| Dead Man's Gold: And Other Stories Contributor(s): Yee, Paul (Author), Chan, Harvey (Illustrator) |
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ISBN: 0888995873 ISBN-13: 9780888995872 Publisher: Groundwood Books OUR PRICE: $11.69 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2003 Annotation: Ten original ghost stories by Paul Yee dramatize the history of Chinese immigration to North America, from poor villagers who first came searching for gold in the late 1850s to new arrivals from Hong Kong. Told in the style of traditional Chinese folktales, they are illustrated with moody, abstract drawings by Harvey Chan. In the title story, two friends seek gold, but the precious metal brings riches to one man and a curse to the other. In "Seawall Sightings," young lovers kept apart by immigration laws have a tragic reunion. In "Reunited," a spoiled teenage boy leaves Hong Kong for North America, only to find that his new life is not the glamorous one he had been expecting. The stories describe the struggles, dreams, and resilience of people making new lives for themselves in a strange land, while retaining strong links to China and the past. In keeping with authentic Chinese ghost stories, wherever they go, the immigrants are followed by the curse of a friend, the ghost of a faithful spouse, or the spirit of a dead parent. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Juvenile Fiction | Horror - Juvenile Fiction | Short Stories - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - Emigration & Immigration |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 2002102190 |
| Lexile Measure: 890 |
| Physical Information: 0.34" H x 5.5" W x 8.6" (0.32 lbs) 104 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Chinese |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 62218 Reading Level: 5.9 Interest Level: Middle Grades Point Value: 3.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: These ten original ghost stories dramatize the tumultuous history of 140 years of Chinese immigration to North America - from the poor village men who first cam searching for gold in the late 1850s to the new immigrants who arrived from Hong Kong in the wake of the Communist victory in China. As with the award-winning collection, Tales from Gold Mountain, Paul Yee's stories are fiction by told in the style of the traditional folktales that were shared with fellow men in the bachelor halls or with children and grandchildren at family banquets. But they are also ghost stories, a popular Chinese narrative form. The characters in these stories are men and women, rich and poor, greedy and good, young and old - all Chinese immigrants struggling to make new lives for themselves in North America. Yet wherever they go, they are followed by reminders of their home country - the curse of a friend betrayed, the ghost of a faithful spouse, the spirit of a dead parent. Accompanied by eerie, evocative plates by award-winning illustrator Harvey Chan, these tales provide young readers with a New World mythology of immigrant stories. |