On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family,Books,Free Shipping,0312119976,

	On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family by Lisa See
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Product Details Binding Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number 929.2089951073 EAN 9780312119973 ISBN 0312119976 Manufacturer St Martins Pr Number Of Items 1 Number Of Pages 394 Publication Date 1995-08 Publisher St Martins Pr Availability Usually ships in 1-2 business days Product Description Lisa See, daughter of novelist Carolyn See, brings a novelist's skill to this sprawling ancestral history. Books tracing the roots of overseas Chinese writers are not uncommon these days, but See uncovered in her family tree a capsule history of the Sino-American diaspora: her great-grandfather, Fong See, founded a California business, married a Caucasian woman and fathered many offspring, and returned periodically to China to redistribute some of his wealth and launch another family. See, a Publishers Weekly writer, has conducted extensive interviews and drawn on family lore for an enthralling saga of ambition, prejudice, love, loyalty, and sorrow--social history at its best. The See family history is becoming public property. First mother Carolyn with Dreaming (Nonfiction Forecasts, Jan. 2) and now daughter Lisa?but with something far different in mind. Always aware of her part-Chinese roots, she set out five years ago to learn about her far-flung and, as it turns out, famous paternal family. Her great-grandfather Fong See was an extraordinary figure. He established a business in Sacramento, Calif., and later in Los Angeles, when it was an unheard-of thing for a Chinese to do; married a Caucasian and fathered a large brood; returned to China on and off, spreading his wealth around in his tiny native village and creating another extensive family there too. Drawing on family legends and dredging up intimate history through countless interviews with uncles, aunts and cousins both in California and in China, See, PW's West Coast correspondent, has created a matchless portrait not only of a remarkable family but of a century's changing attitudes. The early anti-Chinese racism was horrific, and even 40 years ago it was hard for a Chinese to emigrate here, let alone become a citizen. The ambitions, fears, loves and sorrows of See's huge cast are set forth with the storytelling skills of a novelist?and a great, sprawling novel is what her book often resembles. There are times when it flags and the constant new names become tiresome, and a heartfelt but superfluous chapter on actress Anna May Wong disrupts the flow; but the book is a striking piece of social history made immediate and gripping. Photos. 60,000 first printing; Literary Guild alternate. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. YA?In 1871, Fong See left his village in China to find his father and three older brothers, who had come to the U.S. years earlier. He found his father running an herbal emporium in Sacramento; when the man returned to China, Fong See remained, and his brothers followed him into a new business?manufacturing split underwear for prostitutes. An orphaned teen, red-headed Letticie Pruett, was determined to prove herself indispensable to Fong See in his work, especially in his dealings with whites. The story of Ticie and Suie becomes the major thread of this family history. The evolution of the F. See On Company, one of Los Angeles's major Asian art stores; the give and take of Ticie and Suie's marriage; the lives of their four children; their journeys back to China; their divorce; Ticie's single life; and Suie's new family enliven this saga. Teens are offered an initimate glimpse of these people and witness instance after instance of the discrimination they suffered.?Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. See, the West Coast columnist for Publishers Weekly, has produced an insightful account of her family. In 1871, Fong See left China to search for his father, who had come to work on the U.S. transcontinental railroad. Fong See eventually settled in Sacramento, California, and established a factory that made lingerie for brothels. He went on to found an Asian arts store in Los Angeles, had four wives and 12 children, and lived to be 100. This is an unusual account, for See's family did not follow the path of most Chinese Americans: Fong See broke the law (in effect till 1947) and married a Caucasian before moving to Los Angeles. In addition, See effectively integrates historical material on China and America with straightforward genealogy. This book helps fill the void of material on the Chinese American experience in the United States. Recommended for all academic and public libraries. Dennis L. Noble, Sequim, Wash. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Terrific stuff. . . . The See family's adventures would be incredible if On Gold Mountain were fiction. See's chronicle melds together the life stories of her Chinese and American ancestors, beginning with a great-great-grandfather's journey from China to San Francisco. In depicting these myriad lives, See composes a brilliant tapestry--a fabric enlivened by the cultural diversity of an extended family that will surely resonate for readers of all backgrounds. Unfolding amid the context of California's economic and social development, See's tale is most specific in its descriptions of the hardships and discrimination endured for decades by large numbers of Chinese immigrants. And although her mesmerizing family history starts out by tracing the accomplishments of a poor peasant trained as an herbalist, it goes on to celebrate the resourcefulness and often quite formidable achievements of generations of family members up to the present day. Alice Joyce Customers who bought this item also bought Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries) Peony in Love: A Novel Flower Net Women of the Silk: A Novel Customer Reviews for: On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family Rating - A new family I wish I had read this book first. I read Lisa's Flower Net and enjoyed it so much that I looked to see what else she had written. Finding On Gold Mountain (thanks, Amazon) I became immersed in the life of the author and her family. I have read so many stories of Chinese families in Mainland China and Taiwan, but this is the first I have read of the Chinese American experience. It is doubly interesting because of the marriages between Chinese and Caucasians, and how they resolved their cultural differences during a time ... Read More Rating - An odyssey of a read Lisa See, in describing the journey of her family over one hundred years, also takes the reader on a literary journey. I have read many auto-biographical and semi-auto-biographical accounts of the Chinese diaspora and Lisa's book is amongst the best. We can read her book as an adventure and also as a history. A history about which she must be proud. This book has inspired me to write about my own family, who made a similar journey, over a hundred years ago, but in Australia Rating - The author carries you along on her odyssey! Lisa See's path to discover where and how she fits in in this gifted, and far from ordinary immigrant American family is as much your story as it is hers. Her writing is fresh and alive enough to hold your interest and make you want to hear more from and about this author. Her mother is Carolyn See, who has written a little about Lisa's history in her own book, Dreaming: Good Luck and Hard Times in America. Look over both books and be prepared to hunker down for a while. See all books by author Lisa See

Books : On Gold Mountain: The 100-Year Odyssey of a Chinese-American Family