Title: Children of the monkey god
Description: "F.S. Choo, the author of Children of the Monkey God, grew up in a traditional Chinese Hakka family in Sarawak, Malaysia, at a time when it was administered by British colonial rule. Written in the earthy style of his native culture, he charts and reveals a fascinating world beginning with his great grandfather's migration from China to West Kalimantan, Borneo in the early 1850's; his life as a miner and his connection to the mysterious Kongsi, a unique self-governing democratic organization that flourished until the mid-1800's when it came into conflict with Dutch colonial rule and the White Rajahs of Sarawak, Borneo, and culminating in the Bau or Chinese Rebellion of 1857.  Covering a period of 115 years, from 1850 to 1965, Children of the Monkey God deals with the experiences of four generations of a Chinese Hakka family in Sarawak. Candid and at times humorous, satirical and controversial, it also vividly captures life at the crossroads of change in the 1950's and 1960's when the sun was setting on the colonial era. It conveys to the reader the multi-layered cultural influences of British colonialism, the burgeoning American pop-scene, and that of the different Chinese dialect groups and Sarawak's indigenous people. It offers a fascinating insight into some of the social, cultural and religious beliefs and practices of a world that is fast disappearing and seldom seen by westerners - a unique and colourful world full of quaint and unusual features as well as endearing and eccentric personalities"--Cover.
Subjects: Social conditions, Biography, Hakka (Chinese people), Chinese, Fiction, historical, general
Places: Sarawak, Malaysia
People: Choo family