Six thousand pieces of gold rather, six thousand shekels of gold. Yen mah painstaking research and conclusive writing enables her intriguingly to draw together the threads of china first emperor, of chairman mao zedong and of her own life. Raised into a penurious chinese family, lalu nathoy was her fathers thousand pieces of gold. Then the king of aram said, go now, and i will send a letter to the king of israel. Thinking in metaphors is a form of lateral thinking. Synopsis a chinese girl is sold into slavery and brought to america in.
Thousand pieces of gold audiobook by ruthanne lum mccunn. With rosalind chao, chris cooper, michael paul chan, dennis dun. Immediately download the a thousand pieces of gold summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching a thousand pieces of gold. Its based upon the life of polly bemis aka lalu who was kidnapped by bandits in china, sold into slavery and shipped to the united states and ended up in a mining town in idaho. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn, paperback. Lalu nathoys father called his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced.
In this biographical novel, lalu nathoy begins her life in nineteenthcentury china as the. Polly, as lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for america, auctioned to a saloon keeper, and offered as a prize in a. Overall, a thousand pieces of gold is an excellent book, with a refreshing perspective on social convention and real life. Even though love was a recurring theme, i wouldnt consider this book to be a love story. Thousand pieces of gold summary and analysis like sparknotes. Thousand pieces of gold remains both a worthwhile exploration of individuality and agency as well as a beguiling love story. Chineseamerican author ruthanne lum mccunn s a thousand pieces of gold 1981 is a fictionalized biography of polly bemis, a chineseamerican pioneer woman, who lived in idaho during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It was published by harperone and has a total of 272 pages in the book.
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. Thousand pieces of gold tells the extraordinary story of lalu nathoy, later known as. Thousand pieces of gold is a 1981 historical novel by ruthanne lum mccunn and based on the life of polly bemis, a 19thcentury chinese immigrant woman in the american old west. Daughter of a thousand pieces of gold by peg neral. Also, an archivist who read thousand pieces of gold noticed documents with her name on them in the national archives. Thousand pieces of gold is a fictional biography of a chinese woman who was sold by her father in 1871 and brought to california to work in a brothel. Even though the subject matter is difficult in the beginning, it really is worth discussing. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn content. Rather than becoming a bride, lalu ends up in an idaho gold mining town, the. Find all available study guides and summaries for thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn. The film is based on the littleknown fact that years after slavery was abolished in america.
Read thousand pieces of gold bluestreak popular ebook. High school, historical fiction, ya over 18 no comments. Ruthanne lum mccunn has written several books about the role of the. Thousand pieces of gold a similar american success story, and with none of the ironies. At one point, she is sexually assaulted by hong king. A thousand pieces of gold my discovery of chinas character in its proverbs book. Mccunns narrative follows bemisborn, in mccunns telling, lalu nathoyfrom her childhood home in rural china to an idaho mining camp, where she is sold into. Synopsis a chinese girl is sold into slavery and brought to america in the late nineteenth century.
The book shows us how chinese history is dominated by family ties, close friendships and personal commitments up to, and beyond, mao. For some measure of the progress of women, consider pieces of gold, set in the 19th century and telling the story of a chinese woman sold from man to man as if she were property. Good books should excite the reader, appeal to a large audience, elicit strong emotions and in this book s case, encourage you to delve deeper into the cultural significance to better understand its. One thousand pieces of gold is a fictional biography. Its fictional because all the dialogue is made up, while the major events are based upon her real experiences. Thousand pieces of goldby ruthanne lum mccunnthe literary work a novel about a chinese slave girl set in china and idaho from the late 1850s to the 1930s. Her work, which has won many awards, has been translated into thirteen languages, published in twentytwo countries, and adapted for the stage and film. Pdf download thousand pieces of gold bluestreak pdf online. Ruthanne lum mccunn chronicles the life of lalu nathoy, a young chinese girlsold as a slave and brought to americawhere, later, as polly bemis she struggles and survives as a pioneer in the west. Thousand pieces of gold bluestreak by ruthanne lum. Learn thousand pieces gold with free interactive flashcards. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn goodreads.
