Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain

Written by: Li Keng Wong

"An elementary school teacher for 35 years tells about her family's journey to America, their interrogation at Angel Island, and the difficult life they faced in Oakland, CA, where her father ran an illegal lottery business. Paw Paw worked in Gold Mountain and sent money home. One day, the author, her two sisters, and their mother received a letter announcing that they would be returning with him after his next visit. The family studied the papers that he sent to prepare them for the difficult questions they would be asked upon their arrival. Particularly worrisome was the fact that Paw Paw wasn't allowed to bring his wife to America, so she would be posing as his sister. This memoir clearly shows the hardships, sacrifices, and eventual successes of the Chinese families who came to America during the Depression."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/angel_island/

A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems

A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems

Written by: Janet Wong

"With a sense of pride in her Korean, Chinese, and American background, Janet Wong's poetry reflects some of the differences between Chinese and Korean customs and culture and the American way of life. Divided into three sections – Korean, Chinese, and American – and with the author's own explanation as to how the poems developed from experiences in her own life, these poems speak directly and simply to young people of many ethnic backgrounds."

Publishers Synopsis

Web Resources:
http://www.janetwong.com/books/suitcaseofseaweed.cfm

Weedflower

Weedflower

Written by: Cynthia Kadohata

Set in California and Arizona during the 1940's Kadohata introduces us to Sumiko and her Japanese-American family who enjoy spending time together working on their flower farm. Sumiko and her family's life changes forever when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1944. They are taken to a Japanese internment camp in Arizona where Sumiko and her family begin living life as prisoners in their own country. Sumiko is a strong character who students who have ever felt discriminated because of their race or National origin will be able to identify. This piece of historical fiction is an important read for teachers and students.

Jennie's Review

Online Resources:
http://suzyred.com/2007weedflower.html
http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/index.html

Grandfather's Journey

Grandfather's Journey

Written and Illustrated by: Allen Say

"Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Allen Say gives us a poignant account of a family's unique cross-cultural experience. He warmly conveys his own love for his two countries, and the strong and constant desire to be in both places at once."

Publishers Synopsis

From the Author:
"I am striving to give shape to my dreams--the old business of making myths--the fundemental force of art. And so, GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY is essentially a dream book, for the life's journey is an endless dreaming of the places we have left behind and the places we have yet to reach."--Allen Say (Caldecott Medal Acceptance Speech )

Online Resources:
http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/grand.htm