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ADULT FICTION
Chao,
Evelina. Gates of Grace.1985
A novel by the author of Yeh Yeh's House tells
the story of a young Chinese family’s
assimilation into American society following
their escape from Mao’s Communist China in 1949.
Moving from Ellis Island to New York’s
Chinatown, Chao’s focus is on discrimination and
the ramifications of a clash between traditional
Chinese mores and beliefs and modern American
culture.
Gao,
Xingjian. Soul Mountain. 2000
Nobel Prize winner Gao was a banned author and
playwright in Beijing during the Cultural
Revolution who fled to the countryside to escape
imprisonment and wrote this philosophical novel
reflecting his spiritual journey.
Jen, Gish.
The Love Wife. 2004
A vivid and likable family struggles with issues
of adoption, aging, generational conflict, and
clashing attempts at personal growth in this
story of American-Chinese blending and
adaptation to contemporary family life.
Lee, Gus.
China Boy. 1991
An autobiographical novel of growing up in San
Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950's is the boy's
version of Joy Luck Club and Woman
Warrior, with appeal to young adult readers.
Seven-year-old Kai Ting is victimized by the
neighborhood bullies and a wicked stepmother,
but finds refuge in the boxing club at the YMCA.
Min, Anchee.
Wild Ginger. 2002
Having been a member of the Red Guard during
China's Cultural Revolution, Min offers a tragic
love story with great insight on the
persecution, painful conflict and sexual tension
that characterized that period in China.
See, Lisa.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
2006
In nineteenth century China, two women become
intimate friends by writing in a secret language
on silk fans and handkerchiefs until a
misunderstanding threatens their friendship.
Tan, Amy.
The Bonesetter's Daughter. 2001.
Adult Fiction
In the act of writing her mother's obituary Tan
became aware of how much she did not know about
her and was inspired to write this novel from
her own experiences with family secrets kept by
one generation from the next.
Tan, Amy.
The Hundred Secret Senses. 1995.
Adult Fiction.
Olivia, born to an American mother and a Chinese
father, meets her 18-year-old Chinese half
sister, Kwan, after their father's death. Kwan
introduces her to her Chinese heritage through
stories and memories, and convinces her to visit
China with her, where Kwan helps her to
reconnect with her ancestors' spirits.
Tsukiyama,
Gail. Women of the Silk. 1991
In rural China in 1926, a group of women forge a
sisterhood in organizing the first strike ever
at a silk factory. The sequel, The
Language of Threads, follows the main
character, Pei, through WWII and the Japanese
occupation of Hong Kong.
CHILDREN'S
AND TEEN FICTION
An, Na.
A Step from Heaven. 2002. Teen
Fiction
Korean-born Young Ju's new life in America
catches her in a tug-of-war between two distinct
cultures. Despite a strict, alcoholic father who
gives her no encouragement to learn and grow,
Young matures into a strong, admirable teenager.
Cheng,
Andrea. Honeysuckle House. 2004.
Children's Fiction
An all-American girl with Chinese ancestors and
a new immigrant from China find little in common
when they meet in their fourth grade classroom,
but they are both missing their best friends and
soon discover other connections.
Lee, Milly.
Landed. 2006. Children's Fiction
In the early 20th Century, the author's
father-in-law came to San Francisco from his
village in southeastern China. Twelve-year-old
Sun feared being sent back when he became
separated from his father on the journey and was
held for interrogation at Angel Island under
suspicion of falsifying his papers.
Lee Wong,
Joyce. Seeing Emily. 2005. Teen
Fiction
A novel in free verse relates the experiences of
sixteen-year-old Emily, a gifted painter and the
daughter of immigrants to the United States, as
she reconciles her American self with her
Chinese heritage, going through rebellion,
deceit, and, eventually, awareness after
visiting her ancestors in Taiwan.
Namioka,
Lensy. Half-and-Half. 2003.
Children's Fiction
At Seattle's annual Folk Fest, twelve-year-old
Fiona and her older brother are torn between
trying to please their Chinese grandmother and
making their Scottish grandparents happy.
