Life in Chinese Family Restaurants: Did You Ever Wonder?

Writing Cold Midnight, my St Johnsbury mystery set in 1921 when local businessman Sam Wah died an "untimely death," I did a lot of research into Chinese laundry owners like Mr. Wah. It surprised me so much that St. J had a Chinese man in business on Railroad Street for 35 years, way back then! It also helped wake me up to how many Chinese people live in our region now, and the family businesses that they own.

John Jung, a retired professor of psychology in California, developed a second career for himself, writing about Chinese and Chinese-American life in America. And Professor Jung became one of the people I would check details with. In return, I pass along to him newspaper articles from the 1800s, 1900s, and "today" about Chinese family businesses and also about the types of ethnic-related crime that drew my attention to Sam Wah in the first place.

Now Professor Jung has his own publishing house for his books -- Yin & Yang Press -- and has brought out five intriguing books. He suggested that our library might enjoy having a copy of SWEET AND SOUR: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants. From the development of "American Chinese" menus, and the pioneers in this business, to intriguing interviews with owners of these (usually small) family-run restaurants, the book is full of stories that are enjoyable and enlightening. One restaurant family he received material from has a restaurant in Montreal -- maybe you have eaten there! Look for the book on the shelf at the Davies Memorial Library next week.

If you enjoy videos, try this one of John Jung talking about this book! (You'll find Professor Jung easy to listen to -- no "Chinese accent," he's a true Californian and a skilled speaker from being a college professor.)

What are you reading now, or what books about our world and our lives do you think would be good to add to our library collection? Email library director Jen D'Agostino at davieslibraryvt@gmail.com with your ideas and book descriptions.

The Irish Part of Our History

My Northeast Kingdom historical fiction takes a huge amount of research -- and when I was working on Cold Midnight, which involves the stunningly diverse St. Johnsbury of the 1920s (including a Chinese laundry owner, but also Irish and Canadian heritage for many area residents), I stocked up on the latest historical research. Here are two books I especially enjoyed.

THE IRISH AMERICANS by Jay Dolan (2008) has John F. Kennedy on the cover, and devotes a lot of pages to Boston Irish history, even in terms of neighborhoods. But it also includes chapters on "City Hall and the Union Hall" and "It's Chic to Be Irish." The 2000 Census of our area showed 30 percent of residents had Irish heritage. A good book to delve into!

Because my book included an Irish domestic worker in a St J household that people who know the region may recognize as the Fairbanks home, I also valued Margaret Lynch-Brennan's 2009 book  THE IRISH BRIDGET, subtitled "Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840-1930." There are revelations in each chapter, from the effects of the Potato Famine to how these women lived in American households. It's a slower read, but fascinating.

Both books will be at the Davies Memorial Library later this week. -- Beth Kanell

PS - What other areas of history, or specific titles, would you like to see added to the Davies collection? Be sure to let Jen know: DaviesLibraryVT@gmail.com