic stories of the young Chinese women brought to America.”

-Booklist, starred review

"Despite the disturbing subject matter, meticulously researched book is unputdownable. The book is as much a history lesson about a shameful piece of American history as it is a glimpse into the life of a heroine whose legacy lives on today. Readers will come to care about all the women featured in the book and will marvel at the extraordinary accomplishments of a determined woman ahead of her time. Based on true events...Fascinating."

-Historical Novel Society

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