Dragon Road

Golden Mountain Chronicles #6

by Laurence Yep

In 1939, unable to find regular jobs because of the Great Depression, long-time friends Cal Chin and Barney Young tour the country as members of a Chinese-American basketball team, which forces them both to make some difficult decisions.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Sports, Young Adult, Childrens, Cultural, Fiction, Asian American

291 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Born June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.

Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Armando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around the Globe in 52 Books
[Prompt: A Book that Highlights the Challenges of Being an Outsider]

Wow a great find at my local bookstore.

I absolutely love books about basketball and this story definitely has earned its top marks in that category. It captures the spirit of being in an underdog team, growing to learn to work with each other and the bonding experience of hard travels and hard games won and lost with each other. And the author does a great job of capturing all of this within this historical setting of America in the 1930s. He captures what it was like to not only be Chinese back then, but also to be second generation American-Chinese back then. The book has a lot of generational relationships showing how each generation dealt with the racism back then, their tight knitted communities, the differences between the generations, and their perseverance, as well as shining a light on other minority groups back then. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the Globetrotters make an appearance here, and how the author didn't shy away from the prejudice they faced despite their super stardom.

The characters were so great as well. I loved Calvin and Barney as the main characters, how different they were to each other and their relationships to their girlfriends Tiger and Jean. I liked seeing both of their growths, and I loved Calvin's journey especially. And the cast of the entire basketball team of the Dragons, a great mix of characters and personalities that kept the story lighthearted during its darker moments.

This book was very inspiring, very motivating, and just very interesting to read. Definitely happy to have this on my shelf.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I thought I could Handle the ball, but I was a Lummox next to Ted Strong. He had the biggest hands I'd ever seen-and the quickest."
Good look at the early years of basketball, the Harlem Globetrotters and others who started to gain the public's interest in Basketball.
Also a good look at the history of the Chinese here in America and especially the west.
Interesting how the Chinatowns and Japenese lived next door to one another and the marches demonstrating for help back in War-torn China in the 1930's.
Plus the music of what folks were hearing from the radio and especially how things were going to change.

[Regina Guarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another tremendous coming-of-age book by Laurence Yep. Who knew that following a 1939 San Francisco Chinatown basketball team across the country --game by game and play by play --would make fascinating reading. The narrator, a 19-year-old whiz, his first time out of Chinatown, learns the psychology of teamwork beyond the techniques of basketball; he learns whether he's gonna be a cheater or an honorable player and man; he learns to love the game beyond the paycheck and to trust his teammates beyond the court.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows the struggle of being Chinese during this time. Even though they may be more qualified for a job if a white person needs one they get same with pretty much everything else, except basketball.

[Letitia Moffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A delightful, fun journey, based on a factual tidbit I hadn't known about: A Chinese version of the Harlem Globetrotters that played briefly in the late 1930s.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a basketastic, breath stopping, and AMAZING book! THis book is called Dragon Road by Lauren Yep an Newbery honor author. This book is about during the Great Depression in 1939, Cal and Barney are best friends living in Chinatown. They are unable to find jobs because american people refuse to hire Chinese, they occasionally make money by playing basketball on the streets. They are recruited to play for a traveling team, the Dragons, and they barnstorm across America playing anyone and everyone along the way. They meet a lot of friends in the team such as bossy Topper, Prankster Alphonso, and other friends.

Flash Chin is a very talented basket ball player but does not go on a proffesional team because Americans don't accept him. So, he keeps on challenging Americans out of Chinatown, and earnes money for it. He keeps on doing this until he joines a traveling team called the Dragons, and starts to really challenge himself. This shows that Flash is a teenager who doesn't really want to be in the spotlight, and likes to just make peoople think he can't do anything. For example, when he met an old men who was speking chinese to him he sopke English, and when an American spoke to him he spoke Chinese instead. Flash is also a straight minded person because when his formal Dragon team captain abandoned them he decided to leave the team, and go back to his hometown which is China town. Even when his best friend Barney doesn't join him, and he feels sad he just leaves the team behind.

At first I thought Jack the captain of the basket ball team was a very good natured person because he helped Flash Chin get more famous than Topper who is always trying to be on newspapers, and TV cameras. However my theory was wrong because later on the story he left the team after the team left Jack down. This proved to me that Jack wasn't really what he seemed like at first. Another theory I made was that Topper was a bossy person who cared only for himself. This is because in the beginning he was usually always the person who shoots the balls, and took it away leaving everyone in his team to stand there. However, later on when he took over Jack's position about being a coach he started caring for other people sharing his tricks, and what the other team was trying to do. So, Topper was just like Jack. But, Jack was nice first then mean while Topper was exactly the opposite way.

This book shows a story of an hard working team who didn't give up if someone else did. It also tells us about a big friendship, and how one small thing can never break it apart. This is because when Flash left Barney with the team Barney went chasing after Flash when the team's car was fixed. This shows a team that cared for each other, and didn't want to go on without them.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I guess you would call this a "historical dramatization". Per the book's jacket: Inspired by the pioneering Chinese American professional basketball team the Hong Wah Kues, Newberry Honor author Laurence Yep re-creates a colorful era of barnstorming basketball and leads readers through the heartache and glory of the DRAGON ROAD.

I liked that the book was not heavy-handed with the recounting of the discrimination immigrant and American-born Chinese faced (and still face) in the US. His race is just one of Calvin's, the Chinese American narrator, problems. It's the Depression. Jobs are hard to come by. His mother has passed and his father is an alcoholic. The only thing he feels he is good at is basketball.

