Thousand Pieces of Gold FROM THE PUBLISHER
Lalu Nathoy's father called 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. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game. This biographical novel is the extraordinary story of one woman's fight for independence and dignity in the American West.
FROM THE CRITICS
Anne Alexander - Anne Alexander,Peninsula Times Tribune
Lalu is a living, vital person from page one until her deathﾽ[She] emerges as a person of dignity, intelligence, devotion, even humor. Author McCunn has given me a friend I'll never forget.
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston - Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston,San Francisco Chronicle
[A] story of struggle and survival as a woman-and slave-in China and the American WestﾽFast-paced and entertaining-packed with adventure, drama, and inspiration.
Elena Brunet - Elena Brunet,Los Angeles Times
Ruthanne Lum McCunn has woven an enthralling work of fiction from the true-life story of Lalu Nathoy.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
A valuable book to give Chinese Americans another true heroine. — Maxine Hong Kingston
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