Publishers Weekly
★ 05/27/2024
A teenage immigrant faces the ramifications of the Chinese Exclusion Act in this vivid verse novel inspired by the anonymous poems of Chinese detainees found at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco. Upon arrival in March 1924, a teen, along with his father and grandfather, is detained on Angel Island. The youth is armed only with personal details: “I am Lee Yip Jing,/ nephew of Thomas Lee,/ a San Francisco merchant/ with whom my father, his brother,/ is a partner.” His story, however, is a lie meant to fool American authorities while they investigate his account. His real name is Tai Go, and for months he endures poor living conditions. Still, he is strengthened by writings from previous immigrant detainees etched into the walls of his barracks. He also joins a resistance group led by charismatic Yen Yi, witnesses how elders wield the most power within the station, and spies on Boocher, a teenage Black kitchen worker suspected of being an American informant. Ng (Basho’s Haiku Journeys) examines the history of white imperialism and racism through lyrical and introspective verse, while conversational dialogue fosters intimacy and immediacy with contemporary readers. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)
Booklist
. . . offers an intimate look at the sometimes-distraught, sometimes-hopeful experience many real-life Chinese immigrants lived. Ng brings a visceral sense to the captives’ ordeals, sometimes juxtaposing them with the accounts of staff . . . Fans of Margarita Engle’s The Lightning Dreamer (2013) and similar historical novels in verse infused with political and social struggles as well as hope will enjoy this rich story.
Kirkus Reviews
2024-05-04
Despair and hope mingle in this free-verse novel set in the Angel Island detention center in 1924.
The destruction of birth records as a result of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake meant that immigrants from China could attempt to elude the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act by claiming to be related to Chinese residents already in the U.S. Seventeen-year-old T.G., who’s arrived with his father and grandfather, is one of many people shuffled off to the barracks. There, he waits for his interview with an immigration officer who will scrutinize his “paper story.” The living conditions are unpleasant: The men sleep in cramped rooms, consume tasteless meals, and suffer at the hands of callous guards. Carved into the walls around them are poems composed by those who came before, expressing the same longing and misery felt by T.G. and his fellow immigrants. Day after day, T.G.’s father exhorts him to “jab the awl,” a phrase that evokes focus and self-discipline. But when T.G. stumbles upon a clandestine meeting of the Resistance—men seeking to effect change in the barracks—he decides to join their cause despite the risks of upsetting the status quo. The limited setting and the repetitive nature of each day in the barracks establish a distinct sense of place with a restrictive atmosphere. Moments of levity and genuine human connection ease the often bleak mood.
A vivid depiction of a lesser-known chapter in U.S history. (historical note, resources) (Verse historical fiction. 14-18)
