On Gold Mountain - Lisa See (1995)Lisa See is the author of one of this years favourite books Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. This time she steps into non-fiction mode and looks back into her families past, and the immigration of her family patriarch Fong See, with his arrival and life in America (known as Gold Mountain by the Chinese).
Fong See originally came to the US to track down his father and brothers, who had come over to work for the railroad companies as they expanded into the west of the country. Starting his own business as a merchant, he started out by hiring men to sew Chinese silk into crotchless panties for local prostitutes. Expanding into antiques and Chinese imports he managed to diversify his business and marry a Caucasian woman and raise many children.
A fascinating insight into a family that reached across the two cultures and all the changes that the 20th century brought. Slightly too long for my taste, I got a bit frustrated towards the end I enjoyed Lisa Sees look into her family. It was interesting towards the end to find out that much of the story was new to her and most of her family and like any family, there are many versions of the truth. 3/5
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