Daughter of the Dragon
Yunte HuangA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2023
New York Times • 10 Best California Books of 2023
Best Books of 2023: Smithsonian, BookRiot
Best Books of August 2023: New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, Christian Science Monitor, InsideHook, BookRiot, WNET AllArts, Arlington Magazine
A trenchant reclamation of the Chinese American movie star, whose battles against cinematic exploitation and endemic racism are set against the currents of twentieth-century history.
Born into the steam and starch of a Chinese laundry, Anna May Wong (1905–1961) emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywood's most famous Chinese American actress, a screen siren who captivated global audiences and signed her publicity photos—with a touch of defiance—"Orientally yours." Now, more than a century after her birth, Yunte Huang narrates Wong's tragic life story, retracing her journey from Chinatown to silent-era...