I didn’t know anything about Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron until reading this book, and I’m so glad I know her story now. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is the story of Dolly Cameron and her crusade against the slave trade in Chinatown San Francisco in the early 1900’s. “Paper daughters” refers to the young women and girls who were given fake documents to enter America, and therefore had no proof of their true identity. While it was illegal for Chinese people to come to America at the time, women were allowed to come if a family member or future husband sent for them. Slave traders tricked young girls and their families, convincing them that they were being sent to a man for an arranged marriage. They paid their families to encourage them to leave. When they arrived in San Francisco, most were sold to brothels and such, as sex slaves. Often, the only way out of their circumstances was to contact and be rescued by people such as Dolly Cameron.
Dolly worked and eventually ran the Occidental Mission Home for Girls (now called the Cameron House) on Sacramento street. She personally went on several missions to rescue girls from brothels and opium dens, earning herself the title “Fahn Quai,” or “White Devil.” I was so impressed by Dolly’s determination to rescue and care for these girls at all costs. She and her staff received many death threats and were constantly in danger, but she never turned down a rescue. She faced many challenges aside from rescuing the girls- enduring plages, earthquakes, fires, and through it all her devotion to the girls was her first priority.
Her story is told in novel form. It is very well researched and brings Dolly’s story to life. I loved the combination of a fictional character’s story, Mei Lein, and Dolly’s true life events. I appreciated the information at the beginning and end of the book- a list of characters (fiction and non-fiction), a timeline, and chapter notes with references to resources. Because it was written as a novel, it was nice to see inside Dolly's mind- to understand her motivation and determination. This is a timely book, and the message is critical- love, compassion, and equality. Always.
I recently got to visit San Francisco and we made a quick trip to Chinatown. I so wish I’d have had time to visit the Cameron House, which is still there, helping families face life’s challenges. This was a great read and comes highly recommended! Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the copy. All opinion expressed are my own.