on gold mountain book review

Other parts felt like laundry lists especially when she talked about the various businesses her relatives had. I have read almost all of Lisa See's books, so it only made sense for me to read about the true story concerning the past generations in her family tree. For me, this book club choice was boring with a capital B. What an eye-opener this family history is. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. Immigrants are always looked at as a burden but they have always proven the doubters wrong in the past. You are American citizens. You are Chinese American.'" 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. I have read almost all of Lisa See's books, so it only made sense for me to read about the true story concerning the past generations in her family tree. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. 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. A fascinating story of immigration, adaptation, and melding cultures, she weaves the tales told by relatives with her own research, heart and imagination. 111 reviews from Gold Mountain Communications employees about Gold Mountain Communications culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. In order to survive, the Chinese were hired to do the backbreaking wor. Other reviewers say that this feels like a novel--but it never feels like one to me. On Gold Mountain is the history of the See family and like most histories it is most interesting to the one telling it. On Gold Mountain was a non-fiction book about Lisa See's family history. Interesting and absorbing look at Lisa See’s family. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Do not think everything has to be Chinese. It was the inspiration for an exhibition at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in 2000. I have read some of See's fictional work and have always been a bit confused bc they seem to glorify the "olden days" in China prior to the Cultural Revolution (which I'm sure is worth glorifying in a political & social sense). Lisa See is a Chinese-American author. They fought prejudice and discr. Lisa's Chinese great grandfather had such an incredible life, if he was a fictional character it would be a little bit hard to believe. It begins with the story of Fong See's immigration to the United States and his efforts to make himself a success. I am a huge fan of Lisa See's fiction, but this one was tough for me to finish. 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. ð Todayâs video is me reviewing Gold Mountain Beauty. On Gold Mountain doesnât purport to be the whole truthâjust a truth, one that has been filtered through my heart, my experience, and my research. On Gold Mountain was a non-fiction book about Lisa See's family history. I suppose that their story is also the story of every family. The Central Pacific company employed some 20,000 â¦ After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. It is often easy to either wholly demonizes or idealize the adults we grew up with, but See is able to. She takes me along in the telling of her people lives and how they lived in California traveling from China in 1871 and how terribly the Chinese immigrants were taken advantage of, the Chinese men built the railroad, and since their lives were of little value by the Caucasians thousands of Chinese men gave their lives working in inhuman conditions to complete that railroad. I probably would not of picked this book up to read if I had not decided to join my local book club this year. Lisa See does in depth research even for her novels. The language is clear and lovely. People are going to watch your conduct and the way you talk. On Gold Mountain was a non-fiction book about Lisa See's family history. It begins with the story of Fong See's immigration to the United States and his efforts to make himself a success. To see what your friends thought of this book. etc. As it progressed it was of particular interest to me, being from Los Angeles, to read about the development of Chinatown. Little money was made. You marvel at how visionary and bold they were. On Gold Mountain is the history of the See family and like most histories it is most interesting to the one telling it. This however, was an exhaustive history of her family's lineage dating back to the 1880's. I learned a lot more about the immigration of Chinese and the forming of the West Coast. I had read a NY Times review for Flower Net - one of her more recent works, but what really intrigued me was the reference to this book, so I put it in my Kindle Q, and I'm so glad I did. See gives us a vivid, sometimes startling glimpse into a community thatâs often overlooked in history booksâ¦ If you happen to be a member of the See family you will find this fascinating. Family is an understatement, however, as the patriarch, Fong See, â¦ It is not for the squeamish. It reminds me of my dad's request to write our family's story. Still, a dissenting opinion at least makes for an â¦ She is to be lauded for the tremendous project she took on, the honor bestowed upon her family and race, and the impressive skills she brought to the task. 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. He married a Caucasian woman, which was almost unheard of in those days. etc.) Too smart to be just coolie labor, he becomes a merchant fairly quickly, then soon expands his business to sveral shops and factories. Nevertheless it was fascinating to learn of her history and that of the other Chinese immigrants. She is an amazing researcher and writer. In this time of growing fear and resentment of immigrants, it is a sobering look at our past and how we are dealing with our future. You can’t live unless you take a chance; and your living is limited by the chances you take.”, “When you do things in a soft way, you make the other people believe they’ve thought up something to do for you, when actually you’re directing them.” Later, Ruth”, Sons of the Profits: There's No Business Like Grow Business. Family is an understatement, however, as the patriarch, Fong See, had four â¦ The patriarch works on the railroad that was being built from California east to Utah where the eastern tracks were joined with the western to create the first cross country railroad. The book â¦ The See familyâs adventures would be incredible if On Gold Mountain were fiction.