~ I received an ARC copy of The Paper Daughters from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

As a student and teacher of history, I'm always hesitant to pick up the narrative of any figure that involves themselves in the work of aiding minority groups in the United States. I will say that the life and efforts of Donaldina Cameron were inspiring and reminded me of the hundreds of faces we don't see that are doing the hard work to ingratiate those who have suffered injustices into society and preparing them for a new life.

This was a fascinating read based on the life of Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron. This book is historical fiction and was well researched with an interesting story. Dolly worked hard to protect the lives of Chinese-American women and girls who were sold into slavery in the late 19th century. Dolly started out as a young teacher and eventually became the director of Occidental Mission Home for Girls. The young ladies that were sold into slavery were treated poorly. Dolly and her team recued many young ladies from the horror of prostitution, drug dependency, and deplorable conditions.

Other story lines in this book are about the girls that were recued. Many were kidnapped in China or sold by their parents with the promise they would marry a wealthy American. The book tells the story of several of the paper daughters. The book is hart wrenching as well as uplifting. Some of these young ladies showed such courage and resolve to change their situations with great personal dangers.

I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more about Dolly. This book only covers part of her life. I would like to thank #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore

When I began reading The Paper Daughters of Chinatown, I anticipated reading an entertaining story interspersed with enough historical details to lend authenticity to a captivating plot. Instead author Heather B. Moore introduced me to an incredible woman, driven by passion, love and God who changed the lives of everyone with whom she associated.

From the beginning of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown, I was drawn into the life narrative of Donaldina Cameron. As I read the fast moving plot, I sensed the meticulous historical research behind the story because of the depth and passion in the characters and the way they came alive to share the heartache and pain of Miss Cameron and her Chinese daughters.

Moore’s telling of this piece of history is provocative and sometimes hard to read because the events that surround Miss Cameron’s relentless work at the Occidental Mission Home is dark, brutal, ugly and at times unthinkable except to those who experienced it. That said, I think that is what makes Heather B. Moore’s telling of this story even more remarkable. She’s taken an obscure and intensely inhumane slice of Chinatown history and showed us what God can do with dedicated, average people to work His miracles and bring hope to people who have no hope. I received a complimentary copy of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown for my candid review.

A fascinating look into a horrifying world - I couldn't stop reading this book. The story was so rich and beautifully told, it made a perfect escapist read during these crazy times, I can't wait to share it.

This is a must read! This book delves into the human trafficking trade in the late 1800's-early 1900's in San Francisco. It was very eye opening and heart wrenching, as well as being very uplifting. I was unaware of Donaldina Cameron. I am so grateful for people like her who give so much for the welfare of others. I know that human trafficking is still going strong today, which is terrifying. This book is a clarion call to all of us to do something. Whether it is financial or physical, we can all make a difference. I would highly recommend this book. It is a book that will stay with you for a very long time.

I am a total clean romance junky, so I was unsure about this book. But i absolutely love this author and everything she writes is well thought out and researched, so of course I requested, and boom another fabulous job. This book was fascinating, sad and fully inspiring. I was unable to put it down and finished in a few days. I love learning about real people who have changed even a small part of the world. And this woman did so much for the Asian community in San Francisco at the turn of the last century. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Book: The Paper Daughters of Chinatown
Author: Heather Moore
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release: Sept 2020

"Some of the girls are kidnapped by the highbinders, and their families have no idea that their daughters are alive. The girls take on new identities in America, and their lives are controlled in every way. They've been reduced to what we call paper daughters. Without a home. WIthout care or love."

The squalid quarters the innocent Chinese girls are sequestered in, after giving tall promises of comfort & handsome husbands in the far off lands of America, is indescribable. Living in the worst conditions imaginable, denied food or water, & constantly subjected to bodily harm, their only hope is Donaldina Cameron & the Occidental Mission Home for Girls.

This book delves into the life of Dolly, the savior of almost a thousand fallen angels between 1895 & 1908. She was given the task of rescuing indentured concubines, & then giving them a safe haven, where they were educated & given life skills.

