Straw Dogs of the Universe: A Novel

by Ye Chun

A harrowing and redemptive immigrant story for readers of Pachinko

A Chinese railroad worker and his young daughter—sold into servitude—in 19th century California search for family, fulfillment, and belonging in a violent new land

"Heaven and earth do not pick and choose.
They see everything as straw dogs."

A sweeping historical novel of the American West from the little-seen perspective of those who helped to build it, Straw Dogs of the Universe traces the story of one Chinese father and his young daughter, desperate to find him against all odds.

After her village is devastated by famine, 10-year-old Sixiang is sold to a human trafficker for a bag of rice and six silver coins. Her mother is reluctant to let her go, but the promise of a better life for her beloved daughter ultimately sways her. Arriving in America with the profits from her sale and a single photograph of Guifeng, her absent father, Sixiang journeys across an unfamiliar American landscape in the hopes of reuniting her family. 

As she makes her way through an unforgiving new world, her father, a railroad worker in California, finds his attempts to build a life for himself both upended and defined by along-lost love and the seemingly inescapable violence of the American West. A generational saga ranging from the villages of China to the establishment of the transcontinental railroad and the anti-Chinese movement in California, Straw Dogs of the Universe considers the tenacity of family ties and the courage it takes to survive in a country that rejects you, even as it relies upon your labor.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, China, Historical, Asian Literature, Asian American, Family

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 17, 2023

About the author

Ye Chun / 叶春 (Surname: Ye) is a bilingual Chinese American writer and literary translator. She was born in Luoyang, China and came to the U.S. in 1999. She received an MFA in Poetry from the University of Virginia and a PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Missouri. She is the author of Straw Dogs of the Universe (a novel), Hao (stories), two books of poetry, Travel Over Water and Lantern Puzzle, and a novel in Chinese,《海上的桃树》(Peach Tree in the Sea).
She has published four volumes of translations, including Ripened Wheat: Selected Poems of Hai Zi, shortlisted for the 2016 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Award, and Long River: Poems by Yang Jian. Her translations of Li-Young Lee's Behind My Eyes and Undressing,《眼睛后面: 李立扬诗歌》, and Galway Kinnell's The Book of Nightmares,《梦魇之书》, came out from People's Literature Publishing House in 2019 and 2021.
A recipient of an NEA Fellowship, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and three Pushcart Prizes, she is an associate professor at Providence College.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It means heaven and earth do not pick and choose. They see everything as straw dogs."

"Straw dogs?"

"They're dogs made of straw our ancients used for sacrifices . . . "

Ye Chun's first English novel examines the lives of Chinese immigrants to the U.S. in the late 1800s. She recounts horrific incidents of violence against men who helped build the railroad; they were paid a lower salary than white men, then cast aside when the project was finished. They and their families were shot at, or burned out of the homes and businesses they had built.

In this world, you either found yourself hunted down or pointing a gun at the hunter.

Though highly disconcerting, this immersive, mesmerizing read features beautiful writing:

He was now one of the thousands of Chinese men brought here to nibble through the hard granite, an ant, no bigger than the numerous pinpoint stars below which they pitched their canvas tents.

The characters are richly developed, and utterly believable. Reading this novel is an experience - unforgettable, and highly recommended.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually read contemporary fiction but I was very excited to read STRAW DOGS OF THE UNIVERSE by Ye Chun because I really enjoyed her short story collection Hao. This is a great novel set in 19th century California about Guifeng, a Chinese railroad worker, and Sixiang, his young daughter he left behind. She’s sold into servitude and tries to find her father in America. I found this book very sad and moving as each character had to endure so much from racism, famine, grief, fractured family, dangerous work, disability, violence and addiction. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and timeline. This is a sweeping family saga that really showed this family’s resilience. I was rooting for Guifeng, Sixiang, Feiyan and Daoshi the whole time. I was in awe of the women in this family. Chun shines in writing women. Both Sixiang and Feiyan are strong, relentless and the backbone to their families.

Thank you to Catapult for my ARC!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This multi generational family epic will leave you reading deep into the night. What starts off with a young Chinese girl, sold to provide food for her mother and grandmother, and then transported to the US, with the hope of finding her father and a hope for a better life. Instead, it portrays the aspects of the Chinese in America, labor issues, and its ugly history. Told from multiple points of view, this family seeks to survive and thrive, despite the violence inflicted upon them. These characters will stay with the reader for a long time.

I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own.

Staff Pick: November 2023

[Ross.・parli.amo.ne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non posso scrivere niente, ho gli occhi pieni di lacrime e non vedo

4,5

Leggetelo

[Amelia E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The courage it takes to survive in a country that rejects you even as it relies upon your labor"

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't know what I expect reading these historical novels. I know there will be hardships, I know there will be rising above to overcome, but it feels like every single one of them boils down to "And then she was raped, and then she was raped some more, and here's some racial slurs, and then he was beaten, and she also got raped, and some more beatings, but hey that's how it goes." Beautiful writing, sure, but when it's used for such bleak and awful stuff, it hardly matters.

[Maggie Reno · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It was an offering of care for both the living and the dead. The care itself must be what mattered, no matter what it could or could not do.”

I am shattered, but in the way I want a book to leave me. I’m crying and heartbroken. This was enlightening and heartbreaking and it feels so apt to the world we’re living in now.
“The courage it takes to survive in a country that rejects you even as it relies upon your labor”

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straw Dogs of the Universe by Ye Chen is a beautifully written punch to the gut about Chinese immigration, racism, and the exploitative labor practices in California in the late 1800s. This historical fiction novel follows many characters through a multiple point of view style including Sixiang, a young girl sold into slavery by her mother, Guifeng, Sixiang’s father who left for California before she was born, Feiyan, a wild and bold woman who longs to be free, and Daoshi, a Daoist priest who teaches and struggles with his beliefs. The story is folded together beautifully, twinging together these four lives through grief, loss, addiction, sacrifice, and dreams. Be prepared for the brutality, which is not softened by Ye’s beautiful prose.

In full transparency, I would not have finished this book if it had not been assigned. There is much explicit death, several of the characters are children. As someone who has studied this time period and the building of the American railroad system in depth, I did not enjoy having to read the brutality again.

[Giada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cani di paglia nell'universo di Ye Chun è una storia di immigrazione, identità e sopravvivenza. Un padre e una figlia, a distanza di dieci anni, intraprendono lo stesso cammino; lasciano il loro paese per tentare la fortuna altrove, negli Stati Uniti.
Ye Chun, al suo esordio, trasporta il lettore in una storia negata ma dal sapore  attuale, mostrandoci anche un' America ancora tutta da costruire.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know that you can LIKE a book like this. It's depressing and enraging, but it is a book one SHOULD read. It just highlights that humans are humans, good and bad, everywhere. Beautifully told with multiple viewpoints and short chapters. Very complex.

[Eileen Daly-Boas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing novel. The writing is superb, and the story is so well-crafted. Unforgettable characters in heartbreaking situations.

[Booknblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ye Chun's Straw Dogs of the Universe is a rip-your-heart-out novel. I love them, but will admit to wondering at one point if I could finish it. I am glad that I stayed with it, because the straw dogs did survive.

Straw Dogs is a historical fiction set in China and primarily in California. It is set the latter half of the 19th century with the Chinese immigrants building the Transcontinental Railroad and the subsequent reaction to the Chinese.

It is told through and interwoven narrative between 4 different characters; Gaifeng a young Chinese man who leaves China and works on building the railroad, Sixiang, his young daughter who he left before she was born who comes to California searching for him, Daoshi, a fellow railroad worker whose family were Taoist priests and he becomes a spiritual leader while working on the railroad, and Feiyang, a young woman from Gaifeng's village who flees to America from an abusive husband.

I found this book to be well researched, with beautiful writing and excellent characterization. I came to care deeply for each of these individuals.

I was struck by the parallels to our current political situation.

If you have the fortitude and interest, I encourage you to read Straw Dogs of the Universe.

[Emma Hersom · Rating 5 out of 5]

an enthralling historical fiction about anti-Chinese violence, the egregious exploitation of 19th-century workers, and the incredible resilience among Chinese immigrants despite the horrors of brutal racism and violence faced in the alleys of San Francisco and beauty of the Sierra Nevada. this story was truly heartbreaking but so beautifully crafted, and one that i’ll be thinking of for awhile

[Paola Vicidomini · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITOLO: Cani di paglia nell'universo
AUTORE: Ye Chun
PAGINE: 320

“Per loro siamo tutti cani di paglia».
«Cani di paglia?»
«I cani di paglia che facevano i nostri antenati per i sacrifici. I cani veri costavano troppo, quindi usavano quelli di paglia. Un cane di paglia era un sacrificio apprezzato, ma dopo veniva bruciato o gettato via. Buono o cattivo, cielo e terra non accordano e non negano il proprio favore. Ai loro occhi, è tutto uguale. Siamo tutti cani di paglia.”

Confesso che con la Cina non ho mai avuto un rapporto di particolare interesse, non so il motivo, ma avevo sentito parlare bene di questo libro da un mio amico e ho colto l’occasione al volo.
L’ho apprezzato molto, sia per la prosa che per i contenuti e, anche se il tema è doloroso, il filo conduttore del viaggio mi ha tenuto incollata alle pagine.
Il punto di forza iniziale della narrazione sta proprio nella forte incisività del titolo; i cani di paglia nell’antica Cina erano delle offerte sacrificali utilizzate in occasione delle cerimonie funebri ma, nonostante fossero pazientemente intrecciati e riccamente addobbati, al termine della funzione venivano calpestati e bruciati, e questa forte metafora simbolica rappresenta l’indifferenza e la riduzione ad una condizione di nullità riservata ai personaggi.
Quello che mi ha colpito di più è stato proprio il portare all’attenzione del lettore l’evento storico dell’emigrazione in America di un numero spaventoso di cinesi nel XIX secolo, costruendo l’idea di un viaggio parallelo a distanza di pochi anni di due vite, padre e figlia, testimoni delle difficoltà e delle sofferenze che tutti in egual misura, hanno dovuto subire.
Ciò ha consentito all’autrice di mettere in evidenza le inevitabili differenze tra uomini e donne, i primi costretti a lavori logoranti e pericolosi, le seconde spesso avviate sulla strada della prostituzione.
Credo che questo libro contenga anche un forte grido di denuncia di un popolo verso la tanto patinata Montagna d’Oro, quell’America tutta stelle e meraviglia che, tuttavia, si è costruita anche con il sacrificio di tanti uomini immigrati, doppiamente emarginati; in primis, biasimati e derisi per essere diversi, portatori di una cultura sconosciuta, poi, odiati perché considerati usurpatori di lavoro da parte di chi li aveva immessi in massa proprio per sottrarre i cittadini americani a mansioni pericolose, svolte in condizioni disumane.
E anche laddove entravano in gioco le fantomatiche Missioni, in particolare verso gli orfani di tenera età, mi ha “disturbato”, l’intento tutt’altro che caritatevole su cui si basava la progressiva americanizzazione delle persone di etnia asiatica, quasi costrette a snaturarsi per essere accettate.
“Non permettere loro di trasformarti in una scimmia“ è uno dei passi che ho trovato più forte nell’ambito di un vero e proprio processo di addestramento di tali individui, che comprendeva il distacco dalla loro religione per creare un avvicinamento coatto al cristianesimo, la formazione come domestici, l’apprendimento della lingua inglese, il cambiamento dell’abbigliamento, dei capelli e di tutto ciò che di altro era modificabile.
Ciò faceva parte di una missione riformatrice in cui la condizione maggiormente favorevole era quella di essere orfano, solo e indifeso, quindi maggiormente plasmabile, e in cui non c’era posto per un padre o per un paese da ritrovare, perché questo avrebbe comportato un riavvicinamento a ciò che doveva essere reciso, ovvero le proprie origini.
Ho percepito molto forte il senso di dignità e, soprattutto, di ricerca della propria identità ad ogni costo, il restare ancorati alle proprie tradizioni, che sono memoria di un’appartenenza; in questo senso i continui richiami alle tradizioni cinesi, oltre alle citazioni di vere e proprie dissertazioni filosofiche che riportano al Taoismo, disegnano i tratti di una cultura che i personaggi chiave si portano dietro come una seconda pelle, spesso interrogandosi sulla conformità del loro comportamento ai dettami della loro fede, anche quando le circostanze li hanno portati a deviare completamente dalla retta via.

[Elena L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5/5 stars]

1876, 10-year-old Sixiang is sold for a bag of rice after a typhon hit her village and suffering from famine. She is sent to Gold Mountain (California) to have a better life while also trying to find her father who disappeared years ago.

The story centers around the experience of Chinese immigrants in early American West. Through Sixiang's father and his fellow coworkers, Chun offers a precise look at the exploitation of those working at the transcontinental railroad while suffering from Anti-Chinese sentiment.

The characters are swallowed by a supposed land-of-opportunities and at the same time when they start losing their identities, they don't succumb to the 'Americanization' or the pressure of the religion. It sums up to mere survival, with characters wanting to outrun their fate, to save or to be saved.

One Chinese cultural element that I appreciated is the deep meditation on 'Daoism' - while the characters grapple with their own ghost, the resilience comes in form of 'Dao'. Ultimately, it is their striving force, mostly the only way to stay alive. The beautiful prose counterweights the harrowing and somber nature of the story, letting the emotions linger a bit longer than expected.

Told from multiple POVs and dual timeline, the narrative often feels elusive. Chun boldly covers white-washing, white supremacy, racism, starting anew and the meaning of home. The family ties are the 'redeeming' aspect of the agony, playing with our hope. I would have loved some loose ends to be tied up at the end, however the ending felt realistic.

STRAW DOGS OF THE UNIVERSE is a book that highlights an overlooked part of American history. It is painful, infuriating yet a relevant read.

(note: STRAW DOGS OF THE UNIVERSE is a great pairing with HOW MUCH OF THESE HILLS IS GOLD by C Pam Zhang)

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher - Catapult . All opinions are my own ]

[Jifu · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

Ye Chun gives a look into the Chinese immigrant experience in late 1900s California on a level unlike any other that I’ve personally seen before. Of course there’s the cruel blatant xenophobia, condescending white savior racism of American “allies”, white supremacist riots, legal injustice in excess, and an abundance of exploitation and severely underpaid, life-threatening working conditions in many of the jobs to be had. However, besides these expected horrors, the author uses her characters to explore the challenges that were to be had on a deeper level - the existential crises, questions of identity, and the searching for greater meaning while trying to survive in a land that seemed hellbent on rejecting them at every turn. And as a result, she also ends up revealing something that few of us probably think about or realize - the incredible resilience that they must have possessed in order to not just merely survive, but to also find both belonging and a sense of purpose as they struggled to build actual lives.

Once it’s published and more widely available, I look forward to recommending Straw Dogs of the Universe' to others in need of their next book to tackle. This not only shines another much, much, much-needed light on a part of American history that still feels inexplicably and horribly overlooked, but it strikes that fine balance between gut-wrenching and hopeful, making it one of my most memorable and favorite reads of the year so far.

[yue ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.. but since i gave four treasures of the sky a 3.5 bumped up to 4 i think i also have to give this a 4... ultimately a prettily written and thoughtful book that asks interesting questions about labour (including sex work), care and faith/spirituality and the work of care, the way of the dao, and "filial" "piety." interesting, believable characters whose actions are sometimes mindblowingly ??? and a little annoying but who you have to forgive bc their plights are so miserable. anyway, this is, however, a terrible book to read when you and maybe seventeen vietnamese people are the only asians in manchester, new hampshire. got me jumping at every turn on elm st

mild spoilers to follow:

my central problem is ye chun seems to have so much attachment to her main cast of characters that the only people she kills off are characters who are barely known, who are more like lessons told by their histories than people with mutable personalities not completely fettered to their pasts

also why did we lose the ghosts like a third of the way through. what happened to them before they came back.

give daoshi a personality

pacing is also very very weird during the last part of the book; i think the temporal scope was a bit too ambitious. like what do you mean 2.5 years passed since sixiang did X and we're still here and everyone seems to be the exact same

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular and sobering novel about the Chinese-American experience in San Francisco and Truckee (“Gold Mountain") in the late nineteenth century. It’s beautifully written and meticulously researched. I love getting my history from fiction but it only works when the characters are as compelling as these.
When a drought makes their life in China impossible, ten year old Sixiang is sold by her mother to a woman who takes her to America. In California, Sixiang tries to find her father, Guifeng, who had immigrated before her birth to work on the railroad. The novel alternates their perspectives, adding also the woman whom Sixiang's father loved before his marriage. Richly detailed about life in San Francisco and Truckee, appalling in its evocation of the cold, strategic racism toward the Chinese, this is a novel I won't forget.

