Kathryn Ma

Shelley has been sent from China to his relatives in San Francisco, hoping for a better life for him with his supposedly rich relatives. Upon arrival, he discovers that his relatives are far from rich, and have suffered a loss that has caused a rift in the family. With unfailing optimism, and a little naïveté, he figures a way to support himself, and at the same time provide support for his hurting family members.

The uniqueness of this particular book was the voice of Shelley, so naive and yet so wise. Part of his trusting nature owes to his belief in ‘The Chinese Groove,’ a mind-set that requires members of a family to look out for each other. The author did a wonderful job portraying Shelley and his extended family members, each personality unique and true. Great writing.… (mais)

This was a fun little story. Shelley is a young man who comes to San Francisco from China with dreams of success. Everything goes rather poorly from the start. He had been told his uncle, who will be hosting him, owns a big fabulous department store; but the truth is the family used to own a little corner grocery, but no longer. Furthermore, his uncle and aunt stick him in a tiny spare room and kick him out after two weeks. Hunger and homelessness threaten. But Shelley is positively buoyant through it all. He makes himself useful to his uncle's elderly father and endears himself to the little boy of a family friend. He endures heartbreak and trickery. And then it's all tied up in a nice bundle.… (mais)