Customer Reviews

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story

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My daughters loved this story and the color pictures (especially the part about Anna's childhood and her daydreams where she imagined herself as the heroine in a Hollywood movie). An inspiring bio about someone my kids didn't know of before.
Also, it says for ages 9-12, but my 7-year-old liked it as much as my 11-year-old.

This is a book written for children and it serves it's purpose well. It is a "picture book" and in the local library is in the juvenile/child section of the library.

If you are an adult looking for a biography of Anna May Wong, this is not it.

I had never heard of Anna May Wong before I read this biography. She was one of the earliest Chinese-American movie stars. She was born in Los Angeles in 1905, and started working as an actress in the 1920s, during a time when movies portrayed Chinese people in a demeaning way. Because her family was poor and relied on her earnings, she played these kinds of parts for many years and became a successful actress. In 1936, Anna May visited China and learned as much about the culture as she could. While there, she vowed never again to act in a movie that portrayed the Chinese in a negative light. Starting in 1937, Anna May Wong accepted only roles that showed her character in a positive light. This picture book relates Anna's ambitions and struggles using text and pictures appropriate for children six years and older. I have included this title in my online Gender Equality Bookstore.

Already at an early age, Anna May Wong had started working in her parents' laundry business in Los Angeles's Chinatown to help support the family. Although the physically demanding work often left her with aching arms and burn marks on her hands, she delighted in the few cents she could earn from customer tips and often spent the money on an afternoon matinee at the cinema. Anna May adored the movies and dreamed of becoming a movie star; frequent opportunities over time to watch filmmakers on movie sets around Los Angeles just strengthened her resolve.

Her persistence, appearance, and willingness to work hard in endless small parts ultimately paid off as she became Hollywood's first Chinese-American movie star and the first Asian-American to gain international fame for her acting abilities and keen sense of fashion. However, through much of her career, discriminatory practices in the United States placed tight constraints on the number and types of roles she could play. With its informative text and captivating illustrations, this excellent book introduces younger children to the complexities of cultural and social norms that Anna May Wong faced as she achieved international stardom.

Anna May Wong had big dreams even as a young girl. She wanted more than anything to be a Hollywood film star. There was only one problem, she was Asian American, and in the 1930's there were very few roles available to her. She worked hard but often found herself in roles that were demeaning and stereotypical. Anna May persevered and was finally able to break away from those roles. She paved the way for other Asian Americans who dreamed of being on the big screen. Before reading this book with my kids I had never heard of Anna May Wong. The authors note at the end of the book was very educational.