Customer Reviews

Thousand Pieces of Gold (Asian Voices)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As an independent reading assignment given to us by our wonderful English teacher Susan Pearson, we had the privilege of reading A Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn. Overall, we gave the novel 4 1/2 stars. It was easy reading and very moving. Lalu,the main character, struggles her entire life while searching for freedom. After she gained her liberty her quest became a search for happiness and a sense of belonging. The novel begins in the mountains of China where a little farm community is striving to survive. Lalu's father takes his whole life savings and gambles it away on a risky crop. The whole family's lives were turned around and Lalu's papa shamelessly sold his most prize possession to the bandits. The bandits, like her father, sold her to a women who took her to America, the Land of Gold. While in the United States, Lalu becomes the slave of an old man. She had no freedom or authority in this situation. Lalu finally gained her freedom when she married Charlie. This book was sentimental to the three of us because we fell in love with Lalu and her character. When she felt pain; we felt pain. When she fell in love with Charlie; we did as well. There was never a dull moment in the 307 pages that made up the novel and it was hard to put down. We also liked A Thousand Pieces of Gold because it represented many different lives. Lalu (Polly-her American name) experienced many aspects of mortality and the human condition.

Thousand Pieces of Gold is a very interesting novel, which gets the readers attention and a touching sentimental piece of literature. The story talks about a Chinese girl's life of utter suffering and sorrow. The girl's name is Lalu Nathoy and later she is called Polly Bemis. This novel is actually based on a true story but some fictional characters have been introduced. The story talks about Lalu being sold by her dad to bandits and later sold to a bar owner in America. This story shows a person how a Chinese person's life was like during the 1870's of America.

I really enjoyed reading this book because the story was really touching and many scenarios are very exciting. Lalu's courage and strength helps her survive through many tragic moments. I admire Lalu because she manages to never give up and maintain her hope that one-day she will get her freedom. Her courage allows for her wish to come true. She finally receives her freedom when her American husband sacrifices all his assets including property to live with her in the canyons. The betrayal by Lalu's family really hurt her a lot and her marriage brought the only source of happiness that she ever had. I felt this book is really worth reading so I recommend everyone to read this book.

WHAT A STORY!

Ruthane Lum McCunn's, THOSAND PIECES OF GOLD, is a heartwarming story that once read, can't be put down again. This novel draws the reader into the life of a woman's struggle to fight for respect and freedom for her own life. It begins in China as she (Lalu) was traded to bandits for two bags of seeds at the age of thirteen during the early 1870's. This event carries her through many times of hardships where she doesn't know where she is or where she is going. The basis through most of her life is to please men and fulfill their dreams. It is not until the midpoint of her story that her dream of becoming free becomes reality.

This story is full of exciting events that put the readers into the world of the characters. The most significant event that made me want to keep reading was when Lalu (later known as Polly Bemis) was traded to some bandits at the age of thirteen. This event occurs at the beginning of the story and makes it a joy to read.One can only imagine all the pain , sadness, and suffering Lalu went through as a child (and as a women). At first, she was terrified for what had happened to her. She thought she was her fathers "quijin"- his "thousand pieces of gold". She then realized that she was traded for her family to survive.

This book is purely amazing, from the beginning, to the end. This is an outstanding book for those that like drama and suspense. It is also recommended for those that can't seem to put great books down. It's like the Pringles commercial saying, " Once you pop, you can't stop." I really enjoyed this book, not only for its simplicity to understand, but also the way Ruthanne Lum McCunn put the story down on paper.

Reading this book introduced me to worlds (in China and America) of extreme hardship and moral decay; you saw that people did terrible things to each other to survive. But not everyone succumbs -- some people manage to do good, to be loving and human even while struggling under bad circumstances. That the story is based in truth, and is written clearly and simply, helps to make a Thousand Pieces of Gold a depiction of hope and a great story.

"Thirteen,naked,fondled,and used for auction" How would you like your body to be exposed in front of thousands of wild men waiting to purchase you as their very own?Lalu later known as Polly is sold by her father to a stranger wanting to use her for whatever his needs may be.Polly is later faced with one of the greatest challenges of her life.She is taken to America only to be used as a slave in the arms of a powerful man.Used for a brothel and is treated like human bait.Finding herself standing around thousands of men ,being nude,and having them touch her in special places to make sue that she was okay for them to take to use as thier slave or whatever there thier needs may be.Having death happen in her own arms.Polly struggles with her new life in America and hoping that it would bring changes but only to find that it gets worse by the minute.She finds a man who thinks might change her life forever,is this man a true gentleman or just another pig wanting to take what she has left. This must be one of the best books i have ever read.I found myself bringing the book to life feeling as if i was a part of the book.I felt like I was in Polly shoes,I cried when she cried,i got angry when she did.RuthAnne Lum McCunn really brought out the best in this novel and detailed the scene nary very well.I usually don't like reading books that talk about ones life but this one really got to me.I usually enjoy readingsmall simple books like from authors,R.L.Stine,and Christopher Pike.Just because i knew that the reading would get done faster.The stories would be just nonsense stuff.After reading this book I found myself inquisitive to read other stories such as this one and get into it as much as I did for Thousand Pieces of Gold. I recommend this book to readers who like to read about a childs life in misery but in happiness at the end.Who enjoys sad parts and scary things in a novel.This book would give you a chance to really see what kind of things young woman in China go through,and also what immigrant woman such as Polly herself had to deal with.Many readers will find this book one of the greatest masterpieces RuthAnne wrote.This is really an eye catcher book.It makes you want to read it for as long as you possibly can.Thousand Pieces of Gold opens up a whole new reading span for me and I suggest that many go out and get this book because this is really one you dont want to miss.

