Thousand Pieces of Gold — Ruthanne Lum McCunn

The extraordinary biographical novel about a Chinese-American woman who fought for independence and dignity in the American West -- “an important contribution to the history of pioneer women” (Ms. Magazine)
 
Lalu Nathoy's father called his thirteen-year-old daughter his treasure, his “thousand pieces of gold” -- yet when famine strikes northern China in 1871, he is forced to sell her. Polly, as Lalu is later called, is sold to a brothel, sold again to a slave merchant bound for America, auctioned to a saloonkeeper, and offered as a prize in a poker game.
 
With over a quarter of a million copies sold, Thousand Pieces of Gold is a classic of biographical historical fiction that stars an unforgettable Chinese-American heroine whose struggles put a human face on the anti-immigration policies of the past and present.