DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN AND MOON by Lisa See

4 stars

A powerful novel brings to light the terrible lynching on Chinese immigrants in the 1870’s by xenophobic white and Mexican men, as told through the first person perspectives on three Chinese women immigrants. This story particularly hits home for Lisa See, as it impacted her grandparent’s generation and has almost entirely been swept out of the history books out of embarrassment by the city’s founding fathers. See passionately commits to following the facts of record and bring to light the story of a night massacre I 1871 of 18 Chinese men and boys.

In the 1870’s, L.A was still a small town as a railroad link from San Francisco had yet to be built. A town of gold diggers, adventurers, outlaws, Hispanic settlers, and immigrants – money is scarce, crime is high, and most of the business establishments are saloons or brothels. At the time, L.A. had only 180 Chinese residents, and among those only 30 women. Mostly women had been brought over from China for an arranged marriage to a Chinese man living in the States or to become an indentured (read slave) sex worker in a brothel.

Moon was sent over with her father’s assistant apothecary/Chinese medicine practitioner in an arraigned marriage to help their business thrive. She tells her version of the story from her old age, adding context and historical nuance to the times and what follows. Dove, the daughter of an esteem scholar, and having tiny traditional bound feet, get sents over in exchange for a large bride price to marry an old man who already has many children with his first wife in China, but wants the status of a beautiful young wife to show off to his general store customers. Lastly Pearl, the resourceful, brave and beautiful daughter of a poor peasant, gets sold to a Chinese gang, known as a tong, to work in one of their brothels.

All three women meet, and despite the vast differences between them, bond as immigrant survivors as well as over the horror and injustice of Chinese racism. It makes for tense, important reading about an episode in American history most know nothing about. The only downside: in adhering so tightly to the facts, some of the character development remains somewhat flat. Still, I’m grateful to have read it and learned so much.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.