Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History

One of the Atlantic's "Books to Get Lost in This Summer"
Best Books of August 2023: New York Times Book Review, InsideHook, WNET AllArts, BookRiot, Arlington Magazine, All Arts

A trenchant reclamation of the Chinese American movie star, whose battles against cinematic exploitation & endemic racism are set against the currents of twentieth-century history.

Born into the steam & starch of a Chinese laundry, Anna May Wong (1905–1961) emerged from turn-of-the-century Los Angeles to become Old Hollywood's most famous Chinese American actress, a screen siren who captivated global audiences & signed her publicity photos—with a touch of defiance — "Orientally yours." 

Now, more than a century after her birth, Yunte Huang narrates Wong's tragic life story, retracing her journey from Chinatown to silent-era Hollywood, & from Weimar Berlin to decadent, prewar Shanghai, & capturing American television in its infancy. As Huang...