About the Book
Using source documents, including a 150-year-old fortune teller scroll, Hop Lee's hand-written journal, and a box of 100-year-old photographs, the story of this Chinese American pioneer turned businessman comes to life on the book's pages.
We watch him grow from arrival in Albany, Oregon's Chinatown, through a disastrous stint as a cook for a railroad gang run out of camp for burning the rice, through his days learning his ticket to the American dream as a Chinese laundryman. Along the way, the ever-ambitious and enterprising Hop Lee runs headlong into Anti-Chinse racism with the Chinese Exclusion Act and the massacre of Chinese miners at Deep Creek in Eastern Oregon. Hop befriends a young Nez Perce warrior in the last adventure by disguising him as a Cantonese. Yellow Fox and Hop have a friendship that transcends cultures and spans decades.
Hop's laundry business in Salem, Oregon, is squarely in the crosshairs of the White laundry owners who started a campaign called Bust the Trust to drive the Chinese out of the dirty clothes business.
Realizing the need to diversify their portfolios, Hop Lee and fellow immigrant merchant George Sun learn the art of hop farming in the fertile Willamette Valley. They participate in the Northwest's Rise of the Chinese Hop Men, a nearly forgotten chapter in our history. In their haste, they run into the Women's Temperance Union and Prohibition, depressing the price of hops.
After almost three decades as a bachelor in America, Hop decides to try to find an American-born Chinese wife, a tall order in a country where there are 20 Chinese men for every woman. So, Hop takes the train to San Francisco and uses a matchmaker to find the rare jewel - the American-born Chinese girl. What happens next is the journey and the tale of how this single Willow Tree became a Willow Forrest.
While seeking his elusive dream of citizenship, Hop Lee was, in his heart, a true American who believed in the spirit and possibilities of his adopted country. His story embodies the tale of the bold, bright, determined immigrants who proudly built America with their sweat, imagination, and ingenuity. Those who stayed created the ripples that gave us life as individuals and as a nation of nations.
Review :
Chinese have been immigrating to the United States since the 1800's. They built the railroads, Chinatowns, and farmlands, infusing their culture into their adopted country. Yet, their history is not known to most Americans.
This story bears witness to this history. The book has many valuable archives, documents, photos, and materials related to the experiences of a single Chinese American family. Using these primary sources, this multigenerational story takes us back to a laundry in Salem, Oregon, in the 1800s, a nearby hop farm, and into the lives of young men going off to defend their country in WWII.
This novel tells an important story that fosters our understanding of a significant chapter in Chinese American history. It is a personal story about who we are and how we got to where we are today, told with great imagination and passion. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fascinating novel, and I am sure you will too."
Li-Rong Cheng, PhD
Professor, Historian, Linguist, Inductee into the Women's Museum Hall of Fame Founder of the SDSU Chinese American Cultural Center
"This novel is a joy to read. The characters had me immediately invested in them. Being familiar with the Snake River area, I was there with them as they traveled up the river to the massacre site. The Nez Perce had a stone monument installed at the site around ten years ago, as a memorial for the men who were murdered. It is in Nez Perce, English and Cantonese. I did help with the language carved into the monument. Judging by his photo, Hop Lee could've passed for a Nez Perce. In those days, Nez Perce were not treated well by most of society, and I imagine Asian people suffered the same. Working on a Chinese-owned farm was less tense than working on a White-owned farm. I also know love for fish was most likely a commonality the Nez Perce and Chinese shared."
-Thomas Gregory/ tátlo Nez Perce Language Team Leader Nez Perce Language Program Nez Perce Tribe
"Dive into Russ Low's captivating novel, 'A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest, ' where the journey of Low Sun Fook unfolds as he arrives in the US and Oregon in 1877, embarking on a voyage into the unknown with unyielding courage. As he navigates this unfamiliar terrain, Low Sun Fook's resilience, resourcefulness, and intelligence shine, shaping a remarkable new life for himself.
Unveiling the tender humanity of the protagonist is a rare gem in this narrative, infusing it with warmth and empathy. In a landscape where stories of Chinese men often remain distant, the portrayal of Low Sun Fook's interactions with his children radiates a truly extraordinary quality. This tale deviates from the norm, presenting a father who not only shares emotions but also fosters profound bonds with his children. A departure from the reticent grandfather stereotype often found in immigrant chronicles, here it's the father who exchanges love and emotion with his offspring, creating a poignant and heartwarming dynamic.
Sue Lee Executive Director Chinese Historical Society of America 2004-2017
"An amazing missing piece of Salem's history. The author deftly weaves family stories, heirlooms, and primary documents together to bring the history of Hop Lee and family to life. Connecting generations by gathering, preserving and sharing the Mid-Willamette Valley history"
Kylie Pine Curator and Collections Manager Willamette Heritage Center
