Thousand Pieces of Gold (Beacon Classics) - Hardcover

McCunn, Ruthanne Lum

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807018864 ISBN 13: 9780807018866

Publisher: Beacon Press, 2025

Synopsis

The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese-American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American West

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

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.

Celebrated author Ruthanne Lum McCunn traces the gripping narrative of Lalu’s courageous attempts to escape captivity and then enslavement, and her unflagging efforts to live free in the American West as Polly, despite devastating losses. With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Thousand Pieces of Gold remains an enduring classic of biographical historical fiction, starring an unforgettable Chinese-American heroine whose struggles put a human face on the anti-immigration policies of the past and present.

About this title

About the Author

Ruthanne Lum McCunn writes about the Chinese on both sides of the Pacific. Her award-winning books include The Moon Pearl and, most recently, Chinese Yankee. McCunn's work has been translated into thirteen languages, published in twenty-two countries, and adapted for stage and screen. She lives in San Francisco.

Edition details

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807018864
• ISBN 13: 9780807018866
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216