An absolute treasure, packed with a wealth of inspiring characters.
What was your life like when you were twelve? Did you spend your time playing with G.I. Joes? Make-up? Video games? Sports? For Carissa Beaumont, she works as free labor for a Madam named Miss Lucille. Of course, young Carissa isn’t a prostitute. Yet. Instead, she spends her days caring for the ladies in the brothel, including her mother who has unwittingly become addicted to opium. Carissa is determined to find a way out of their repugnant situation, but without a father to provide for them nor a friend in the world, poor Carissa has few options. Things change when Miss Lucille brings her ‘ladies’ to the Arizona Territory of Tombstone, a boomtown rich with silver and other opportunities. Despite the obstacles, Carissa manages to befriend a powerful Chinese woman known around town as China Mary. Their unlikely friendship is put to the test at a time in history when few whites regarded hard-working immigrants with any care.
Blood and Silver is an absolute treasure, packed with a wealth of inspiring characters! The story takes place in 1880 and includes some true historical figures, including China Mary. The racial disparities, which seem shocking in our time, were just the realities of the day. Vali Benson deals with these issues with a deft hand and sincerity. Especially on the topic of prostitution, China Mary observes that it is better for the girls than what they experienced in their homeland. What difficult choices and situations! Blood and Silver is authentic, providing insights into Chinese culture and the living conditions of those daring pioneers that abandoned their homes in search for riches in an uncharted land. And just in case you don’t love a piece of incredibly well-researched historical fiction, Blood and Silver is also a truly beautiful coming-of-age story that demonstrates the quiet strength that is possible within all of us.