I loved how Mei Lien's story was intermingled in the storyline, to highlight the extent to which the girls suffered, & also to show to what heights Dolly would go to, to rescue the girls even if it meant spending time in jail with them.

This book has a soul, each sentence is filled with sadness and hope. It touches on the subject of the black plague quarantine, & rescue mission conducted under the toughest times, & also when all of Chinatown was blown up when a fire spread due to an earthquake.

The author has used her extensive research to put together a cohesive story in a heartbreaking manner. Recently, I had read Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka, regarding the Japanese mail-order brides, & this book reinforced this with the instance of the Chinese girls brought in for trade from Hong Kong.

The heartbreaking excerpts of newspaper articles & Dolly's journal entries at the beginning of each chapter brought each event to life & shocked me that such a world did exist
I thank Netgalley for giving me this wonderful opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was thoughtful, well-written, and educational. It reminds me a bit of other female missionary books such as the biographies of Amy Carmichael in India or Jackie Pullinger in Hong Kong. I learned a lot about the Chinese immigrant experience and the problems of slavery around the turn of the 20th century. This was a fast and enjoyable read!

ASTOUNDING! Gave me a new view on the Chinese experience at the turn of the 1900s. WOW! The story was so moving and powerful. I thought that the author was brilliant by giving two sides of the equation...the rescued and the rescuer.
I absolutely loved the fact that it was based upon historical fact.
This book should be mandatory reading for any human trafficking class.
The only downside is that I thought that the should have ended the story when Huang Sun came back. The rest of the book did not add anything significant to the overall story. Very minor, but annoying.
Overall a fantastic book and one that was hard to read at times.

This magnificent book highlights the plight of Chinese and Japanese young girls who were lured into slavery in the United States. This rendition of the selfless courage of the people who sought to save these hapless girls and give them light and courage to grow as worthwhile women has deeply touched me. To bear witness to such humility illuminates what we can do if we will hold hands and not turn our cheeks.

Opening line:

""From a woman, and she a pretty, fair-spoken Scotch maiden, this slave trade took its hardest blow--playing her desperate lone hand she reduced the traffic by about one-half.""

This is a heart-wrenching, moving, beautiful story of one amazingly strong woman making a change, one Chinese-American girl at a time told by a masterful story weaver.

In 1895, Donaldina, or Dolly as she preferred to be called, moved to the Occidental Mission home for Girls in San Francisco. She believed she would be teaching sewing, but she ended up doing much, much more for these girls who were brought to America with the belief, and lies, that they would marry rich men and be able to send money home to their families.

The girls were beaten, abused, sold into slavery and brothels and denied any human rights. Dolly and a small band of helpers worked tireless to save the girls and stop the human trafficking. She saved thousands of girls, got them legal paperwork, hence the name "Paper Daughters," so they could leave the 'homes' and 'uncles' who claimed the girls as their family.

There are alternating chapters with Dolly's story of a fictional character of Mei Lien, one of the girls Dolly helps rescue. Mei's story brings the horror of what the girls go through from the lens of one the abused. Her story is tragic, hopeful and learned strength.

The mission home, and it's members, survived illegal searches, threats, shootings, beatings, and even survived the 1906 Earthquake. What was amazing to me during this part of Dolly's history was that she went back into the mission home and saved all the paperwork of the girls because she was worried she wouldn't have proof of the girls legality and the 'uncle's would try and take them back. From my knowledge, all legal documents (birth, marriage, death certificates etc) in San Francisco were burned except the ones Dolly was able to save (and some family's who were able to save their papers. But those are very few).


Heather Moore not only has talent for weaving a dramatic and endearing story, she excels in research and bringing her research to life in a way that makes the reader read on and learn. I hope this author writes more books about #strongwomen We need their stories.


Thanks to netgalley for the early read.