â âThe New York Times Book Review âWeaves together fascinating family anecdotes, imaginative details, and the historical â¦ New York Times Book Review â On Gold Mountain weaves together fascinating family anecdotes, imaginative storytelling, and historical details of immigrant life over the last one-hundred years. 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. Despite the lack of education, he had ambition; he worked hard and became a successful businessman. But their courtship winds through 15 pages, several letters, dates and â¦ Positive reviews will receive an "Indie Books We Love" Badge for use with their book. As an adult, See spent five years collecting the details of her family's remarkable history. Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016. 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. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It's amazing to read many of the political speeches given in the early part of the 20th century about the Chinese and then to realize that many are saying the exact same things about some of the immigrants coming over today. He married a Caucasian woman, which was almost unheard of in those days. The book is interesting in that the story is highly unique and new. Review: 'How Much Of These Hills Is Gold,' By C Pam Zhang C Pam Zhang's debut novel follows a brother and sister, children of Chinese laborers, as the search the dusty hills of Gold Rush â¦ This book is a great story of how the Chinese influenced the growth of our Country so the USA became "from sea to shining sea". Superior tale of Chinese and Chinese-Americans in California from late 1800s railroad-building through four generations of struggle to the present day - an engaging historical account rendered delightfully personal through the stories Lisa tells in On Gold Mountain of her family history and her great grandfather Fong See and his journey to the West and sojourn on the gold mountain in Sacramento, San Francisco, and finally Los Angeles, where he founded a successful merchant dynasty and a family of many generations in and around mysterious Chinatown. Too smart to be just coolie labor, he becomes a merchant fairly quickly, then soon expands his business to sveral shops and factories. etc. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. I was especially impressed with her ability to look critically at the actions of elders she grew up with. Everything old IS new again. The book was spotty. She was a great business woman even better than Fong See, her husband. I got to learn about Fong and Letticie See, Lisa See's great-great-grandfather and great-great- grandmother Letticie. For your book group to gather today you have to have had many strong, brave, enduring, and â¦ As an herbalist, his services were in great demand by immigrant laborers. 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. Quick Plot: Fong See, the family patriarch, immigrated to the United States just after the completion of the railroad â¦ Parts of it were very compelling and read like a novel. For me, it was about 200 pages too long and in the end bittersweet. Part I Chapter I The Wonder Time 1866-71 Fong Dun Shung hoisted his Gold Mountain â¦ Unique as a book written by one of several extraordinary "Caucasian" women who helped build businesses and make homes for their Chinese families. so I think either her family interviews were EXTREMELY in-depth or she speculated about a lot of stuff. Part 3, Introduction: The End of the Frontier. Letticie was a Caucasian woman abandoned by her family because she wanted a different life for herself. August 27th 1996 She interviewed nearly one hundred relatives - both Chinese and Caucasian, rich and poor - and pored over documents at the National Archives, the immigration office, and in countless attics, basements, and closets for the intimate nuances of her ancestors' lives. The curios are no longer high quality as Fong See specialized in but just little trinkets to take home. Be the first to ask a question about On Gold Mountain. Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2020. Great glimpse into what Chinatowns were like and how society differentiated Chinese and Chinese businessmen. We’d love your help. It's amazing to read many of the political speeches given in the early part of the 20th century about the Chinese and then to realize that many are saying the exact same things about some of the immigrants coming over today. This took me a long time to finish (as in, months), but i really enjoyed it. Award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang discusses his groundbreaking book Ghosts of Gold Mountain. Without them California may not have become a State and Mexico, Britain or Russia might have been able to claim it. In "On Gold Mountain," published by St. Martin's Press this month, a man and woman meet, fall in bed and marry. I love the family history of the author Lisa See in The Golden Mountain. On Gold Mountain was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. 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. I think this may be the first or one of the first non-fiction memoirs about a Chinese American family I’ve read. If you are researching family histories about the Chinese as a growing factor in California culture in the 19th and 20th century, this book will give you material. There's one takeaway quote I have from Mrs. Leong to her children: "'Youre more or less ambassadors. 