Immigrants are always looked at as a burden but they have always proven the doubters wrong in the past. Lisa See interjects throughout the book facts regarding Chinese discrimination and hardship through the years as this group of immigrants struggle to become citizens with equal rights in this country. You are Chinese American.'" Lots of interesting history told along with the family stories. So many Chinese men came, leaving their wives and family back in small Chinese villages, hoping to make a fortune. Many of these Caucasians have never had contact with a Chinese person, so do your best...You take the best of Chinese culture, you take the best of American culture, and blend the two. A fascinating story of immigration, adaptation, and melding cultures, she weaves the tales told by relatives with her own research, heart and imagination. This was a fascinating read as I was very uninformed regarding the plight of the Chinese immigrants who helped to establish this country. The Seattle Story, 1851-1901. (although I got my usual agitation reading about the cavalier. Some of the things that happen to her family are tough to read. I'm sad that some of the same prejudice lives on today regarding immigrants. “Ghosts of Gold Mountain is a treasure trove of stories, and of exciting scholarship that answers questions many of us have asked for decades. Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2002 I read "Gold Mountain" because I am a novelist who has used her family as the basis for my work. Approximately 400 pages of family history from Lisa See's great great grandfathers immigration to work on the transcontinetal railroad to her latest sojourn to the small Chinese town of Dimato to meet her great grandfathers and great uncles third and fourth family relatives from their concubines left in China. Fong See, the author's Chinese great-grandfather, came to the US as a teenager in 1871. Gold Mountain, the west coast in America, was supposedly filled with gold, and that truth/rumor drew multitudes of people from America and overseas to the west. Personally, I was struck many times as I read this book about the irony of my timing. I also kept finding myself thinking, "How could she have KNOWN what he was thinking at that moment?" Ironically, my daughter never read the book. Detailed and illuminating view of the Chinese immigration experience in the United States. Along the way, he and succeeding generations marry white American girls. There is so little history available for the cultures that make up this great country in The United States. Approximately 400 pages of family history from Lisa See's great great grandfathers immigration to work on the transcontinetal railroad to her latest sojourn to the small Chinese town of Dimato to meet her great grandfathers and great uncles third and fourth family relatives from their concubines left in China. I read it by accident, it being on my daughter's reading list for a college class and handy on the bookshelf. Considering the widespread acclaim this book and its subsequent film adaptation have received, I'm reluctant to write a negative review. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. There, her grand-mother and great-aunt told her intriguing, colorful stories about their family's past - stories of missionaries, concubines, tong wars, glamorous nightclubs, and the determined struggle to triumph over racist laws and discrimina. This is where her family history begins. I love this book because it made me look at the immigration issue in a new way. Everything old IS new again. Anyone who does so much research for a book and tells good stories deserves five stars. Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as … It seemed to me that this was in essence the American story. I enjoy her writing style, her meticulous research, and her unfailing attempt to bring people, places, and periods of history that few people know much about to life. When reading the forward, you will meet and learn of Fong See's venture into the creation of lingerie, panties with a slit crotch for prostitutes. Long but spellbinding true story of a Chinese immigrant to the US in the 19th century told by his great granddaughter. Too smart to be just coolie labor, he becomes a merchant fairly quickly, then soon expands his business to sveral shops and factories. I wish everyone was given a fair shake in life regardless of your ethnic background. The amount of research that went into this is somewhat mind boggling. Although it took me forever to get through this book, I found it a fascinating read and something that I'll never forget. Despite the lack of education, he had ambition; he worked hard and became a successful businessman. Chinese people at the time were not allowed to marry Caucasians, (many married in Mexico), families were not allowed to come to America from China due to immigration laws and horrendous American interrogations. Little money was made. As it progressed it was of particular interest to me, being from Los Angeles, to read about the development of Chinatown. If you've enjoyed any of Lisa See's novels, you will be happy to hear that although this story is based on historical events, it reads like one of her novels, with quite a lot of suspense, drama and even laughter. The story of a remarkable man and his descendants, made doubly interesting by the fact that the man was a Chinese immigrant to California in the 1870's. Lisa See is a Chinese-American author. He married a Caucasian woman, which was almost unheard of in those days. Unique as a book written by one of several extraordinary "Caucasian" women who helped build businesses and make homes for their Chinese families. 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