This is a very well written book. I think it’s extremely difficult to take a hard topic like this and make it interesting (albeit sad) rather than horrifying to read. Heather Moore has a gift for this kind of writing and historical fiction in general. I appreciate the research that she puts into her writing and the character development is always good in her books.

I loved this book. I didn’t know much about the history of the Chinese in San Francisco. I am half Chinese so learning more about the history of Chinese in America is interesting to me the older I get. This is the based on the true events of Donalinda "Dolly" Cameron and her work with a Christian Mission home for Chinese women who escaped prostitution and slavery. The story takes place in the late 1800s and early 1900's. Dolly courageously saves the lives of thousands of Chinese girls and young women. This has been interested to read the non fiction book Chinatown's Angry Angel which the author cites. If you like historical fiction, you will love this. I was provided an ARC for my honest review.

Excellent and well-written story of Donaldina Cameron, a true-life hero.. Ms. Cameron worked at a girls mission beginning in the late 1890’s in San Francisco. She and her team risked their lives to rescue Chinese girls who were lied to, their parents/family lied to at home, given money, and the young girls brought overseas and forced into prostitution. I thought the delicate subject was handled with care and sensitivity. While the subject matter is difficult, the stories were told with respectful. These rescued girls were given a home, compassion, dignity, hope, and love, where otherwise they likely would have died in the streets. Many were forcibly addicted to opium to make them more compliant. We need more Donaldinas in the harsh world today, as human trafficking continues worldwide. This is a true story interwoven with some fictional characters. If you like history and humanity stories you will enjoy this one. I’ve read other books about the mis-treatment of the Chinese who came over here to help build railroads in San Francisco and were treated quite brutally; this book targets a specific population and one person who took it upon herself to help solve a problem that seems never ending. Highly recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, such an excellent book. This book was extremely well-written and intriguing, based on the life of Donaldina "Dolly" Cameron, who worked tirelessly to rescue Chinese slave girls/women/prostitutes from the Chinese tong in Chinatown in San Francisco from the late 1800s/early to mid 1900s. The author chose to focus the book from when Dolly arrives at the mission home to the rebuilding of the mission home after the San Francisco earthquake and fires in 1906, ending in 1908. However, she prefaces and ends the book with extensive documentation about the facts of Dolly's life and which characters in the book are real and which are based on stories of other characters. I was completely unaware of this human trafficking/slave trade going on in the United States during that time period and the underground of San Francisco's Chinatown. Moore's extensive research shows through her writing and her efforts to be historically accurate while still taking (what seem to be mild) liberties with her story. A large portion of the book shifts timeline/focus back and forth between Dolly's humanitarian efforts and Mei Lien (whom is a made-up character based off of a compilation of real experiences and real women Moore encountered in her research). We follow Mei Lien's journey from leaving her mother in China with her new "aunt" and "uncle" to come to America for what she believes to be a golden opportunity to come to America as a bride-to-be, even up to the point where she is placed on display naked before her potential buyer, when she finally realizes everything her "aunt" and "uncle" told her and her mother was not to be. This book offers the perspective of what some women went through in the lies they and their families were told in order to get them to come to America, the buying and selling of them once they reached America, the pitiful amount of money their families received for them (if any at all), their forced addiction to opium, abuses, etc. I'm not sure why Moore chose to focus on a woman who was in a better circumstance than most in a high-end brothel rather than the more destitute prostitution cribs and harsher circumstances, though maybe it's because she brings Mei Lien's character back into contact with her madam, Ah-Peen Oie (a real-life character) at the end of the book. Moore does touch briefly on those harsher circumstances in some of the rescues that Dolly and the other mission home translators/Chinese women and the cops go on to help the women of Chinatown. Dolly's own personal heartbreaks in her life are mentioned. She comes alive as such a real woman with her own desires for her personal life and love but also her drive to help these women, youth, and children affected by such a horrid business by the Chinese tongs to dominate and take advantage of unsuspecting women, as well as their families back home, who believed they were providing their daughters with a better life in America. The book ends with hope for what Dolly and the mission home provided for these women but with a clear impression that their work was continuing on and by no means complete.

