The acclaimed and bestselling author Denise Chong discusses her latest book, Lives of the Family: Stories of Fate and Circumstance (Random House, 2013), with Joseph Planta.

Lives of the Family: Stories of Fate and Circumstance by Denise Chong (Random House, 2013). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Lives of the Family

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

Denise Chong joins me again. The acclaimed and bestselling author has a new book out: Lives of the Family: Stories of Fate and Circumstance. I’ve read bits of it, and found it riveting stuff. I’ll get Ms. Chong to tell us about this book, about the stories she tells and the people who we meet in this book. The book is haunting, moving, heartbreaking at times, and inspiring. In it, she chronicles the lives of some of Canada’s early Chinese families around the Ottawa area. These would be people of Denise’s parents and grandparent’s generation, who came to Canada plagued by prejudice and uncertainty. Immigrants come to this country facing being ostracised, and suffering unimaginable loneliness. It’s a great book in that we must remember our country’s history, marred by the Head Tax and the Exclusion Act. Denise Chong’s previous books include The Concubine’s Children, The Girl in the Picture, and Egg on Mao, which she was last on with four years ago. This new book is published by Random House. The website for more is at www.livesofthefamily.com. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Denise Chong; Ms. Chong, good morning.

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