About thousand pieces of gold lalu nathoy s father calls his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced to sell her. A biographical novel asian voices by ruthanne lum mccunn and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. And the king of syria said, go to, go, and i will send a letter unto the king of israel. Ruthanne lum mccunn, an eurasian of chinese and scottish descent, was hailed by the dallas timesin 1985 as an americanchinese author of remarkable talent. Thousand pieces of gold tells the extraordinary story of lalu nathoy, later known as polly bemis. Thousand pieces of gold tells the fascinating story of lalu nathoy, later known as polly bemis. But after the book came out, i was contacted by more people whod known her and shared more anecdotes. Lalu nathoy, who came to be known as polly bemis, is a real person and lived until 1933 when she died in idaho. Start studying thousand pieces of gold study guide. China, pioneers, ruthanne lum mccunn, slavery, thousand pieces of gold genre. A reissue of the classic biographical novel that has sold more than 200,000 copies lalu nathoys father calls his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced to sell her.
Coined money did not exist as yet, and was not introduced into judea until the time of cyrus. Lalu nathoys father called his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced to sell her. A thousand pieces of gold growing up through chinas proverbs adeline yen mah to my husband, bob, who knows me better than i know myself zhi ji and makes everything worthwhile my grandfather ye ye told me that when he was a boy growing up in shanghai. She is a wonderful story teller, a gift she learned from her grandfather. Her awardwinning books have been translated into eight languages. Mccunns narrative follows bemisborn, in mccunns telling, lalu nathoyfrom her childhood home in rural china to an idaho mining camp, where she is sold into slavery and eventually freed to become a pillar of the community. Growing up through chinas proverbs this is the third book of adeline mahs that ive read. She is sold first to a brothel, then to a slave merchant bound for america. Polly, as lalu comes to be known, endures great hardship.
In fact a love story is one of the last things i would classify it under. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn, recollects the story of a womans lifelong journey. Polly developed an entirely new life in an estranging world through her name. When your books and teachers dont make sense, we do. Buy a cheap copy of thousand pieces of gold bluestreak book by ruthanne lum mccunn. A reissue of the classic biographical novel that has sold more than 200,000 copies lalu nathoys father calls his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine. Enlarge photo thousand pieces of gold, by ruthanne lum mccunn, is the true story of a chineseamerican pioneer woman who overcomes poverty, footbinding, and slavery to build a life of relative freedom in the american northwest.
Choose from 51 different sets of thousand pieces gold flashcards on quizlet. Her father calls his thirteenyearold daughter his thousand pieces of gold, but when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn teachers. The title of this book is a thousand pieces of gold and it was written by adeline yen mah. Mccunn first came across lalu nathoys story when she was researching the lives of chinese in idaho for an earlier nonfiction book called an illustrated history of. Lalu nathoys father calls his thirteenyearold daughter his treasure, his thousand pieces of gold, yet when famine strikes northern china in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Her books are autobiographical in nature as well as historically based. Thousand pieces of gold roger ebert november 08, 1991. Do not read the essay about lalupolly before you read the book. Hong king agrees to let her buy her freedom for the impossible sum of a thousand pieces of gold. Jacob robarts thomas period 6 theme not a love story to me this book was so much more than another love story. As part of my research for thousand pieces of gold, i went to idaho and interviewed people who had known polly. A thousand pieces of gold is based on the historical record, shiji, written by sima qian 14590 bc. Thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn content rating.
An overview of ruthann mccunns a thousand pieces of gold. Thousand pieces of gold bluestreak book by ruthanne lum. In 1991, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name. A thousand pieces of gold is a cultural memoir as well as a personal account of chinas past, illustrated by proverbs taken from a fascinating period of history when china was ruled by the first emperor, qin shihuang 259210 b. Thousand pieces of goldby ruthanne lum mccunnthe literary work. Daughter of a thousand pieces of gold by kehonan see profile 101812. I would recommend this book for high school age and up. In the opening chapter of thousand pieces of gold, a cai, lalus younger. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. A thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn teen ink. Thousand pieces of gold, by ruthanne lum mccunn, is the true story of a chineseamerican pioneer woman who overcomes poverty, footbinding, and slavery to build a life of relative freedom in the american northwest. A thousand pieces of gold by ruthanne lum mccunn is the story of a girl named lalu living in eighteenthcentury china. Gold was carried in bars, from which portions were cut when.
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