Gum Moon: A Novel of San Francisco Chinatown

by Jeffrey L Staley

Based upon events in the life of the author's wife's grandmother, Gum Moon (Cantonese for "Gold Door" or "Golden Gate") is the remarkable coming of age story of a Chinese-American girl, Mei Chun Lai, who is sold in 1898 at the age of three to a cruel brothel keeper. A sympathetic prostitute befriends Chun, but during a plague quarantine, Chun is thrust into a bewildering new world when she is rescued by a friend of Donaldina Cameron and placed in a Home for abused and trafficked girls. The Home is destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, but Chun (aka "Maud") survives. In an attempt to raise funds to rebuild the Home, Maud and a group of seven other Chinese children embark on a cross-country singing tour. Performing for President Theodore Roosevelt is the highlight of the journey, but when the matron of the Home suffers a breakdown, thirteen year-old Maud must find within herself the strength and resolve to lead the band of children home. "Gum Moon" was a 2019 award winner (Honorable Mention) in Writer's Digest's 27th annual competition for self-published books (Literary/Mainstream).

Genres: Historical, Historical Fiction

450 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2018

Reviews

[Jeffrey L · Rating 4 out of 5]

27th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards: Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Honorable Mention

Judge's Commentary:

Gum Moon is a fascinating book. The fact that it is based on the author's wife's grandmother makes it even more interesting. I found the story to be riveting, while the author describes the details of the brothel life in Chinatown. The historic details were very well researched and truly enlightening. Following the story of Chun, who later is named Maud, was heart breaking but also hopeful. The author also carefully brought forth the emotion from Chun's mother in having to sell her baby.

I found the pace of the book a little slow in the beginning, and wondered about the relevance of a reporter who was initially introduced. However, that soon became clear. I thought that the parallel between uriel being a news reporter in a male-dominated profession and Margarita operating in a man's rather seedy world was clever.

While the pace of the story was rather slow, there was so much depth and detail that the story was worth the wait. It is rare that an author can so capture a point in time with such detail and grace, even about horrific episodes in history.

There were no overt grammatical mistakes, the plot was revealed in due time,and the cadence of the writing was strong. Great book.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 4

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 4

Production Quality and Cover Design: 5

Plot and Story Appeal: 4

Character Appeal and Development: 5

Voice and Writing Style: 4

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the late 1800s and early 1900s Chinatown in San Francisco. Author and historian Jeffrey L. Staley takes a personal turn while writing of his wife's grandmother's experiences as a young girl sold to a brothel at the age of two. This era is riddled with young Chinese girls sold as slaves or forced to work in brothels, brought over from China and sold for profit in America. Staley's vibrant description brings Chinatown to life, and the events will keep the reader turning pages late into the night. Although written as a work of historical fiction, every page is lined with truth. Gum Moon is an unforgettable read.

[Mary Ellin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off well, outlining the history of Chinese immigrants in California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, through the lens of a group of orphans being cared for by Methodist missionaries. Descriptions of the 1906 earthquake also were interesting. But the orphans’ cross-country singing tour and performance for the president, billed as the highlight of the story, was a boring disappointment. I read this book as a member of a United Methodist Women’s circle, and as a window into Methodist missionary work, it has some value. Hard to recommend otherwise, unless you’re a big fan of historical fiction.

[Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a fictionalized account about events in the life of the grandmother of the wife of the author. The facility worked with Chinese American women who were victims of sex trafficking. Gum Moon still exists as mission of the United Methodist Church. The author agreed to speak to United Methodist Women Circles in my area via Zoom. This book serves as a gripping introduction to the history of Chinese American during the early 20th century. As an introductory tool it is useful when utilized by the author. The author spoke to the UMW Circle at my church via Zoom. His presentation was fascinating. He’s very friendly and engaging.
The novel itself, as a stand-alone work, is weak. It is a self-published book from a retired seminary professor who has written books on the Bible and Homiletical resources in the past. Because it is based on actual people, I have a feeling the author used his imagination to fill in the details the historic record did not include. It is hard to tell who the main characters are supposed to be. The subject matter is delt with frankly which made sympathize with the characters, but I could not relate to any of them. Characters are also two dimensional at times. Racial slurs common to the time are difficult for modern readers to see. Greater character development or a more developed narrator’s voice could have aided the story telling. Some plot points are left hanging and not resolved. Other characters abruptly leave the scene, only to have their story line neatly tied up towards the end. Staley could have made this a much better book by partnering with a professional, fiction writer.

[P. Rohrer-Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first item on my summer reading list was Gum Moon, which I just finished reading.

