Monday, January 13, 2020

Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

The year is 1890 and the setting is Atlanta. Jo Kuan and her guardian, Old Gin, live in an underground railroad era secret chamber under the house of a prominent newspaper publishing family. They are Chinese-American immigrants and must work as servants to make a living. Teenage Jo works full-time as a maid, and begins writing a newspaper column under the name "Dear Sweetie," which helps increase newspaper circulation and gives her a platform to speak about women's rights as well as racial equality. No one would read the column if they knew it was written by a Chinese American girl, so she keeps her identity secret, even from the handsome young newspaper publisher. Jo gets involved with a criminal, enters a horse race, discovers some family secrets, and finds romance in this eye-opening historical fiction novel.

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