Dreams of Joy

Dreams of Joy (Lisa See, 2011)

How I stumbled upon it: I wanted to find the sequel to Shanghai Girls!

What it's about: Pearl and May are two sisters who were married off to American men and sent away from China to California in the 1930s. It’s now 1957, and Pearl’s daughter, Joy, is off to China for her own adventure, in search of her father. When Pearl finds out that she has gone to China, she follows after her in a desperate search that takes her through a wasteland (it's set at the beginning of the Great Leap Forward). It’s part Chinese history, part mother-daughter fiction, part adventure. It’s set in China at the time that Mao has come to power and the country is swept with immense poverty + destruction under the guise of progress.

What I thought: I loved this one even more than Shanghai Girls. The characters are well written and the plot is really engaging (especially since it’s set during the Great Leap Forward). One of my favorite ways to better understand history is to read fiction that is set during that time. I would definitely recommend that y’all read Shanghai Girls and follow it up with the sequel.

You can get it here