Eye opening perspective useful to help understand stories of many migrants

I confess much ignorance of the period from 1930s Shanghai to the present. By tracing the stories from childhood through adulthood, the reader is able to appreciate not just the political forces of the Communists against the Nationalists but the varied devastating personal family influences. Although Americans have some sense of discrimination against “The Orientals,” these many stories bring the challenges to life. My only complaint is that this is a very long book; otherwise, I can not recommend it any more than I already have.

I was drawn to this book because my husband’s Russian family lived in Shanghai after fleeing the 1917 revolution. The real stories of survival while Shanghai was in chaos and then under Communist rule are gripping. The descriptions of adjusting to life elsewhere, especially in anti-Chinese 1950s American, were painful to read. This is readable history. The stories read like a modern political thriller and I had a hard time putting down this book. Finally, the stories of the people who escaped Shanghai helped provide some perspective on immigration, asylum, and the reasons people choose to leave the only homes and communities they’ve known.

bawled through the last 50 pages

Fascinating read especially as it gave a glimpse into what Taiwan was like when the Nationalists evacuated China and the Senate on the island in 1949. Reading this give me a bit of context for when I moved to Taipei 23 years later.