WOW!! This is a beautifully written heartbreaking story about human trafficking. It is a clean well written book that is full of emotions. If you like historical fiction you will love this book. It is a Must Read! Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

It is the marker of a good book when one picks it up to read after midnight to relax, then turns the final page at 4am.

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown was that kind of book. The novel is based on the life story of Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron, who ran a missionary home in San Francisco at the turn of the century.. Her job was helping to rescue the young Chinese girls and women that were being held as sex slaves and prostitutes in San Francisco's Chinatown, after being brought over as "paper daughters" to get around the various immigration acts. The young women were abused, assaulted, and often addicted to opium, when they finally find refuge at the home. The novel tells of her journey from joining the home on a one year contract to teach sewing skills to becoming the director and chief rescuer to her role as a surrogate mother for the young girls and women in her care.

While I had hear the term paper daughter before, I had only known it as a means of bringing others to the United States, but not the conditions that were the result. The novel is well researched and allows the reader a deeper look at a much less well known time periods than most current historical novels. The story is definitely a page turner, as my one-night-read can attest to.

This is one of those books that will stay with me for a very long time. I wasn't that familiar with the rescues that took place in the Chinatown section of San Francisco during the first hundred years of Chinese immigration. Thanks to NetG.alley and Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

This beautifully researched novel introduced me to a time in history I knew little about. I had never heard of Donaldina Cameron prior to reviewing this ARC and I found her tale quite fascinating. I enjoyed the mixture of fictional characters mixed in with the historical characters. It really gave you a sense of what life was like for these paper daughters of Chinatown and everything they were put through. Heather did a fantastic job of introducing us to Donaldina and her life’s work of rescuing and bringing light to so many of these girls lives. Thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I so wanted to love this book, I was pumped. I enjoy historical fiction, This was an unfamiliar topic--so a plus--I would learn something.

Background: Donaldina "Dolly" Cameron;, 26, arrives at the Occidental Mission Home for Girls in San Francisco in 1985, She intends to stay for a year and teach sewing skills to young Chinese women. These girls are "paper daughters"--sold to the tongs to become prostitutes or slaves, and in the balance--often opium addicts. Mei Lien believes she is coming to the US [from China] to become the wife of a rich Chinese man; a transfer that will mean money for her impoverished mother. [And, when she becomes an opium-addicted prostitute--the money is always held over her head as a threat to her mother.] A story of human trafficking--and ultimately hope. Cameron's mission becomes rescuing these young women--in raids, often with the help of a the sympathetic/like minded policeman, Officer Cook. She installs her rescues in the home, teaches them skills, and provides an education. Other characters figure prominently in the story, particularly Tien Fu Wu and Ah -Peen Oie.

BUT. Though well-written [save for the somewhat annoying romantic/ish parts; perhaps I wished for a different outcome/s]. And the trip to China--seemingly injected into the narrative without adding anything. Why? There could have/should have been more,

I am in the distinct minority thinking this book fell flat. I wanted it to be compelling [and it should have been so], but it never grabbed me. Well, some parts, but not the whole.

In the end, I thought this book rather simplistic. Such a disappointment.

I love learning about new-to-me aspects of history, so getting to read about Donaldina Cameron's work as portrayed in Heather B. Moore's excellent writing style was a pleasure. While thinking about the women and girls who suffered so horribly was painful, the look at Dolly's efforts to help as well as the way the girls and women who were rescued grabbed onto fresh hope, was inspiring and uplifting. The research that Moore did for this book clearly shows, and a difficult topic is written about so skillfully. This is an eye-opening book that would be particularly good for book clubs, as there is much that could be discussed.
4.5 stars.
I read an ARC provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#Netgalley. #Heather Moore #paperdaughters

We live under this belief that the sex slave trade is something newer to the history of our country. This could not be further from the true. The sale of young women into the life of prostitution is something as old as this country and beyond. This book tell just one part of the continual fight against sex slavery in this country. Set in San Francisco during the late 1890s-early 1900s, this book tells the story of Donaldina Cameron and her tireless efforts to free the sex slaves of Chinatown in San Francisco. This book as sorrow, heartbreak, forgiven and most of all the unwavering determination of doing what is right. You get caught up in this story and you want to go right in with Dolly to save these paper daughters. I highly recommend this book!

This was really good. I knew the Chinese people were treated badly when the cane to the US but I had no idea this stuff happened. Now I want to look up
More info about it. This is not my typical lighthearted read, but well done Heather.

This is a very very well researched book that I appreciate the author taking the time to research and write about. This is a sensitive subject but one that is still very much alive today.

Thank. you for the advanced e-ARC win exchange for my honest review. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

San Francisco and the story of human trafficking. Believing that she is coming to America to become the wife of a rich chinaman, Mei Lien is sold into prostitution. An amazing novel of historical fiction that was only too real. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well written book on a difficult and heartbreaking topic. I'm aware of human trafficking, but I've never heard of Donaldina Cameron before. The book is based on facts with fiction woven throughout, creating a book that will stick with the reader after the final page. The excerpts from newspaper articles and Dolly's journal at the beginning of each chapter brought the book to life, sometimes in a shocking way.

