The Unwanted

More about the book

A two-year-old biracial American girl is brought to China just before the Communist takeover, where she faces societal discrimination and maternal betrayal. Over 30 years, she struggles to maintain her identity as an American and to return to the U.S. Among the first educated youth sent to the countryside before the Cultural Revolution, she spends nine years in Xinjiang, enduring harsh conditions as part of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. During her time, she traverses the Taklamakan Desert on a unique mission, confronting the Soviet army and near-starvation while forming bonds with Uyghur inhabitants. Upon returning to Beijing, she contacts the U.S. Liaison Office to assert her American citizenship, despite strong opposition from the Chinese government. In 1978, she becomes the first American involuntarily held in China since the Korean War to return home. Back in the U.S., she experiences freedom and strives to adapt to a different culture and language she was denied in China. Her insights into Communist China make her a valuable resource for various government offices and businesses. Eventually, she marries an American diplomat and moves to Taiwan, looking to the future with the determination and optimism that have guided her journey.