Idaho Commission for Libraries

Thousand Pieces of Gold (1981) is a novelized account of the life of Polly Bemis, a Chinese slave girl brought to the Warrens mining district of Idaho in the late 19th century. Describing anti-Chinese prejudice in Idaho, the novel also brings to life Polly's courage, hard work, and indomitable spirit as she adapts to life and to love in her new homeland.

Ruthanne Lum McCunn, born in 1946, lived her early life in San Francisco and spent summers in Boise with relatives where she encountered prejudice. A librarian and teacher, she became a writer to depict "the rich Chinese-American history that is totally unmined" and has published several books about Chinese American culture.

Information on Ruthanne Lum McCunn

www.mccunn.com/Ruthanne.html
The official web site for author Ruthanne Lum McCunn. It includes her biography, a bibliography, book reviews, photos, and contact information.

Information on Thousand Pieces of Gold

http://www.beacon.org/client/readguide/8313rg.cfm
A reading and discussion guide from the publisher, Beacon Press.

Information on Polly Bemis

www.mccunn.com/PollyPic.html
Photos of Polly and her ranch

http://pollybemis.org/
A website featuring a children's picture book biography, Polly Bemis: An American Pioneer by Priscilla Wegars. It includes lesson plans for the 4th grade Idaho history curriculum.

http://www.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/RESEARCH.HTM
Research on Polly Bemis and other Chinese immigrants by Priscilla Wegers, Ph.D., University of Idaho.

Wild Women of the Old West, by Glenda Riley and RIchard W. Eutulain. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Pub., 2003. Chapter 3, "Polly Bemis: Lurid Life or Literary Legend?" by Priscilla Wegars.

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