Books & Looks

Discover The Strength of Water memoir, a powerful story of Chinese reverse immigration. Learn how one woman survived moving from 1920s Detroit to a rural Chinese village. Episode Resources: Get your copy of "The Strength of Water" by Karin K. JensenConnect with Karin K. JensenIn this incredible interview, author Karin K. Jensen shares the astonishing true story behind The Strength of Water memoir, a book that details her mother's unbelievable journey of perseverance. Born in America, her mother Helen was taken to a remote Chinese peasant village in the 1930s at just 11 years old. After surviving war, disease, and near-starvation, she fought her way back to the United States alone as a teenager. How does a person endure such immense hardship and not only survive, but build a life of strength and independence? This episode uncovers a story of resilience you won't soon forget. Join us as we explore the profound narrative of this unique memoir about a Chinese mother, as told by her daughter and author, Karin K. Jensen. We delve into the complex history that shaped this family's destiny, starting with the paper sons and daughters history that allowed her grandfather to immigrate to the U.S. despite the Chinese Exclusion Act. Karin paints a vivid picture of her mother's early life in a 1920s Detroit Chinese laundry, a world that was abruptly torn away. The conversation details the extreme culture shock Helen experienced in the reverse immigration story, moving from a modern American city to a Cantonese village with no electricity or modern medicine. We discuss the family dynamics with her new stepmother, the harrowing experience of contracting malaria and malnutrition, and being left for dead on a "death board." Throughout the discussion of The Strength of Water memoir, Karin highlights the unwavering spirit that drove her mother to survive. The story follows Helen's return to America, her work as a teen domestic in California, the pain of a difficult first marriage to a man with a gambling addiction, and her ultimate triumph in achieving financial independence and finding true partnership. This is more than just a Chinese reverse immigration story; it's a testament to the power of a mother's dream for a better life and the strength that can be found in the face of impossible odds. About Our Guest: Karin K. Jensen is the author of "The Strength of Water," a powerful memoir written in the voice of her mother, Helen. By meticulously interviewing her mother, aunts, uncle, and other family members, Karin reconstructed a lost piece of Chinese-American history, capturing her mother's incredible journey from an American-born child to a survivor of 1930s rural China and back again. Timestamps / Chapters: (00:00) The Unbelievable Reverse Immigration Story of Helen Chu (01:32) Writing in a Mother's Voice: Capturing Authenticity (03:40) The Journey to America: Understanding the "Paper Son" System (06:12) Life in a 1920s Detroit Chinese Laundry (15:23) Culture Shock in Reverse: Returning to a 1930s Cantonese Village (23:57) Illness and Survival: A Brush with Death in Rural China (27:14) The Kindness of Strangers: Securing a Passage Back to America (33:01) Trapped in a Difficult Marriage and the Hidden Cost of "Settling Down" (37:14) Building Financial Independence and Finding True Partnership (39:07) The Meaning Behind the Title: "The Strength of Water" (40:08) What's Next? Adapting the Story for the Screen