In her afterword, along with notations and documentation of her extensive research, Moore mentions the atrocities of human trafficking that are still going on today and the many organizations that are fighting against it. This is not new to our society, unfortunately, but through this book Moore documents and brings awareness to such a sad time period of this Chinese slave trade and the fight of Ms. Cameron and many others who worked/work tirelessly to help as many as they could.

Content: A clean read, with no bad language. The mentions of the harsh conditions, sex, drugs, abuse, etc. are not graphic or heavily dwelt on, just enough for you to know what's going on.

I loved this book! Heather B. Moore is such a genius in researching the history, geography, and people in her books that they become real (of course in this case they are real) and relate-able. Donaldina Cameron was a real person who truly lived and worked and prayed for and Loved the “Paper Daughters” who were stolen or tricked away from home and family and forced into slavery, servitude, and often addiction to opium which was one more tool of control by the wicked people who bought these children and women.

With such a dark setting, in less capable hands, this could have been a very dark and scary story. Ms. Moore beautifully shares the humanity, care, and love that Donaldina “Dolly” had for the children and women she helped to rescue and teach, and they loved her, too! Dolly was a spinster who never had children of her own, yet she was mother to many, both legally through guardianship papers as well as through loving care. This story begins in 1895 with Dolly’s arrival at 920 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, at the Occidental Mission Home and chronicles how she learned the work of both teaching and going on raids to rescue slaves. Dolly’s adventures carried her through fighting for her girls against the Tongs, political and legal challenges, plague, earthquake, and fire.

I appreciated learning more about the history of San Francisco through the eyes of Dolly and some of her girls. My heart was touched as I learned more about this time period and the challenges these women faced as they continued the fight against slavery well after the civil war ended. This book was well researched, well written, and engaging to the heart as well as the mind.

This book was absolutely amazing. It is the story of Donaldina Cameron who began working in San Francisco in 1895 at a mission home that rescued Chinese women and girls from lives of slavery. She started as the sewing teacher, but was soon an essential member of the rescue team. Eventually, she became the director of the home.
This is historical fiction at it's finest. Supported by documented facts and countless hours of research, Moore weaves a complex tapestry. She skillfully intertwines the story of fictitious Mei Lien with the more historical account of Donaldina. This is a book of both tragedy and hope. The horrors these Chinese Paper Daughters suffered at the hands of their owners is heartbreaking. This book had me shedding tears. But at the same time my admiration and respect for Donaldina and others like her has grown. Human trafficking is a problem that has not disappeared. This story is a reminder of how one person's efforts can positively influence the lives of many.
This was an amazing journey and I am so glad that Moore wrote this story. It will stay with me for a very long time. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. #Netgalley. #Heather Moore #paperdaughters

This evocative novel tactfully deals with the sensitive issue of human trafficking, weaving well researched details into a cohesive and compelling narrative.  Heather B. Moore does an excellent job with telling the human side of the history, from an angle of hope and redemption.  Although losses are acknowledged and this is a very dark and disturbing subject, the author has focused her narrative on successes and this book brings with it a feeling of light.  Historical notes and experiences from the life and perspective of Donaldina Cameron, tactfully covering years of her early experiences at the Occidental Mission Home, are woven throughout the book with a fictionalized compilation of experiences told to give us an insider's perspective of the slave trade.  This character's experience draws you in and helps you feel the depths that these courageous women were rescued from and the heights they were able to reach with the loving support and care of a heroine and her group of dedicated individuals. This story will stay with me for a long time! This was a standout among this prolific author's impressive works.

I received a complimentary book.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

This was a poignant and powerful book on a delicate and difficult subject. It was well written and very thought provoking.

Paper Daughters by Heather Moore is a real eye opener. Takes place in San Franisco and the Bay Area. Heather brings this events of real life to China Town 1895 -mid 1900s.
Donaldina (Dolly) Cameron saves the lives of many children and young ladies. She was one amazing lady.