Daughters of Shandong - by Eve J Chung

Book Synopsis

A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters' harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story

An Instant USA Today Bestseller, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and a People Book of the Week!

"Throw open the doors of your heart for the lionhearted girls of Chung's gripping debut . . . they are heroines for the ages."--People

Daughters are the Ang family's curse.

In 1948, civil war ravages the Chinese countryside, but in rural Shandong, the wealthy, landowning Angs are more concerned with their lack of an heir. Hai is the eldest of four girls and spends her days looking after her sisters. Headstrong Di, who is just a year younger, learns to hide in plain sight, and their mother--abused by the family for failing to birth a boy--finds her own small acts of rebellion in the kitchen. As the Communist army closes in on their town, the rest of the prosperous household flees, leaving behind the girls and their mother because they view them as useless mouths to feed.

Without an Ang male to punish, the land-seizing cadres choose Hai, as the eldest child, to stand trial for her family's crimes. She barely survives their brutality. Realizing the worst is yet to come, the women plan their escape. Starving and penniless but resourceful, they forge travel permits and embark on a thousand-mile journey to confront the family that abandoned them.

From the countryside to the bustling city of Qingdao, and onward to British Hong Kong and eventually Taiwan, they witness the changing tide of a nation and the plight of multitudes caught in the wake of revolution. But with the loss of their home and the life they've known also comes new freedom--to take hold of their fate, to shake free of the bonds of their gender, and to claim their own story.

Told in assured, evocative prose, with impeccably drawn characters, Daughters of Shandong is a hopeful, powerful story about the resilience of women in war; the enduring love between mothers, daughters, and sisters; and the sacrifices made to lift up future generations.

Review Quotes

"Unforgettable . . . [a] story in the straightforward first-person style of a narrator who is not much given to cynicism or poetry but who can keep your attention with her wit, a knack for shrewd details and uncommon tenderness."--The New York Times

"Throw open the doors of your heart for the lionhearted girls of Chung's gripping debut . . . they are heroines for the ages."--People

"A heart-wrenching yet hopeful story of resilience and unbreakable family bonds."--Woman's World

"Eve J. Chung strikes historical-fiction gold, inspired by her own family's story."--Christian Science Monitor

"Human rights attorney and debut author Eve J. Chung takes personal family history and spins it into pure gold in her haunting first novel. . . . Daughters of Shandong is a powerhouse debut from a major new talent!"--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

"An empowering and uplifting tale of the bonds between mother and daughter in the most challenging of times. I loved it."--Dolen Perkins-Valdez, New York Times bestselling author of Happy Land

"One of those rare works of fiction that entertains, educates, and inspires. Harrowing, heartbreaking, and brilliantly paced, Daughters of Shandong is impossible to put down."--Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

"Spellbindingly transportive . . . one of those rare books that stays with readers long after the last pages and promises to illuminate all the corners of humanity."--Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon, a Today Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick

"A story of never giving up on yourself, Chung's debut is a propulsive journey through Chinese history that shows not the women who walked so their daughters could run, but the women who fought so their daughters could fly."--Karin Tanabe, author of The Sunset Crowd

"This is a story of women who unite to take fate into their own hands and to claim their voices. You won't be able to forget this compelling tale of resilience and hope."--Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Women and Girl in Translation

"Readers will be moved by this humanizing account of a turbulent period in China's history."--Publishers Weekly

"Chung's debut combines historical insight with sympathetic characters and will be appreciated by readers seeking stories with strong female characters or twentieth-century history lessons."--Booklist

"Intimate, immersive, and utterly enthralling, Daughters of Shandong is a brilliant debut by an astonishingly gifted writer!"--Weina Dai Randel, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Last Rose of Shanghai

About the Author

Eve J. Chung is a Taiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality and women's rights. She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs.