First published 2010
In 1968 San Francisco, as Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy fall to assassins' bullets, a diverse group of students, laborers, artists, and revolutionaries navigate the chaos of a nation in upheaval. The Vietnam War rages while cities burn and students flood the streets in protest. Through Chinatown's crowded blocks, these activists clash over ideologies and struggle with personal conflicts as they pursue their vision of civil rights. Their individual stories unfold across ten years of social transformation, each person pulled into the turbulent current of politics and passion that defines the era. When the International Hotel faces demolition, this community must unite to preserve the building that has become the center of the Yellow Power Movement. Their fight to save this gathering place becomes more than a battle over real estate. It transforms into a defining moment that captures the essence of what it means to be American during one of the country's most tumultuous decades.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, social-issues, activism
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-justice
Setting: Chinatown, San Francisco
Period: 1968
613 pages · Paperback · Coffee House Press
Content warnings: violence