Namioka,
Lensy. Mismatch. 2005. Teen
Fiction
Their families clash when a Japanese-American
teenaged boy starts dating a Chinese-American
teenaged girl. Cultural and historical
background about both countries enriches the
novel.
Yee, Lisa.
Millicent Min, Girl Genius. 2003.
Children's Fiction
In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old
child prodigy Millicent Min records her
struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her
enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure,
and make friends over the course of a tumultuous
summer.
Yep,
Lawrence. Golden Mountain Chronicles.
Children's and Teen Fiction
This ongoing story encompassed in eight novels
follows the Young family over several
generations and different locations in the
United States from 1849 to 1965. Dragonwings
and Dragon's Gate were Newbery Honor
Books.
Yep,
Lawrence. When the Circus Came to Town.
2002. Children's Fiction
An Asian cook and a Chinese New Year celebration
help a ten-year-old girl at a Montana stage
coach station to regain her confidence after
smallpox scars her face.
ADULT NONFICTION
Chang,
Pang-Mei Natasha. Bound Feet and Western
dress. 1996. 301.41235 C
Born in 1900, Chang's aunt began her life as an
oppressed woman in China and ended up as the
first woman vice-president of the Shanghai
Women's Bank.
Gong,
Rosemary. Good Luck Life: the Essential
Guide to Chinese American Celebrations and
Culture. 2005. 301.45195 G
The meanings behind many of the holidays,
festivals and superstitions of Chinese culture,
including Chinese New Year, Clear Brightness,
Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, and many other
festivals are explained.
Chai,
May-Lee. The Girl from Purple Mountain :
Love, Honor, War, and One Family's Journey from
China to America. 2001. 921 C344
A biography of an exceptional woman is told by
her son and his daughter. At his mother's death,
he learns that she had secretly arranged to be
buried where his father could not be buried
beside her. His search to learn the story behind
her decision encompasses family, historical and
cultural dynamics.
Mah, Adeline
Yen. Falling Leaves: the True Story of an
Unwanted Chinese Daughter. 1998. 921
M275
When her mother died in childbirth, the author
was marked as bad luck. Through decades of war
and cultural upheaval, she survived severe
cruelty and neglect by her family and became a
happily married doctor living in the U.S.
Mar, M.
Elaine. Paper Daughter: a memoir.
1999. 921 M3207
Mar came here from Hong Kong at age five,
struggled to bridge two cultures during the
seventies, and ended up at Harvard.
Min, Anchee.
Red Azalea. 2006. 921 M652
Min grew up during the last years of Mao's
China. She was discovered in a Chinese labor
camp by a talent scout and chosen to play Madame
Mao in propaganda films. She emigrated to the
U.S. in 1984 and is the author of several
bestselling novels including Becoming Madame
Mao and Empress Orchid.
Mah, Adeline
Yen. A Thousand Pieces of Gold: My
Discovery of China's Character in its Proverbs.
2002. 951.01 M
The author of Falling Leaves provides a
fascinating window into the history and cultural
soul of China. Combining personal reflections,
rich historical insights, and proverbs handed
down to her by her grandfather, Yen Mah explores
the history behind the proverbs and delves into
the lives of the first and second emperors and
the two rebel warriors who changed the course of
Chinese life.
Fuller,
Sherri Gebert. Chinese in Minnesota.
2004. 977.6 F
Minnesota's first Chinese settlers, fleeing
racial violence in California, established
scores of businesses after they arrived in the
late 1870s. Beginning in 1882 federal laws
banning Chinese immigration and denying
citizenship put particular pressure on the
community. In the 1960s a new wave of immigrants
began to bring new energy and issues to the
community and a flourishing of ties between
Minnesota and China.
Kingston,
Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of
a Girlhood Among Ghosts. 1976. 979.46105
K
Kingston's account of growing up
Chinese-American in California intersperses her
mother's traditional tales of strong, wily women
warriors - contrasting sharply with the real
oppression of women - and stories from her own
American-influenced imagination.
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