Winter Read Book Group: Chinese Stories in the American West

In this discussion group, led by the Library's executive director Jenny Emery Davidson, we will read two books that tell stories of Chinese immigrants in the American West in the late 19th century.

The novel Four Treasures of the Sky, by Jenny Tinghui Zhang, is the centerpiece of the 2025 Winter Read. It tells the story of a young Chinese girl who is kidnapped and brought from China to San Francisco, and who ultimately makes her way to Idaho. Bitter Creek, by Teow Lim Goh, will not be published until May, but the publisher – Torrey House Press – has offered us very special advance copies! Bitter Creek is an epic poem that tells the story of the massacre of Chinese immigrants in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Both books introduce complex characters trying to navigate conflict in the American West as industry is taking hold. We see people trying to make their fortunes and to simply make their way in a landscape that is changing rapidly because of the railroad, mining, and boom town development. (See below in LibCal for instructions on how to get your copies of these two books.)

The group will meet on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. in February. Registration is requested to join us for the full series.

Schedule:

• February 5: Introduce Bitter Creek and read and discuss the first few pages together. (The author will present at the Library on Friday, February 7!)
• February 12: Discuss all of Bitter Creek. 
• February 19: Introduce and discuss the first two chapters of Four Treasures of the Sky. 
• February 26: Discuss all of Four Treasures of the Sky. (The author will give the Winter Read keynote at the Library on Thursday, February 27!)