China Men is less an autobiography than an imaginative retelling of the recent history of one group of ChineseAmericans. Kingston tells stories of Chinamen in China, Hawaii, Alaska, San Francisco, Nevada, New York, and Vietnam. In the case of her father, she offers alternative versions. In an early chapter, she has him smuggled into New York in a crate; late in the book she writes, "In 1903 my father was born in San Francisco."
As in The Woman Warrior, Kingston borrows freely from family stories, folk tales, mythology and history books.
Generally these are woven together seamlessly. The various.....
This is a free excerpt of 100 words. This section contains 194 words. This
study guide contains 22,740 words (approx. 76 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our China Men Access Pass.
