Random House
Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins
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NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE - The heartrending story of twin sisters torn apart by China's one-child policy and the rise of international adoption--from the author of the National Book Award finalist Nothing to Envy
"Remarkable . . . Barbara Demick movingly traces this history of overseas Chinese adoptions and their ripple effects on both sides of the Pacific."--The Wall Street Journal
On a warm day in September 2000, a woman named Zanhua gave birth to twin girls in a small hut behind her brother's home in China's Hunan province. The twins, Fangfang and Shuangjie, were welcome additions to her family but also not her first children. Living under the shadow of China's notorious one-child policy, Zanhua and her husband decided to leave one twin in the care of relatives, hoping each toddler on their own might stay under the radar. But, in 2002, Fangfang was violently snatched away. The family worried they would never see her again, but they didn't imagine she could be sent as far as the United States. She might as well have been sent to another world.
Following stories she wrote as the Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, Barbara Demick embarks on a journey that encompasses the origins, shocking cruelty, and long-term impact of China's one-child rule; the rise of international adoption and the religious currents that buoyed it; and the exceedingly rare phenomenon of twin separation. Today, Esther--formerly Fangfang--lives in Texas, and Demick brings to vivid life the Christian family that felt called to adopt her, unaware that she had been kidnapped. Through Demick's indefatigable reporting, will the long-lost sisters finally reunite--and will they feel whole again?
A remarkable window into the volatile, constantly changing China of the last half century and the long-reaching legacy of the country's most infamous law, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove is also the moving story of two sisters torn apart by the forces of history and brought together again by their families' determination and one reporter's dogged work.
"Excellent . . . entrancing and disturbing . . . [Demick] is one of our finest chroniclers of East Asia. . . . [Her] characters are richly drawn, and her stories, often reported over a span of years, deliver a rare emotional wallop."--The New York Times
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780593132746
EAN:
9780593132746
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
352
Authors:
Barbara Demick
Publisher:
Random House
Published Date: 2025-20-05
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Through the lens of one family, the book examines deeply the effects and corruption that resulted from China’s one child policy. I learned about China recent history, culture, the government’s misguided policy and about twins I. This is a very compelling, interesting and informative book. I highly recommend it.
Fascinating and compelling case study of a Chinese born adoptee. I often read adoption non-fiction, and this is one of the best. Full of fact and feelings, but not as triggering as some. I can read this one without having to take frequent long breaks. I wish every adoptive parent, birth parent could read this one.
Reads like a novel, but true to history and the debacle of the one-child policy in China. Hats off to the author.
This is the second book I’ve read by Barbara Demick. I love how she throws a good amount of history in. She does a great job at being factual and unbiased. Easy to read like a novel.
Well researched and not difficult to read. I was able to complete it in a few days. When I say easy, I mean the reading level is not difficult. Emotionally, however, I found it to be very heavy and difficult. It's about more than the story of one set of twins. Its about an entire system that did not tell the truth about countless children's identities. It's about traumatic, systematic deception. Anyone who has adopted from China or is an adoptee (domestic or international) will no doubt experience traumatic emotions and have much to unpack when reading this- and hopefully will seek and find support in processing their grief, loss and trauma. It's a story that must be told and Barbara Demick tells it with truth, compassion, and thorough investigative reporting.
