Thousand Pieces of Gold

Thousand Pieces of GoldBy: Ruthanne Lum McCunn The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American Westan important contribution to the history of pioneer women (Ms. Magazine) Lalu Nathoys father called his thirteen year old daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of goldyet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel,

By: Ruthanne Lum McCunn     

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The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese-American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American West—“an important contribution to the history of pioneer women” (Ms. Magazine)
 
Lalu Nathoy’s father called his thirteen-year-old daughter his treasure, his “thousand pieces of gold”—yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game.
 
With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Thousand Pieces of Gold is a classic of biographical historical fiction that stars an unforgettable Chinese-American heroine whose struggles put a human face on the anti-immigration policies of the past and present.