God of Luck

by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

"With God of Luck , Ruthanne Lum McCunn has turned her descriptive and sensitive storytelling skills to the little-known coolie trade to Peru. She beautifully combines the hardships and brutality of the kidnapping of a Chinese man, conditions on the slave ships, and the bitterness of back-breaking labor in a foreign land with the sadness and determination of the wife and family back home. Never separating history from its impact on individual people, McCunn has reached into her characters' hearts to bring readers a story of emotional depth and truth."-Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan "Once again Ruthanne Lum McCunn opens a window onto another little-known chapter in the history of Chinese experience in the Americas. With amazing detail and riveting power, Ah Lung's story will keep readers spellbound and cheering to the final page."-Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of Farewell to Manzanar Ah Lung and his beloved wife, Bo See, are separated by a cruel fate when, like thousands of other Chinese men in the nineteenth century, he is kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped to the deadly guano mines off the coast of Peru. Using their wits and praying to the God of Luck, they never lose hope of someday being reunited. Ruthanne Lum McCunn is of Scottish and Chinese ancestry. She is the author of the classic Thousand Pieces of Gold , which has sold over two hundred thousand copies, as well as the novels The Moon Pearl and Wooden Fish Songs . She lives in San Francisco.

Genres: Historical Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ruthanne Lum McCunn is an American novelist and editor of Chinese and Scottish descent.

Reviews

[Alden · Rating 3 out of 5]

McCunn constructs a vivid, well-researched tale of young, recently-married Ah Lung who is snatched by henchmen from the streets of a village where he and his older brother have gone to sell their family’s silk and brought before a local official, supposedly for unpaid debts. Through the collusion of this corrupt magistrate, Ah Lung is forced to sign a “contract,” which lands him in the dank, overcrowded hold of a ship en route to Peru’s guano fields. Meanwhile his family, especially his twin sister Moongirl, seeks to locate him and purchase his freedom, while his wife, Bo See, a gifted cultivator of silk worms, helps to sustain the family’s economic viability through her sensitive artistry.

McCunn writes well and the details give a reader a well-rounded sense of a little known era in Chinese history. It is a time when “an estimated one million men [were] decoyed or stolen from southern China” as part of the international Asian labor trafficking that flourished between 1840 and 1875. About a tenth of these laborers –slaves is a more accurate term – ended up in Peru, working under brutal, often deadly conditions to harvest guano, a basic ingredient of fertilizer and gunpowder. Life on the homefront - the social structure of family and village, and the intricacies of raising silkworms - are also nicely dramatized. The characters never fully come to life but the book is nevertheless an interesting read.

Here is the review I wrote of this book for Waterbridge Review:
http://waterbridgereview.org/102007/r...

[Kaj Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waarom leveren onderwerpen als slavernij en genocide soms van die afzichtelijke kitsch op? Alsof het uitgebreid strooien met excessieve misdaden tegen de menselijkheid op zichzelf genoeg zijn om de beladenheid van historische gebeurtenissen mee te verbeelden. Hier wordt een interessant stuk koloniale geschiedenis - over het tot slaaf maken van Chinese contractarbeiders- verteld op een overdadig melodramatische toon. Het inhoudsloze hoofdpersonage gaat van nare gebeurtenis naar nare gebeurtenis, terwijl hij tegelijkertijd op een zeikerige manier smacht naar zijn grote liefde. Natuurlijk zit de roman vol met cheesy Chinese wijsheden om de couleur locale van historisch China na te bootsen.

[Rebecca]

During the period 1840-1875 there was demand for guano, that's right bat poop. To get the guano it actually had to be mined. Men were taken from the south coast of China and were forced into slave labor.
This is the story of Ah Lung and Bo See. Ah Lung is taken and Bo See must use her skills as a raiser of silkworms to earn ransom money. They are determined to reunite. The book tells both stories, how Ah Lung survives and how Bo See is determined to see her husband again. You get a glimpse of life in China, how the silk trade worked and sheer determination to survive and triumph.
I like this author and recommend another book by her "The Moon Pearl".

[Joel Ranck · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of forced labor and slavery in South America and how one man and his family dealt with it. The voice in the story had me wanting. The sentence constructions were awful at times. To me it was like the author wanted an English as a second language voice that I thought was unnecessary if it was the intent. The ending was written for the high school literature teacher who would ask the question "what do you think happened next?"

All criticisms aside, I liked the story but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Merredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to page 82, which is nearly halfway through, then couldn't finish it. I got this book from my work bookshelf and it looked interesting. It is about a nineteenth century Chinese man who was kidnapped by slave traders on a ship and his wife and sister try to save him. It sounds interesting, but I just don't like the main character. Why should he be saved? He annoys me. If I had more patience with him and less other good books to read, I would probably soldier through this book, since I do love historical fiction, but other books call me and I'm giving up on this one.

[Jessica]

Well-researched and engaging (if horrifying) tale, with a well-written love story at its heart. I'm learning as a I go through it, which I always appreciate. Not a subject (kidnapping and enslavement of Chinese in Peruvian guano mines in the 19th century) I knew anything about...and while sometimes I wish for more detail, or more in-depth description, I enjoy her writing style. It's clear, simple, and easily read.

[Phair · Rating 2 out of 5]

disappointing. I had really enjoyed her Moon Pearl but this one never even came close. Descriptions of the squalid conditions on the slave ships and work farm were pretty graphic ( yuck). The ending seemed to stretch credibility a bit but then the title *is* The God of Luck. I was glad it had nice, short chapters as I was really sick while reading this so that may have tempered my enjoyment.

[Martha Shore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harrowing account of slavery and love. Almost quit this one but I'm glad I finished - affirms my belief that you always have choices and you can always help another and therefore yourself -if you just remember to believe it.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book. Although the main character's experience is horrific, this is a beautiful love story. There are 2 parallel stories evolving that are fascinating and the history was completely new to me.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Ruthanne Lum McCunn's books. I did not know about the kidnapping of Chinese men for slavery in Peruvian guano mines. Her book brought this to light but the story lacked depth.

[Susan]

Chinese man kidnapped by slavers, transported to Peru but manages to escape with help of local sailors and Chinese community in Peru. Well written and very interesting.

[Sean Feikes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction takes us back to the mid 19th century of the coolie slave trading following the opium wars. Ah Lung and his wife, Bo See, find them selves separated by force after Ah Lung is captured by foreign traders and sold into servitude across the world in Peru. This cultural adventure explores the structure of a modern Chinese household and the brutality of the slave trade. Through the heart wrenching story of a man taken from his family blossoms the story of true love on display as Ah Lung fights to return to his wife and his family. This book contains action sequences in perfect timing, moral questions the reader reflects on, and a story of love in action. I would recommend this book.