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. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017. Lisa also wrote a libretto based â¦ This book was my cup of tea. Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as â¦ 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. This one family history, over 100 years time span, coped with Coming to America. There was however, great abuse and cruelty in the process and discrimination was beyond words. I did not just want to pick up the book and read; I had to force myself to. On Golden Mountain was her first book and is the story of her familyâs immigration to the US from China in the mid-19th Century. He opens â¦ I will look for others like Lisa See's. This is February's book for 2018 in which it will be discussed, and I'll be able to meet the author through Skype. This is a DNF (did not finish). The fact that this couple produced four sons and one daugther and two successful import companies is no small feat. The Seattle Story, 1851-1901. A true story, it reads like fiction. In 1867 Lisa See's great great grandfather arrived in America from China. The amount of research that went into this is somewhat mind boggling. I found that part of the book fascinating. The book is interesting in that the story is highly unique and new. A non-fiction family saga about coming to the US from China and the experience of being an immigrant in America. When Fong See met a white woman with business sense who needed a job, and eventually became his wife, his store no longer sold underwear, but Chinese antiques that appealed to the wealthy whites. (although I got my usual agitation reading about the cavalier. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Refresh and try again. Fong See and his wife escaped much of the prejudice that Chinese families faced because they had amassed quite a fortune. that to survive and even thrive was an amazing achievement. What an amazing story of ambition, love, family honor and tenacity - over many generations. Long but spellbinding true story of a Chinese immigrant to the US in the 19th century told by his great granddaughter. Nevertheless, for the most. This is the history of the Chinese side of the family of author Lisa See. Lisa See was able, by using her personal family history and story, to give great insight into their important roles and contributions to building the great cities of the west. I read it by accident, it being on my daughter's reading list for a college class and handy on the bookshelf. I am so glad I read it, it will stay on my shelf to enjoy for the future. I just seem to bog down in non-fiction. It was okay in parts, but then almost ended up feeling like the "begats" in the Bible, where it kept including minutiae I wasn't interested in. APPLE BOOKS REVIEW. Visits to China take in the life of poor villagers at the turn of the 20th century. Welcome back. âGhosts of Gold Mountain is a treasure trove of stories, and of exciting scholarship that answers questions many of us have asked for decades. I have visited the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. I also did let my prejudice get ahead of me and I wondered why a white woman was so fixed on Chinese settings. It is the difference of watching a movie of your day to day life and an action movie, which fits several hours, days or years into a couple of hours of film. Cold Mountain is a novel by Charles Frazier that was first published in 1997. I'm looking forward to that. Parts of it were very compelling and read like a novel. This book is wild. All the details I love in her novels have their bedrock in her family legends. This book taught me that lesson. It seemed to me that this was in essence the American story. An interesting twist is that the original immigrant marries an American woman; the Chinese husband, American wife and bi-national children all face different types of discrimination. Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain includes photographs, poems, interview excerpts, and more, creating a well-constructed history for young people about San Francisco's immigration station, which â¦ It is not for the squeamish. For me, this book club choice was boring with a capital B. In her first book, On Gold Mountain, she uncovered in her family tree a capsule history of the Sino-American diaspora: her great-grandfather, Fong See, founded a California business, married a â¦ The inclusion and interweaving of historical facts were deftly handled, so that I came away feeling better informed about this very important part of American history, yet still entertained. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this On Gold Mountain study guide. Lisa's ancestors were those people. Gold Mountainâ¦book review #19. Gordon H. Changâs Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad is a meticulous, sincere effort to restore to the public mind the lives and â¦ You in to your Goodreads account what an amazing achi me reviewing Gold Mountain was a national and... Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features amazing achievement to pick up the book is interesting that. A very detailed account of her books include, “ you can their... Establish this country hired to do on gold mountain book review backbreaking work of building a railroad very. Plight of the Chinese side of the American West in the end bittersweet and discrimination and! Immigration experience in the United States on January 2, 2019 was struck many times i. Experience in the United States on April 22, 2016 as Fong See opened up stores. 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