This book will linger in my thoughts for a long time. Never having heard of Donaldina Cameron and only vaguely aware of the human trafficking/slavery involved in Chinatown in San Francisco, I was both horrified by the concept of “paper daughters” and heartened by the strength and bravery shown by Donaldina. Seeing the journey from China and the expectations of a wonderful life ahead in Mei Lien’s mind was so well depicted that I grew to feel so fond of Mei, which strengthened my connection to the book. A few laughs, many tears, and a true respect for both the young women and Donaldina and her staff, especially Mei and Tien. I so appreciated the tremendous research that must have occurred to breathe life into the story. I read every word and learned so much about the infamous tongs and the power they held in Chinatown. This is my favorite genre, historical fiction, and this book is one of the best I have read. Many many thanks to Heather B. Moore for sharing Donaldina’s story, Shadow Mountain for publishing, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this unforgettable story, to be published in September.

Dolly Cameron is on a mission to rescue Chinese girls, some of them children, from lives of servitude and prostitution. These “paper daughters” have entered America on false pretenses. Instead of being the legal daughter or becoming the wife of someone, they are sold to the highest bidder into lives of deprivation and degradation. Powerless against their owners and the Tongs who profit from them, they rely on strangers to fight for them and give them a chance for happiness. Danger is imminent and kidnapping is common, but they learn to trust again and are able to heal. The events are set against the San Francisco earthquake, a time when Chinese people mattered little. Heather B. Moore has based her novel on historic facts and events and sprinkled among the story fictional characters who represent those who regarded the real-life Donaldina Cameron as their mother in the new land.

I thought this was a very well written story. The research that was done to write this novel about Donaldina Cameron was intense to say this least. The author, Ms. Moore, did a fascinating job of telling about the Chinese sex slavery trade in the 1900's of San Francisco Chinatown and how Ms. Cameron saved and help hundreds of children and young women get away from that life. The terribly sad part is that it was the country men of these Chinese children and young women that were buying, selling them. It was wonderful to read how a number of these girls turned there lives around completely. Marriage, children of their own, college. It just goes to show how strong we as women can be and that there are wonderful people in this world to help.

Stop everything and slow your roll. This book is a must-read. Not because it is some love story that makes you feel good, but because it is a gripping story of a woman who devoted her life to saving Chinese girls and women from slave and prostitution trade. The emotional connection I felt to this historically based novel was unbelievable. I could not stop myself from reading it; I was so engrossed I found myself telling my family about it while reading it. Donaldina's story is one of heartache, love, service, and family. The people came to life and I felt each loss, each victory, each scenario Donaldina experienced. A lot of people may feel shying away from this story because it is a difficult topic. But Moore tells it in a tactful yet compelling way that keeps you reading until the end. And when I got to the end I wished there was more to read. To think that this is only a snippet of Donaldina's life and the impact she had on her Chinese daughters is mind-blowing. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown is moving and is something that everyone should read. Everyone. Bravo Moore for researching and sharing such an important story with us. I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore was amazing. The main person Donaldina Cameron nickname Dolly goes out to California to teach Paper Daughters sewing. In result of the Chinese Exclusion act resulting in false papers a lot of women ended up in slavery situations where they were falsely lead to think a better life awaited them through marriage.
They were rescued through a Presbyterian Mission as Act of kindness and to stop this horrible acts. By risking their own lives also in exchange. However, the exchange was to let the women know there is a better life out there and to not get rid of hope. Donaldina Cameron was amazing to read about. Also I really teared up.

4/5 Stars. When I was in elementary school, I read a LOT of books about missionaries, so "The Paper Daughters of Chinatown" was very much a blast from the past. (Considering that I would've been graduating from high school in two weeks were it not for COVID-19, that seems all too fitting.) I had no idea who Donaldina Cameron was before I read this book, nor did I know anything about the prevalence of human trafficking in Chinatown at the turn of the 20th century, so this one was an eye-opener. Its writing was a bit overwrought and clumsy at times, but its story had undeniable power and significance. This was an important story to tell, and I enjoyed it in spite of its flaws.

I was fascinated by this story about the Chinese slave girl trade in San Francisco, a topic I was unaware of even though I grew up in California and studied the early history of the state. I knew about the poor treatment of the Chinese in general, but this story came as a surprise. The author does a wonderful job of centering the story around Donaldina Cameron's work in rescuing these slaves during the late nineteenth century. The author also brings in a fictional character, Mei Lien, who brings in the point of view of one of the girls taken from her home in China and deceived into the San Francisco sex trade.

The story only captures a slice of Donaldina's life and work, but it is enough to build a solid story around. I highly recommend this book. Well researched and well written.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Shadow Mountain, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is based on the true story of Donaldina “Dolly” Cameron and the Occidental Mission Home for Girls. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a book you should pick up. Dolly and the Mission Home rescue, aid and assist Chinese women in the San Francisco area who have been sold into slavery through deception. The parents of most of the women believe they are sending their children to a better life. The courage and stamina of Dolly is amazing. The trials and tribulations, mental and physical, that these young girls and women endure is horrific. “The younger girls were more prone to tantrums and arguing, whereas the older girls struggled with seeing the light through all the darkness they’d been through.”

Throughout the book, I found myself cheering for Dolly. The sacrifices she made endear the reader to her. The challenges she encounters with evil people and legal system are heart wrenching. The deep compassion and kindness Dolly and the Mission’s staff provided to the frightened girls was remarkable. As one character described Dolly: “…you are an avenging angel. You are the light among the darkness of Chinatown.” The challenges the Mission had to overcome and tremendous.

I highly recommend “The Paper Daughters of Chinatown.” It was well written and researched.