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Once again, the Tales of Young Americans Series has introduced me to a compelling slice of American history that I knew almost nothing about. That’s what I appreciate most about Tales of Young Americans—each story is short, well told, beautifully illustrated, and rooted in a specific moment of our shared past that continues to shape who we are.
Paper Son is a fictionalized account of a Chinese boy immigrating to America in 1926. After the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco destroyed many birth records, some Chinese Americans began claiming additional “children” on paper thus creating a path for others in China to immigrate under false familial ties. These children were known as “paper sons” and “paper daughters.” Families purchased documentation from U.S. residents, and immigration officials at Angel Island responded with rigorous interviews and quarantine measures to root out fraud. Children were often equipped with detailed coaching books to help them memorize the invented family histories.
This story follows a boy named Lee from his grandparents’ farm in China to the harsh uncertainty of Angel Island. It’s a window into a world I hadn’t encountered before—one marked by hardship, risk, and remarkable ingenuity.
Paper Son invites readers to wrestle with complex questions: What drives families to make such sacrifices? What are the moral and ethical implications of bending the truth in pursuit of a better life? How has our national immigration story shifted—or stayed the same—over the last century?
I would recommend this book to anyone studying early 20th-century immigration, Chinese American history, or California’s past. It would make an excellent read-aloud for families or classrooms, especially those willing to linger and discuss the questions it raises.