Corbett, Christopher. The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the West. New York: Atlantic Monthly. 2010. Print.
First Sentences:
Description:
The old woman came own out of the mountains in central Idaho the same way she had gone in more than half a century earlier: on the back of a saddle horse, across some of the most rugged and remote country in the American West
Description:
While most of us have some knowledge of the California Gold Rush of 1849 and subsequent mining in territories like Alaska, Nevada, and Idaho, few know of the vast immigration of Chinese men seeking gold and how they changed this country. That fascinating story is told in Christopher Corbett's thoroughly-researched The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the West.
Corbett uses the real life story of Polly Bemis as background for bringing us into this historic era. Polly was a Chinese girl sold into prostitution by her family (for them to survive) and later shipped to San Francisco as a "Soiled Dove" for the brothels of the Gold Rush era. Polly was eventually won in a poker game by Charlie Bemis, a gambler living on an isolated farm on the Salmon River in Idaho. He and his "Poker Bride" moved to a isolated farm where they lived for decades and even married, an unheard of occurrence for a white man and a Chinese woman at that time.
But the majority of The Poker Bride tell the details of the Gold Rush in California. Corbett uses exhaustive research into diaries, newspaper articles, interviews, and books of that era to weave a detailed look at the people and the energy behind that age. We learn of the first discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (both the discoverer of gold as well as the owner of the land ended up without a penny), the abandoning of every ship in San Francisco Bay as crews desert their posts to hunt for gold, and the rough-and-tumble, lawless towns exploding around mines and rumors of riches.
The Chinese came to California, too, but came as free men seeking their fortunes. They obtained jobs in laundries and restaurants, building railroads, and performing other tasks that American men disdained. The work was hard, but no harder than the abject poverty of their lives in China. Eventually, there were so many Chinese in California that laws were passed to restrict immigration and deport those already living there.
But Polly is saved from deportation by marrying Charlie and living in the wilds of Idaho, a farm that took days on the back of a mule to reach. There they lived with their pet cougar for 60 years, never seeing a train, a car, electricity, or other modern devices.
You can hear the voices of the old prospectors, the sheriffs, and farmers, and so many others via Corbett's quotes from interviews taken from original source documents. It was a wild time of ambition, greed, and hope for a better life for everyone from Polly and Charlie to the miners, to the immigrating Chinese. Corbett captures this era perfectly, painting a picture of an era and its people rarely examined in such depth. A strong retelling of this wild, optimistic age.
Corbett uses the real life story of Polly Bemis as background for bringing us into this historic era. Polly was a Chinese girl sold into prostitution by her family (for them to survive) and later shipped to San Francisco as a "Soiled Dove" for the brothels of the Gold Rush era. Polly was eventually won in a poker game by Charlie Bemis, a gambler living on an isolated farm on the Salmon River in Idaho. He and his "Poker Bride" moved to a isolated farm where they lived for decades and even married, an unheard of occurrence for a white man and a Chinese woman at that time.
But the majority of The Poker Bride tell the details of the Gold Rush in California. Corbett uses exhaustive research into diaries, newspaper articles, interviews, and books of that era to weave a detailed look at the people and the energy behind that age. We learn of the first discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (both the discoverer of gold as well as the owner of the land ended up without a penny), the abandoning of every ship in San Francisco Bay as crews desert their posts to hunt for gold, and the rough-and-tumble, lawless towns exploding around mines and rumors of riches.
The Chinese came to California, too, but came as free men seeking their fortunes. They obtained jobs in laundries and restaurants, building railroads, and performing other tasks that American men disdained. The work was hard, but no harder than the abject poverty of their lives in China. Eventually, there were so many Chinese in California that laws were passed to restrict immigration and deport those already living there.
But Polly is saved from deportation by marrying Charlie and living in the wilds of Idaho, a farm that took days on the back of a mule to reach. There they lived with their pet cougar for 60 years, never seeing a train, a car, electricity, or other modern devices.
You can hear the voices of the old prospectors, the sheriffs, and farmers, and so many others via Corbett's quotes from interviews taken from original source documents. It was a wild time of ambition, greed, and hope for a better life for everyone from Polly and Charlie to the miners, to the immigrating Chinese. Corbett captures this era perfectly, painting a picture of an era and its people rarely examined in such depth. A strong retelling of this wild, optimistic age.
Happy reading.
Fred
Fred
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Corbett, Christopher. Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express
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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Corbett, Christopher. Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express
History of the short-lived Pony Express enterprise taken from interviews, articles, and diaries, separating the heroes from the liars. Covers the beginning of the Pony Express and the aftermath as the legend grows.
