“Much of the research regarding epigenetics, the longer version is transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is about traumatic events. It’s about pain. It’s about the things that we were exposed to that were negative. And from a research standpoint, those things are much more easily recognized, whereas things that are more benign or beneficial are perhaps harder to see. I looked at it and thought, we inherit pain and trauma, what else can we inherit?” –Jamie Ford, Interview, Bookweb
What booksellers are saying about The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
- Well this was just fascinating! The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a beautifully written novel weaving together the stories of seven generations of women – each whom is impacted by a significant loss or tragedy, the effect of which is passed down to their ancestors. Jamie Ford has written a insightful, thought-provoking story that marries history with science, asking us to question the extraordinary ways in which our past shapes our future. ―Anderson McKean from Page & Palette in Fairhope, Alabama
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- Grab a pen, because you might want to take some notes while reading this wild ride tale of the trauma, triumphs, and truths intertwined in 7 generations of Moy family women. This one’s as sure to be dog-eared as it is impossible to put down.
―Angie Tally from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
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- This book is an epigenetic exploration of Chinese American womanhood. Ford shows us several generations, starting with the story of Afong Moy, an imported circus “freak” who was the first Chinese American woman, and weaving in the stories of her Chinese American descendants from the 19th century to the 2070’s, all of whom feel the aftereffects of their progenitor’s racial trauma and find themselves, despite their best efforts to be individuals, reliving it. This book provides a really thought-provoking way to think about race, which is somehow at once bleak and optimistic. ―Akil Guruparan from Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
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- This is my first by author Jamie Ford, but will not be my last. His exquisite writing is not only beautiful, but also thought provoking and cerebral. Based on Epigenetics, the research that suggests that trauma/fears can be inherited from previous generations, the story takes readers on a journey meeting several descendants of Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America. The book stretched out over 200 years as each chapter reveals the tragedies faced by a descendent of Afong, and how each responds due to her genetic response to fear. A mix of history, science and fantasy, this is one of those books that will stay with readers for a very long time! ―Sharon Davis from Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, Georgia
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About Jamie Ford
Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name Ford, thus confusing countless generations. His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Having grown up in Seattle, he now lives in Montana with his wife and a one-eyed pug..
