Certainly, there were “Boston marriages” (a term in use around this time) even on the west coast! Mr. The LGBTQIA+ representation is not a large part of the story, but it’s nice to see it represented in a historical context.

Mei does not have a lot of hope for her future at the beginning of the story, but it is good to see that by the end, there are other options for her. The information about logging camps is well researched and informative. Reimagining them with a Chinese Auntie makes perfect sense, since folklore is always adapted to fit different cultures. This was a great historical story with a unique spin on the Paul Bunyan tales. Andersen starts to realize how badly he has treated the Chinese miners, and especially the Hao’s, and tries to make amends. This happens more often when tragedy occurs in Bee’s family, and the whole logging camp struggles to deal with this event. As the tensions in camp worsen, Mei begins to think that she actually sees Auntie Po. Mei is known for telling stories to keep the children happy, and has told many stories about Auntie Po, a Paul Bunyan-like character who also has an ox, and who takes care of the miners. The food is awful, and the white men in the camp eventually approach Mei to help feed them, and go to Mr. Hao and his Chinese assistant are both fired. Hao doesn’t particularly like, although he keeps silent, and when the people who own the camp complain, Mr. Andersen hires his brother to “help” in the kitchen, which Mr. There are also a few black workers, who hold a place somewhere in between. The Chinese loggers are fed separately from the white loggers, Mei is not paid, and the treatment of Chinese workers is not equal. In other ways, the differences are clear. Since Mei has a crush on Bee, she has conflicted feelings when Mei talks about getting married and prefers the scenario where the two move to the city and run a pie shop together. Mei is best friends with Bee, and the two often plan their futures together. Because Mei and her father are Chinese, there is a lot of prejudice against them, even though Mr. In 1885, Mei Hao lives with her father, who is a cook for a logging camp in California run by Mr.

The legend of auntie po