The Lucky Ones by Mae Ngai

Author:Mae Ngai
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

During the early 1910s, Mary Tape made a few trips to the Pacific Northwest to visit Mamie in Portland and Frank in Seattle. Joseph does not seem to have accompanied her, but on one occasion she traveled with Gertrude, on another with Emily. Mary found her two oldest children both doing well, albeit in very different ways. Mamie and Herman were settled in Portland, leading a comfortable and stable life with children and a small piece of property. Herman was living out the dream of lifelong security (if also obscurity) that was the hallmark of government employment.

Frank was living a different kind of dream, as an outsize government agent and big shot in Chinatown, who wore his status and wealth conspicuously. He purchased a powerboat (with money from his parents), then later sold it and bought a Kissel, a large, expensive touring car. He wore a diamond ring. Frank and Lena lived in a suite at the Calhoun Hotel and then in an apartment on Capitol Hill, a desirable residential neighborhood.

What did Mary think about Mamie’s and Frank’s accomplishments? Was she happy that Mamie was happy, even if her husband still seemed to lack ambition? Was she proud that Frank held an important position, was making good money, and was married to a white woman? Or did she wince at Frank’s self-aggrandizement, his profligate spending, and his marriage to a divorcée? Did Mary sense any trouble on the horizon?

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.