Why am I passionate about this?
Born and raised in China, I moved to Canada in my late 20s to pursue a master's degree and stayed here, becoming a first-generation immigrant. But home is always home—my ancestors lived and died on that land. My country's history, culture, traditions, and social structures deeply fascinate me, especially its modern history, which has profoundly shaped me. China's history is rich, captivating, and often brutal, and I believe the world needs to know what we have gone through. The five books I recommend, including works by two Nobel Prize-winning authors, are literary masterpieces. They not only offer deep insights into China's modern history but also showcase extraordinary literary artistry.
Tong's book list on Chinese modern history
Why did Tong love this book?
I love the book because of its spectacular opening, among other merits. As the sequel to Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls, this book focuses on the next generation—Joy. The book opens with a powerful twist: Joy discovers that her mother is actually her aunt, and her aunt is her biological mother. Additionally, her father, unrelated by blood, committed suicide because of her, while her real father is an artist in China. Angry and guilt-ridden, the rebellious and naïve college student from San Francisco's Chinatown runs away to communist China to find her real father and help build the country.
Her adoptive mother, Pearl, follows to rescue her. In China, Joy marries the wrong man, nearly dies of starvation, and learns the harsh realities of the new regime. I also love the book for its character development, conflicts, and complex relationships among the main characters, as well as its historically accurate depiction…
1 author picked Dreams of Joy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Astonishing . . . one of those hard-to-put-down-until-four-in-the morning books . . . a story with characters who enter a reader’s life, take up residence, and illuminate the myriad decisions and stories that make up human history.”—Los Angeles Times
In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and…