A review by emergencily
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

  • really interesting to read about the experiences of chinese miners & railroad workers who came to North America
  • themes of being the "perpetual foreigner," the threatening "yellow peril," of being written out of the history for so long despite the blood and sweat that went into building key early infrastructure for "western civilization" to "tame" the frontiers. black indigenous and chinese labourers in the mines and railroads were underpaid and exploited and multiple exclusionary legislation were passed
  • really liked how much the book talked about the natural world and how important it is to respect our connection to the lands we live on and how the land is a part of us too. how wrong it is that we exploit and extract all the resources until nothing is left. the emphasis on wildness & nature in this book is very special
  • interesting look at the connections & relationship btwn chinese migrant labourers & indigenous peoples of america; at times contentious, at times in proximity
  • themes of gender nonconformity & transness
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