Kelli Estes is the author of The Girl Who Wrote In Silks, a historical fiction novel set in Seattle and nearby Orca Island. The novel is about Chinese immigrants and first generation Chinese- Americans and the discrimination they faced in Seattle. Much like now, xenophobia is alive and well. The story seesaws back and forth from present time and 1882 which the Chinese Exclusion Act was in force. Mei Linn, who lived in 1882, is shipped away from Seattle due to the Exclusion Act. When she learns that the captain intends to throw his cargo of Chinese Americans overboard instead of taking them to China, she tells her father of what is to happen. Her father saves her life by throwing her overboard near Orca Island. A farmer on the island happened to witness this and he saves her life. Mei Linn is a seamstress. She sews her family history into a beautiful garment for her son. Years later the sleeve of the garment and the main body of the garment are brought back together. This was a truly wonderful story. Due to the perseverance of the present day woman who found the sleeve, Mei Linn's story finally comes to light.
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