Most Popular Books by Julia Flynn Siler

An epic, scandal-plagued story of the immigrant family that built--and then spectacularly lost--a global wine empire. Award-winning journalist Flynn Siler brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama.

The New York Times–bestselling author delivers "a riveting saga about Big Sugar flexing its imperialist muscle in Hawaii . . . A real gem of a book" (Douglas Brinkley, author of American Moonshot). Deftly weaving together a memorable cast of characters, Lost Kingdom brings to life the clash between a vulnerable Polynesian people and relentlessly expanding capitalist powers. Portraits of royalty and rogues, sugar barons, and missionaries combine into a sweeping tale of the Hawaiian Kingdom''s rise and fall. At the center of the story is Lili''uokalani, the last queen of Hawai''i. Born in 1838, she lived through the nearly complete economic transformation of the islands. Lucrative sugar plantations gradually subsumed the majority of the land, owned almost exclusively by white planters, dubbed the "Sugar Kings." Hawai''i became a prize in the contest between America, Britain, and France, each seeking to expand their military and commercial influence in the Pacific. The monarchy had become a figurehead, victim to manipulation from the wealthy sugar plantation owners. Lili''u was determined to enact a constitution to reinstate the monarchy''s power but was outmaneuvered by the United States. The annexation of Hawai''i had begun, ushering in a new century of American imperialism. "An important chapter in our national history, one that most Americans don''t know but should." — The New York Times Book Review "Siler gives us a riveting and intimate look at the rise and tragic fall of Hawaii''s royal family . . . A reminder that Hawaii remains one of the most breathtaking places in the world. Even if the kingdom is lost." — Fortune "[A] well-researched, nicely contextualized history . . . [Indeed] ''one of the most audacious land grabs of the Gilded Age.''" — Los Angeles Times

During the first hundred years of Chinese immigration--from 1848 to 1943--San Francisco was home to a shockingly extensive underground slave trade in Asian women, who were exploited as prostitutes and indentured servants. In this gripping, necessary book, bestselling author Julia Flynn Siler shines a light on this little-known chapter in our history--and gives us a vivid portrait of the safe house to which enslaved women escaped. The Occidental Mission Home, situated on the edge of Chinatown, served as a gateway to freedom for thousands. Run by a courageous group of female Christian abolitionists, it survived earthquakes, fire, bubonic plague, and violent attacks. We meet Dolly Cameron, who ran the home from 1899 to 1934, and Tien Fuh Wu, who arrived at the house as a young child after her abuse as a household slave drew the attention of authorities. Wu would grow up to become Cameron''s translator, deputy director, and steadfast friend. Siler shows how Dolly and her colleagues defied convention and even law--physically rescuing young girls from brothels, snatching them from their smugglers--and how they helped bring the exploiters to justice. Riveting and revelatory, The White Devil''s Daughters is a timely, extraordinary account of oppression, resistance, and hope.

"19世纪中后期至20世纪初, 有成千上万的中国女孩被拐卖或诱骗到美国, 在充斥暴力和混乱的旧金山唐人街, 她们沦为妓女, 童养媳或苦力. 此时, 以苏格兰传教士金美伦和她的助手伍天福为代表的数位女性挺身而出, 冒着危险, 与狡猾的人贩子, 贪腐的警察, 种族歧视的司法体系周旋, 为女孩们提供庇护, 争取自由. 本书用大量历史档案, 庭审材料, 个人信件与回忆录, 揭开这段亚裔女性被奴役与反抗的历史. 书中既有震撼人心的个人逃亡, 也细致呈现了女性们彼此扶持, 用坚韧和勇气重新开启新的人生."--