The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family's Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution

by Charlotte Brooks

The most extraordinary family you’ve never heard of.

Born to Chinese immigrant parents, the Moy siblings grew up in an America that questioned their citizenship and denied their equality. Sophisticated and self-consciously modern, they challenged limitations and stereotypes in the United States and sought new opportunities in China’s tumultuous republic. Sometimes the risks they took paid off, but their occasional recklessness also led to infidelity, divorce, bankruptcy, and worse. Those in China faced pressure to collaborate with Japanese occupiers, making choices that had serious consequences for their siblings in the United States.
 
Charlotte Brooks’s gripping tale follows the family back and forth across the Pacific and through two world wars, China’s Nationalist and Communist revolutions, and the Cold War—events that the siblings and their spouses helped shape. The Moys’ incredible story offers a kaleidoscopic view of an entire generation’s struggle for acceptance and belonging.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, China

392 pages, Hardcover

Published March 10, 2026

About the author

Charlotte Brooks is a historian and author who has published widely on Asian American history, especially Chinese American and Chinese diaspora history. Originally from California, she graduated from Yale and worked in mainland China and Hong Kong before earning a PhD from Northwestern University. She is a professor of history at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, as well as a proud New Yorker.

Reviews

[CarrieLyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This held me as if it were historical fiction even though it’s nonfiction. What a great way to learn some history of China through the personal stories of this sprawling dynastic family. Great storytelling and so well researched through access to the family. I heard the author speak and the audience was mostly Amoy descendants whose trust in her to tell their family story seems well placed. If you are descended from Chinese immigrants you must read this but I am not and enjoyed it immensely

[Pam Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. I’m not particularly interested in Chinese history, but I do enjoy any well written narrative nonfiction, and this fits the bill perfectly. The siblings’ stories are so compelling, and the historical context just adds extra drama and intrigue. I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a highly readable and fascinating family saga.