Thousand Pieces of Gold: A Biographical Novel Book

A reissue of the classic biographical novel that has sold more than 200,000 copies

Lalu Nathoy’s father calls his thirteen-year-old daughter his treasure, his “thousand pieces of gold,” yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. She is sold first to a brothel, then to a slave merchant bound for America. In a new country, she is given the name Polly and eventually auctioned to a saloonkeeper. When admirer Charlie Bemis wins her in a poker game, he frees her from her enslavement and eventually proposes marriage. The two live out their days on a bountiful farm, a homestead called Polly’s Place in Salmon Canyon, Idaho.

This masterfully told biographical novel is the true story of an extraordinary woman’s successful fight for independence and respect in the early American West.

“Lalu comes to life and transfixes the reader with her story of struggle and survival . . . Lalu/Polly was a remarkable pioneer woman—a new heroine of the American West—and we can thank McCunn for bringing her to life in such a moving and inspirational way.” —Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, San Francisco Chronicle

“A valuable book that gives Chinese Americans another true heroine.” —Maxine Hong Kingston

“Lalu Nathoy’s courageous journey is an important contribution to the history of pioneer women.” —Ms. Magazine

Elena Brunet,Los Angeles Times - Elena Brunet

Ruthanne Lum McCunn has woven an enthralling work of fiction from the true-life story of Lalu Nathoy.