His adventure begins when he is scouted by two men, one Irish and one Chinese, who recruited him and his best friend for an all-Asian basketball team. The story he tells of his barnstorming journey does more than just recount his growth as a basketball player. His story also chronicles how the bad economy has turned neighbors into scapegoats and pariahs. An impoverished America doesn't just blame the blacks and the Chinese. It targets the Native Americans and the "Okies", Oklahoma farmers who wander the country with family in tow, looking to draw together enough to get by.

[Danielle T · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, Laurence Yep was YAing before YA was a genre, and this is another good middle grade historical fiction read.

When people think Chinese in America, it tends to go gold rush/railroad or post-1965 waves... but we've been here, and a tale inspired by the Hong Wah Kues brings those hidden history gems to life. Calvin "Flash" Chin is a cocky young adult who just can't find a job (there's nothing personal- it's 1939 and lots of people are out of work.... so why would that shopowner hire a Chinese face over the long line of white people? Heaven forbid an Okie show up though). He excels on the court, though, and touring basketball teams are just the ticket for seeing the world and getting paid*.

*sort of. Money gets tight in winter.

It's been a while since I've read any Golden Mountain Chronicles, but now I want to go back and catch up with the Youngs and the Chins. Flash is a little older than other GMC protagonists (though that's necessary to the story of being part of these traveling teams).

[Karen Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the Great Depression in 1939, Cal and Barney are best friends living in Chinatown. Unable to find jobs because people refuse to hire Chinese, they occasionally can make money playing basketball on the streets. They are recruited to play for a traveling team, the Dragons, and they barnstorm across America playing anyone and everyone along the way. But as an all-Chinese team, they experience a wide swath of prejudice and racism, as well as a rattletrap car that falls apart regularly, bad weather, poorly maintained highways, and tensions within the team as Cal must choose to either be loyal to the team or to try to make his own way as a basketball star. The story was inspired by the real Depression-era traveling team, the Hong Wah Kues. Excellent writing, especially for the basketball games! Perfect for sports fans, this would also work well with Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry for both the examples of prejudice and the time period. Laurence Yep is a fantastic writer, and he has another winner here. 6th grade and up.

[Sandra]

I liked it. Evidently this is part of a saga (Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1939)of the Young family from Kwangtung province, China.

Cal and Barney leave Chinatown in San Francisco, hedged in by the barriers of prejudice, lack of jobs, and take to "barnstorming" across America playing with a basketball team in a dilapitated car. They discover life on the road is not the bed of roses they anticipated, but Cal enjoys some measure of stardom despite referee prejudice, rambunctious teams (from locals to the Globetrotters), and angry fans, poor diet, lack of sleep and often food.

Cal eventually has to make some tough decisions about stardom and his loyalty to his team. Evidently this volume was "inspired by the pioneering professional Chinese American basketball team, the Hong Wah Kues" (from the book jacket).

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a bit, although it definitely revealed to me that my knowledge of specific basketball plays is rather limited. Readers who are more savvy about the actual fundamentals of the sport won't find that a problem, though. My main quibble with the book may be my own fault; I really don't remember any explanation given for what happened to Calvin's mother. In fact, I don't recall her being mentioned until the very end of the book, and that is just a brief reference when speaking of how much his father failed at parenting.

I found this on the children's shelf, but Calvin is 18, dealing with life as a new adult, and his father's alcoholism is a huge part of the book. Personally, I think it would be more appropriately shelved as YA.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story involves a Chinese American professional basketball team that barnstorms its way around Depression-era America. The bb details and games are interesting and fun, but the story is really about the conflict between winning and winning at all costs. The main character, Calvin Chin, is drafted onto the team and goes because he has an alcoholic father, can't get a job, and feels he has no future. On the road with the team he discovers that he can be a star but it will cost him. And maybe the cost is too high. As always, Yep explores the prejudice in America for Chinese, but also Native Americans and blacks as they play other pro teams. Well-written.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this addition to Yep's Golden Mountain Chronicles, the year is 1939, and teens Cal and Barney can't find jobs, so they're playing basketball on playgrounds for money. When they're noticed by a scout, they join a traveling basketball team and travel across the West, learning about prejudice and themselves. Both boys have girlfriends, though there's not much romance here, which limits the appeal for religious audiences.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows a Chinese American young man during his time on the road as a professional basketball player during the depression. While the game of basketball plays a central role in the story, the reader also learns about Chinese-American history and culture. Good read for sports lovers, and part of a series so if you like this there are many more.

[Susanbarto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great book to read. It incorporated the history of Chinatown and the men who wanted to get out using basketball as the catalyst.

The characters are well thought out and are based on examples of players as told to Yep. Will share this one especially with the guys interested in the sport.

[James Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that centers around a poor asian boy. His name is Cal but people call him Flash, because of his anger issues and his speed on the basketball court. This book follows his adventures to fame and fortune. I love how many twists and turns this story has and how it never gets old, no matter how many times you read it.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a young man of chinese descent during the Great Depression, who's trying to make a living and a name for himself by playing professional basketball.
I didn't know this was part of a series, and I'm interested in reading the rest of the series.

[Auralia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book. A bit long and it kind of drags.

[Jarrettgibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great in my opinion. It talks about his life when he lived with his abusive dad. But he gets help from his friend Jean along the way

[coeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

basketball in the 1930's was so different!

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Zacharea]

It is a cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!