Jen Sookfong Lee's new novel “The End of East” is profiled in Vancouver Sun, G&M + More
Jen Sookfong Lee
is celebrating the book launch of her novel The End of East, today at
2pm at the Salt Tasting Room in Blood Alley, located in Vancouver's
Gastown. Her novel tells the story of the early Chinese pioneers
to Vancouver during the time of head tax (895-1923) and the 1923
exclusion act. She also parallels a contemporary story of present
day Samantha Chan who tries to run away from Vancouver to Montreal to
escape her “Chinese-ness” but ends up returning when she discovers her
grandfather's head tax certificate.
This is all very timely with the Chinese
Head Tax redress movement kicking into higher gear, asking Prime
Minister Stephen Harper to recognize and honour all head tax
certificates before any more survivors and spouses die off, such as the
recent deaths of Mr. Ralph Lee and Mrs. Der. Will “End of
East” contribute to a greater understanding of the head tax issue in a
similar manner that Joy Kogawa's “Obasan” helped to spread better
knowledge of the hardships undergone by the internment of the Japanese
Canadian community, leading to their 1988 redress?
Time will tell…. But for now,
good reviews are coming for Jen Sookfong Lee. The Vancouver Sun
profiled her in Saturday's March 24th Arts & Review. The
Globe and Mail's Joe Weibe profiled her in Friday's March 23rd
edition. I especially liked George Fetherling's March 17th Globe
& Mail's review of “The End of East.”
See below for links.
March 23, 2007
“The End of East is just her start”
Jen Sookfong Lee profiled in 7 section of The Globe and Mail
March 22, 2007
“End of East chronicles immigrants' gamble”
The End of East reviewed in The Georgia Straight
March 22, 2007
“Vivid Vancouver”
The End of East reviewed in NOW Magazine
March 17, 2007
“Uprooted from Vancouver”
The End of East reviewed in The Globe and Mail
March 10, 2007
Listen
to the archived conversation of SPiN talking with Sheryl
MacKay on North by Northwest at CBC Radio One's archive, www.cbc.ca/nxnw