“We’re extremely excited to present such a talented writer and Chinese-American culture expert,” said Jo Rae Zuckerman, president of the Friends of the Long Beach Public Library. “Lisa See has a deep perspective of a unique cultural group, and her books are a heartfelt reflection of that. Dreams of Joy, her latest work, has been an instant New York Times best-seller.”
On Gold Mountain is another book in which See uses a theme of Chinese immigrants seeking to fulfill their personal visions of the American dream, although on a more personal level. The book traces the journey of See’s great-grandfather, Fong See, who overcame obstacles at every step to become the 100-year-old godfather of Los Angeles’s Chinatown and the patriarch of a sprawling family.
See was born in Paris but grew up in Los Angeles, spending much of her time in Chinatown. While collecting the details for On Gold Mountain she developed the idea for her first novel, Flower Net, which was a national bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book, and on the Los Angeles Times Best Books List for 1997.
In addition to writing books, See was the Publishers Weekly west-coast correspondent for 13 years. As a freelance journalist, her articles have appeared in Vogue, Self, More and numerous book reviews around the country.
She wrote the libretto for the Los Angeles Opera based on On Gold Mountain, which premiered in June 2000 at the Japan American Theatre followed by the Irvine Barclay Theatre. She also served as guest curator for an exhibit on the Chinese-American experience for the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, which then traveled to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
She designed a walking tour of Los Angeles Chinatown and wrote the companion guidebook for Angels Walk L.A. to celebrate the opening of the MTA’s new Chinatown metro station. She curated the inaugural exhibition— a retrospective of artist Tyrus Wong— for the grand opening of the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles. She serves as a Los Angeles city commissioner on the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument Authority. She was honored as National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women in 2001 and was the recipient of the Chinese American Museum’s History Makers Award in 2003.
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