The author has done an amazing job weaving so many characters and events into a plot that does not disappoint with characters who continue to evolve. I particularly like the ending where Maud realizes that she (and the others) have been exoticized. I found her revelation about Miss Davis' treatment to be the perfect coming-of-age moment. Losing her mentor, was the necessary step to aggregate back into society as a responsible member but with a new worldview.

I kept thinking of my dissertation committee professors who addressed the politicizing and humanizing issues around labels with hyphens. Later, when I began to write about Jade Snow Wong's Fifth Chinese Daughter, I had the same issue to resolve--Chinese American or Chinese-American-- as a designation. So reading this novel, I paid particular attention to the labels and wondered the era of the narrator. Is the narrator a contemporary of that time or a later narrator? Why is the narrator adopting the "Oriental" label, for example? Having just taught Twain, who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during Reconstruction and used "the N-word" hundreds of times, including through the voice of the narrator, this issue of a later narrator adopting the labels of the time are fresh in my mind. For this novel, the narrators change but all are contemporary to the time of the events. So they use the labels appropriate for this time period.

[Gail Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book which told about a 3 year old Chinese girl sold by her mom to a brothel keeper in San Francisco in 1898 where girls were slaves and trafficked. The earthquake and fires of 1906 in San Francisco and the stories of the lives of these Chinese children who were rescued and taken to a Methodist home is told by the author and based on the ice of his wife’s grandmother.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great read. A true part of history, got to meet the author and hear his story of research and travels to make this book happen. Maud is his wife's grandmother, so some aspects are very true. Quick read, please do so!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about a period of time I don't know much about or a place I have never been. This was a book for my church book club. Education for Mission. It dealt with brothels in San Francisco and how a child survived many difficulties.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Umw Reading Program. Learned a lot about the Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco in the early 20th century. The last few chapters seemed to be coming from the author's ancestors journal.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part is slow because it is setting the stage.
Part of it is heart breaking.
It does a good job setting the background for the Gum Moon Women’s Residence, San Francisco.
When the children are on the trip it is hard to put down.

[Elizabeth Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found it fascinating because it is a true story.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the UMW reading program . Set in 1898-1909, Asian women/girls surviving debt slavery, violence, sexual abuse. It kind of ended strangely. Based on real life events.

[Joan Kani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book about real life events that most of us would never guess took place in turn of the century San Francisco Chinatown.

I couldn’t put it down.

[Merry Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a book club. Interesting story about something I was unfamiliar with!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story with enough suspense to make me want to keep reading. It took me back to the turn of the last century. The descriptions of the lifestyle were nostalgic but also portrayed the racism endured by the "Oriental" children who seemed "almost American", the corruption that allowed city leaders to overlook the suffering of the girls in the brothels, and safety hazards that made the 1906 earthquake so deadly. Anyone with a love for San Francisco would appreciate the descriptions of life in the city back in the day.

The author did a great job of getting inside the mind of the young girl, Chun/Maud. She was a talented, curious, sensitive child, trying to understand why those she loved most kept disappearing from her life. I loved how she compared President Theodore Roosevelt to the Wizard of Oz, from her favorite book.

Mainly, this book left me in awe of the deaconesses who devoted their lives to caring for the children in the Methodist home. I especially admired Carrie who spent two months traveling with eight children across the country and back, doing concerts to raise money to replace the building destroyed by the earthquake.

The book would have benefited from a little more editing. There were plenty of punctuation errors and incomplete sentences, but they didn't detract too much from the story.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very important book, I'm so glad that it was written, that it is on the UMW Reading Program, and that I could read it.
(I wish I could give it a higher rating).
I look forward to discussing it in the UMW book club.
On one level, I feel it was awkwardly written, (that it would have benefited from 'red pencil' reduction). For example, a brown satchel has a place in the story and the lives of at least three persons. But more than once, the reference to the brown satchel seems totally without purpose, and leaves you hanging.
I realize that Staley has written a historical novel, put together from both a personal connection, historical facts, and the scant records of the Gum Moon home. But the pieces of fact and weaving of fiction sometimes seems forced.
The glossary in the back is very helpful.

[Mary Van Tol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding our immigrant history



The author tells the story through the eyes of a child which makes you feel like you are actually one of her friends. I never knew about the selling of children in the USA happened in places like this until reading this book. The work and dedication of the deaconesses was incredible and heartwarming to read about. I feel this is a must read for anyone who cares about orpha s and abandoned children today as the author brings up issues that are relevant today in how they might feel and react to things we might try to do to help them.

[Sherry Staley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written novel. The character development is very well done, a real page turner! I couldn’t wait to get back to it each day! Find myself thinking about the rest of Maud’s story!