Boston:: Beacon,, (1988). Near fine.. Trade paperback. Described as both a biographical novel and the first biography of a Chinese American pioneer woman, this is the story of Lalu Nathoy, later known as Polly Bemis, who was shipped to America as a slave in the mid-19th century and auctioned off to a Chinese saloon keeper in an Idaho mining camp. 308 pp.

Synopsis

A reissue of the classic biographical novel that has sold more than 200,000 copies Lalu Nathoy’s father calls 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. She is sold first to a brothel, then to a slave merchant bound for America. In a new country, she is given the name Polly and eventually auctioned to a saloonkeeper. When admirer Charlie Bemis wins her in a poker game, he frees her from her enslavement and eventually proposes marriage. The two live out their days on a bountiful farm, a homestead called Polly’s Place in Salmon Canyon, Idaho. This masterfully told biographical novel is the true story of an extraordinary woman’s successful fight for independence and respect in the early American West. “Lalu comes to life and transfixes the reader with her story of struggle and survival . . . Lalu/Polly was a remarkable pioneer woman—a new heroine of the American West—and we can thank McCunn for bringing her to life in such a moving and inspirational way.” —Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, San Francisco Chronicle “A valuable book that gives Chinese Americans another true heroine.” —Maxine Hong Kingston “Lalu Nathoy’s courageous journey is an important contribution to the history of pioneer women.” —Ms. Magazine

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Details

Bookseller: Bookfever.com, IOBA (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 71572
Title: THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD
Author: McCunn, Ruthanne Lum
Book Condition: Used - Near fine.
Binding: Paperback
ISBN 10: 0807083178
ISBN 13: 9780807083178
Publisher: Beacon,
Place of Publication: Boston:
Date Published: (1988)
Keywords: gold rush, chinese immigrants, movie tie-in
Bookseller catalogs: Asian and Asian American;

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Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Trade Paperback: Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
Fine: A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...