Nonfiction: Patriot Number One by Lauren Hilgers

I think I can effectively blame my growing interest in the people of China on Evan Osnos' Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China. Osnos did such an amazing job chronicling the change among the people of China that I am willing to pick up almost any new book on the subject. And this interest has led me to Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown by Lauren Hilgers, a book that was initially supposed to be a magazine article, but as time went on, it became clear that what Hilgers found was a much larger story.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that focuses mostly on the activism, immigration, and the family life of Zhuang Liehong, a Chinese man from the small village of Wukan. Hilgers began reporting on Zhuang and the political unrest in Wukan in 2012, but she begins the story in 2013, when Zhuang began to make serious plans to escape from China and into the United States. Like many immigrants, Zhuang had dreams of making a name for himself and a small fortune, hoping to eventually be able to send both money and grand stories of success to his family back home. Once the escape plan brings both Zhuang and his wife Little Yan to New York City, the real adventure begins, and what follows are years of trying to negotiate his dreams of success against the reality of an immigrant's life in the U.S. Not only that, Zhuang has a hard time hearing about the continued injustices that still plague Wukan, while he attempts to restart life in a new country. As Little Yan points out, protesting does not help pay the bills. When Zhuang still lived in China, he was able to be in the middle of the protests and action, which is what ultimately led him to seek escape. He manages to find like-minded immigrants in his new home of Flushing, New York, such as Tang, a democracy activist who was involved in the Tienanmen Square incident in 1989. But Hilgers also follows immigrants who came to the U.S. for non-political reasons, such as Karen, who was pressured to immigrate by her mother because of the new opportunities she would have. Hilgers follows their stories through mid-2017, giving a thorough view of the trials of a Chinese immigrant in New York City.

My Verdict: I wanted an interesting look at the everyday life of a Chinese immigrant as they attempt to essentially rebuild their life in a new place, and that is exactly what I got. It most likely would have sufficient to follow only Zhuang and Little Yan's story, but Hilgers decided to touch on other immigrants as well. Like Zhuang, Tang escaped China for political reasons, but many years earlier. And Karen's official reason for leaving was for a better education and opportunities. Hilgers' reporting is thorough, and no details are left out. Possibly the only issue I had was with the timeline, as Hilgers does not tell the story beginning in 2012 and continuing to the end. The chapters are conveniently labeled with the time period in which the events take place, but they are placed out of order, so the reader jumps back and forth through time, often moving from China, to the U.S, and then back again in a matter of pages. Add in the characters beyond Zhuang and Little Yan and the timeline becomes incredibly jumbled. Other than that, it is an intriguing personal account of an immigrant's story.

Favorite Moment: When Kaizhi, Zhuang and Little Yan's son, discovers a fascination with trains.

Recommended Reading: I have already mentioned Osnos' Age of Ambition, but I also recommend The Barefoot Lawyer: A Blind Man's Fight for Justice and Freedom in China by Chen Guangcheng, who is mentioned in both Age of Ambition and Patriot Number One.