Last Boat Out of Shanghai - by Helen Zia (Paperback)

Last Boat Out of Shanghai is a heart-wrenching and eye-opening book that tells the true story of four young people who fled China after the Communist revolution in 1949.

The book is a page-turner, filled with compassionate and heartbreaking portraits of these men and women who faced unimaginable challenges as they navigated their way through an uncertain life as refugees. The author, Helen Zia, has done an incredible job of weaving together the stories of these four individuals, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs.

Benny, a teenager who inherited his father's dark wartime legacy, must decide whether to escape to Hong Kong or navigate the intricacies of a newly Communist China.

Annuo, forced to flee her home with her father, a defeated Nationalist official, becomes an unwelcome young exile in Taiwan.

Ho fights deportation from the U.S.

in order to continue his studies while his family struggles at home.

And Bing, given away by her poor parents, faces the prospect of a new life among strangers in America. Through these moving accounts, Zia sheds light on the little-known history of the massive exodus of Shanghai after the Communist revolution.

The book is not just a personal family memoir but also a missing chapter of modern history that has remained largely untold until now.

Last Boat Out of Shanghai is a must-read for anyone interested in Chinese history, immigration, and the struggles faced by refugees.

It's a powerful reminder of the dignity and triumph of personal survival, even in the face of unimaginable adversity.