	Login Cart Advanced Search
Our List Bestsellers Current Bestsellers All-Time Bestsellers Activism General Economic Justice Environmental Justice Education Reform Racial Justice Community Action Immigration Reform American Society General Anthropology Cultural Studies Economics Law and Society Media and Technology Philosophy Sociology Sports and Society Child and Family Issues Biography and Memoir Autobiography and Memoir Biography Disability Education Higher Education History of Education Race and Education School Reform and Policy Teaching and the Classroom Environment and Conservation Energy and Climate Conservation Food and Agriculture Wildlife Nature and Environment Feminism and Gender Biography and Memoir Feminism Gender and Sexuality Women's History Women's Literature Women's Lives History American History General World History Literature and the Arts Fiction Poetry Music The Arts Politics and Current Events Queer Perspectives Education and Youth Fiction General Memoir Religion and Sexuality Transgender Perspectives Race and Ethnicity in America Religion How We Live Our Beliefs Pluralism Buddhism Christianity Islam Judaism Unitarian Universalism World Religions Gender and Sexuality Inspiration Science and Medicine Public Health Medicine Science Psychology Women's Health YA and Children's Series Beacon Classics Celebrating Black Women Writers King Legacy Myths Made in America National Poetry Series Queer Action Queer Ideas Raised Voices Poetry Series ReVisioning History Forthcoming Summer 2025 Fall 2025 Blog About About Beacon Awards Booksellers and Librarians Staff Distribution Sales and Ordering Submission Guidelines Contact Customer Service Author Appearances Jobs and Internships Media Requests Desk and Exam Copy Information Rights and Permissions Resources Book Banning Resources Resources for Times of Fascists Reading Guides Teacher Guides Guides for UUs and Book Groups Social Impact

Thousand Pieces of Gold

Author: Ruthanne Lum McCunn

The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese-American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American West

A limited Beacon Classics edition, with a gorgeous spot gloss cover and retro, classic palette

“Fast-paced and entertaining-packed with adventure, drama, and inspiration.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Lalu Nathoy’s father called his 13-year-old daughter his treasure, his “thousand pieces of gold”—yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game.

Celebrated author Ruthanne Lum McCunn traces the gripping narrative of Lalu’s courageous attempts to escape captivity and then enslavement, and her unflagging efforts to live free in the American West as Polly, despite devastating losses. With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Thousand Pieces of Gold remains an enduring classic of biographical historical fiction, starring an unforgettable Chinese-American heroine whose struggles put a human face on the anti-immigration policies of the past and present.