The Moys of New York and Shanghai - One Family's Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution

The most extraordinary family you've never heard of.
Born to Chinese immigrant parents, the Moy siblings grew up in an America that questioned their citizenship and denied their equality. Sophisticated and self-consciously modern, they challenged limitations and stereotypes in the United States and sought new opportunities in China's tumultuous republic. Sometimes the risks they took paid off, but their occasional recklessness also led to infidelity, divorce, bankruptcy, and worse. Those in China faced pressure to collaborate with Japanese occupiers, making choices that had serious consequences for their siblings in the United States.

Charlotte Brooks's gripping tale follows the family back and forth across the Pacific and through two world wars, China's Nationalist and Communist revolutions, and the Cold War--events that the siblings and their spouses helped shape. The Moys' incredible story offers a kaleidoscopic view of an entire generation's struggle for acceptance and belonging.

About the author

Charlotte Brooks is Professor of History at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is author of American Exodus, Between Mao and McCarthy, and Alien Neighbors, Foreign Friends.

Product details

• Authors: Charlotte Brooks
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.03.2026
• EAN: 9780520409552
• ISBN: 978-0-520-40955-2
• No. of pages: 392
• Illustrations: one 8-page and one 16-page insert; with 40 b-w images
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; China, New York, Ethnic Studies, Shanghai, Social & cultural history, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, HISTORY / Asia / China, Social and cultural history, Asian History, History of the Americas, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Race & Ethnic Relations, Black & Asian Studies, Relating to Asian American people, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Cultural & Ethnic Studies / Asian Studies, Ethnic studies / Ethnicity, New York (state), HISTORY / Asian American & Pacific Islander