Episode 145: Daughters of Shandong with Eve Chung

Reflecting History

In 20th century China, ordinary people had to make incredibly hard decisions every day to simply survive. One generation passed the torch of war and death to the next, and people had to live with the consequences. Families, identities, and histories hung in the balance as lives were constantly uprooted and reshuffled.

In this episode I’m joined by Eve Chung to talk about her book “Daughters of Shandong.” This is Eve’s debut novel, having spent much of her life as a human rights lawyer. The book is historical fiction, but it takes place in the midst of the communist takeover of China, and it’s based on Eve’s real family fleeing the mainland to try to get out of China, and the complex questions of morality and identity that were part of that attempt.

Eve and I discuss the generational trauma of the past, gender roles in China during this time period, the morality of the Chinese Civil War, the realities of trying to flee communism and the refugee experience, what factors motivated people to pick a side in this war, Eve’s research and writing process in creating this book, the importance of historical fiction, and more.

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