[Emily G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful novel with weaving together a richly told historical tapestry of the Chinese dream in America to earn wages to blast mountains for the railroads in the Sierra Mountains, the dangers endured, what happened to the Chinese workers when the railroad tracks were completed, and the hate and violence they endured throughout, especially after the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This is not just a story of Chinese immigrants; it is an American story.

[Caitlin Anason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking eye-opening read, a must read book.

[Dagmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure how to describe this book... Lyrical, scathing, poetic, sad, uplifting...

Give it a read!

[Florey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the incredibly brave and deeply flawed humans that wove around this novel. I was emotional at the end, surprised of this. Well done, Ye Chun.

[Vivienne Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will just break your heart again and again. Filled with tragedy but also perseverance and hope.

[Emily Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[Martina Vignoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro molto crudo, scritto molto bene. Scorrevole, intricato. Una perla. Da leggere, come ogni libro che parla di emigrazione, per sensibilizzare sul senso di civiltà e umanità.

[Giulia Jumanji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un titolo emblematico che riporta a una credenza religioso-popolare: I cani di paglia, ci viene spiegato, erano manufatti creati dagli antenati per essere offerti per i sacrifici. In questa frase così coincisa e brutale si riconosce il destino del padre di Sixiang, figlia abbandonata da lui stesso in tenera età, che non riesce a ridestarsi dopo la perdita di un arto e una situazione moralmente deplorevole.

La protagonista Sixiang è spettatrice di morte: una presenza oscura che arriva a colpire i suoi coetanei,ma più in generale le persone oppresse dal sistema, gli umili, che alla fine non posso sperare che in questo tragico epilogo.

La dimensione spirituale e mortifera molto presente durante la narrazione dei fatti: percepiamo moltissimo l'attaccamento ai defunti da parte della protagonista, quasi come spiriti che le fanno da famiglia, dai quali non separarsi, entità e persone sempre vive nella vita della ragazza.

Il romanzo viene costruito su base tematica e pov, riportando flashback inerenti ad altri personaggi di contorno, che hanno vissuto vite altrettanto problematiche all'insegna di sofferenza e stenti, in cui lo sfruttamento umano è alla base del lavoro.
Non mancano i cenni storici: siamo nella Cina di fine 800, in cui il colonialismo fa piazza pulita delle civiltà Manciù attraverso saccheggi, violenza e sfruttamento lavorativo. Un quadro sociale e storico che rende la vicenda ancora più tragica.

[Ronald Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim leads to grimmer in this historical novel in late 19th century California. The characters are a series of individuals who came from China, mostly to work on or around the building of the railroad. The harshness and brutality of the hypocritical treatment they received is worth the attention of every page.

[Unalettriceatokyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐️

Bellissimo. Non al livello di “Quanto oro c’è in queste colline” di Pam C. Zhang, ma ci si avvicina molto.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would happily give this book a 4.5 or 4.75 rating if allowed. Important historical references and excellent story telling of a difficult time in China and the US.

[Julia Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being an Asian-American, I actually don't know much about the history of Asians in America, mainly because it's not covered extensively in our history classes. I am happy that in recent years there's been more awareness about our history, such as through authors/speakers like Helen Zia, Cathy Park Hong, Jeff Yang, and many more! And there are more museums now (like the Museum of Chinese in America in NYC).

This book was another glimpse into part of Chinese-American history, focused on characters who were in California during the Gold Rush and railroad building periods. Ye Chun effortlessly brings these characters to life in this novel, and I've no doubt there were real people like Sixiang, Guifeng, Daoshi, Feiyan in real life. Each of these characters experience tragedies like getting their homes burned multiple times, dangerous work conditions with lower pay, rape, and just general discrimination and terror by white Americans, but together, they adapt to these circumstances and survive.

Although so much time has passed since, there still is similar anti-Asian sentiment (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic), which makes reading these books all the more important to see how far we've come and how much we have to go.

The only downside with the book is some of the parts about Daoism was a bit tricky to understand, but that might just be because I'm not as familiar with it and the translation is not as seamless.

One of my favorite quotes:

A fountain dried up. Two fish are strangded on land. They blow bubbles to wet each other. They feed each other with their saliva. It's better they forget each other in rivers and lakes.