If you're into Asian-American history, then this book is a wonderful book for you. It's a biographical novel about a chinese girl name Lalu, later name Polly Bemis, who her father called her his "thousand pieces of gold" ever since she was thirteen years old. However, Lalu was forced to be sold by her father when the bandits invaded their home town. They sold her to a brothel, and the owner of the brothel sold her to a slave merchant, who then shipped her to America where she was auctioned off to a chinese saloonkeeper in San Francisco, CA. Finally, Lalu was given to a nice young white man name Charlie, who she knew already, from a poker game when he bet all his gold in stake for her and won. From then, Lalu married Charlie and spent the rest of their lives together. Lalu gradually learned her English well, but still never got to achieve her goal of finding gold in the west. However, she achieved respect and dignity among the pioneer women during the late nineteenth century of the American West. This novel is a valuable book that gives Chinese Americans another true heroine. It's worth reading.

This is story of a woman whose saga begins when her father is forced to sell her. She goes through many hands, I won't spoil the story, and eventually lands in the Wild West USA. It's a great story and my only criticism is that the writers style is one of simplicity for the sake of simplicity (you'll understand when you read it).

As I read the novel Thousand Pieces of Gold by Ruthanne Lum McCunn, I found it to be mostly like a right for survival for the main character Lalu, in the days of the past. She went through the pain and suffering of unbinding her feet, so that she can help work in the fields when the winter crop failed to grow. Unbinding your feet meant that you couldn't get a good husband. While the village was under attack by bandits, she courageously left her hiding place to get the rest of the food that would shut the mouths of her siblings. Although she did that for her mother and brother's sake, the cost was her freedom. Her father sold her for two bags of beans. I was just shocked that her father did that because she was his 'thousand pieces of gold'. This is the beginning of her journey towards freedom.

During the journey after the bandits bought her she was sold right away from the glares of the men and to a merciful face of a woman who owns a brothel. The woman gave her a better chance at freedom, since her family now disowned her, she would have to survive on her own by depending on her wits, brain, and heart. What she did not know about the travel to America was that it was for slavery. Poor Lalu is being traded from one owner to another like a toy. Until she falls in love with her last owner who sets her free. This is novel tells of her journey to freedom and love with the horrible fate of slavery that she has to overcome, which she gained the "respect and dignity" among the pioneer woman of the 1800's.

This book is categorized as a novel but is the story of Polly Beamis, a real person. She was born in China, lived in a poor farming village until seized by a robber band, transported to the US, sold into slavery and lived out her life in a remote mining town in central Idaho.She endured hardships, heartache and isolation but still retained the ability to love and help those who were less fortunate or who were kind to her. I marveled at her resilient, strong spirit and the happiness she was able to find in a foreign culture to which she was forcibly taken.For me this was a compelling and fast-read book which I expect to read again and again. I have shared it with several friends, both male and female who also enjoyed it.

Thousand pieces of gold is an exciting story of struggle of a young Chinese daughter, fighting for her freedom.I really liked this book because there is a lot of cultural and historical issues about the old times in China and how people had different ways of seeing things and there are also examples of American slavery and America during the time of Gold Rush. What I found most interesting about this book was the way Polly,the main character, was faced with so many different problems such as: being sold to the bandits by her own parents, being auctioned of naked when she was sold again in America, being sold to an old man and having to sleep with him,and just how badley she was treated by some men in her life, and the way she dealt with it by fighting to get her freedom back and being able to go on with her life and trying to be happy. It was just amazing how brave she was! Also as an immigrant in America, I could really relate to her. The story was so exciting that I just wanted to read more and more until I got to the end. I think anybody could enjoy this book and learn something from it, since it's full of themes and talks about many real issues like American slavery, the old China country, and what kind of problems immigrants that come to America have to go through that a lot of people don't even know about. I also recommend this book to Asian immigrants who I think can relate to this book the most!