“A blessing loves a good surprise.”

-Stacey Lee, The Downstairs Girl

Wow!

I loved “The Downstairs Girl” by Stacey Lee! This historical fiction about a Chinese-American in the Atlanta, Georgia in the post-Reconstruction era was amazing! It is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.

This book was filled with inspirational quotes and was an eye-opening look into the racism of the South that extended not only to Black former slaves, but all minorities, including Chinese, who were brought in to “replace” slaves that left White estates.

The story revolves around Jo Kuan, an intelligent and spunky Chinese-American, who lives with Old Gin, her elderly uncle, who cares for her as her own father. She is an orphan without any connection to her birth parents, forced to work as a lady’s maid for one of the wealthiest families in Atlanta. Jo and Gin secretly live in the basement of a local newspaper operator’s house and have listening tubes to hear about their life. When Jo learns that their newspaper is in trouble and could use a columnist from a woman’s perspective to boost subscriptions, she submits an anonymous column. Her submission is accepted and her secret double life begins.

This was an inspirational story with several twists and turns as new information comes to the surface. It is an excellent read for men and women, young and old alike. I loved it!

Get a copy of “The Downstairs Girl” by Stacey Lee on Amazon here.