"Daughters of Shandong" by Eve J. Chung is an intense study of the Communists vs. Nationalists in China and how a family of no male heirs suffered through it all. The conflict does not come up much in American history books, so hearing about the cruelty exercised in the name of the country surprised me and reminded me of Taiwan's importance.

A family of all women, forced to answer for the patriarch's crimes, sets up a tragic journey, but the Ang women find glimmers of hope along a long, arduous path. They struggle for even the most basic of items and stay with a kind uncle who happens to have tuberculosis, made all the more traumatizing by the fact that the author based the story on her grandmother's life.

History buffs will not be surprised by the secrets and fear associated with the Communist Party, but the political conflict tears apart the family as people fight for essentials. The Communists show cruelty to the Nationalists and each other, reminding us why the generation before us feared that ideology so much.

It all adds to what has made historical fiction a top genre for many readers. American history books say so little about this struggle in China, and so many recent books are here to teach us. Unconditional respect for elders and the favoritism shown to boys remain important themes to most Asians in literature, and they exist in droves here.

Avid readers who gravitate towards Civil War/Slavery novels or those about Word War II/Holocaust books will recognize these characters who must survive with next to nothing to find a way to live. In a world where we think that our political affliction is worth dying for, we will understand the themes even as the number of Communist countries decreases exponentially.