Concubine's Children, The

Part memoir, part history, this book is highly recommended for BC’s high school students. It tells the story of May-ying, the author’s maternal grandmother, who at the age of 17 became a concubine to Chan Sam, who left his family in China to search for wealth in British Columbia’s Chinatowns. May-ying lived her life as a waitress in many tea houses—with her wages used to support Chan's family back in China. She becomes a single mother and slips into a life of alcohol abuse and gambling.