The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore

 

About the Book

A powerful story based on true events surrounding Donaldina Cameron and other brave women who fought to help Chinese-American women escape discrimination and slavery in the late 19th century in California.

When Donaldina Cameron arrives at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in 1895, she intends to teach sewing skills to young Chinese women immigrants, but, within days, she discovers that the job is much more complicated than perfect stitches and even hems. San Francisco has a dark side, one where a powerful underground organization--the criminal tong--brings Chinese young women to America to sell them as slaves. With the help of Chinese interpreters and the Chinatown police squad, Donaldina becomes a tireless social reformer to stop the abominable slave and prostitution trade.

Mei Lien believes she is sailing to the "Gold Mountain" in America to become the wife of a rich Chinese man.Instead she finds herself sold into prostitution--beaten, starved, and forced into an opium addiction. It is only after a narrow escape that she hears of the mission home and dares to think there might be hope for a new life.

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown throws new light on the age-old scourge of human trafficking. The heroes who fought this evil and the victims who triumphed over it more than a hundred years ago offer a bright example of courage and determination for anyone wishing for a better world.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51253514-the-paper-daughters-of-chinatown

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2G60SBQ

 

My Review: 5 Stars

 

I love fluffy romance stories, but every once in awhile, I crave a deeper book that's full of meaning, value, and leaves me touched. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is real and raw, as it's based on true events. This book is all of that and more, and if historical fiction is a genre you enjoy, be sure to check this one out!

 

I had no idea how awful a lot of the conditions were in Chinatown in the early 1900s. I thought the only slaves in America were the ones brought here from Africa, but that's definitely not the case. Young girls, some even just children, were taken or families were lied to, in order to propel a drug and prostitution ring in the San Francisco area. This tale tells the story of a woman, Donaldina (aka Dolly) who works hard with a rescue mission in getting these girls out of this situation and giving them an education and place of refuge. The sad thing is, this type of horror, sex trafficking, still exists today and I know there are many foundations who are working tirelessly to rescue these girls.

 

Moore delivers a well-crafted book that is superbly written and allows to reader to dive into this time, over 100 years ago, to learn an important part of history, as well as come to know key historical figures in an intimate way. I love learning historical facts in this way and Moore is a master story teller, especially when it concerns the past. I was affected by this story and completely engrossed, both in trepidation and hope, and finished with a feeling of knowledge and power. I left wanting to do something and make a change for the present and the future, and feel if only for those reasons alone, Moore's offering is a big success.

 

Content: very mild romance; horrors of abuse, rape, prostitution, slavery (enough details to understand how bad it was, but nothing at all graphic); very mild religion

 

About the Author

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty publications. Her historical novels and thrillers are written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah. Heather is represented by Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1344869.Heather_B_Moore

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/37783537691/

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heather-B-Moore/e/B007HLYZ6A/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1