Daughters of Shandong

DEBUT In her debut novel, Taiwanese American human rights lawyer Chung draws from her own family history and experience as a global advocate for women’s rights to tell a riveting story of a young girl desperately seeking safety as a refugee during the Chinese Civil War. When Communist troops approach the city where Hai and her landowning family live, her grandmother and father leave Hai behind, along with her mother and sisters, to defend their home. After a violent encounter with the Communists leaves the family homeless and destitute, Hai’s mother takes her daughters on an exhausting and perilous journey to find shelter in Taiwan. Hai’s shifting relationship with her strong-willed younger sister Di and her friendships with other refugees add additional interest to this gripping family-centered survival story that should strongly appeal to those who have enjoyed novels such as Vanessa Chan’s The Storm We Made or Juhea Kim’s Beasts of a Little Land.