When Ah Ying is kidnapped, she must escape from her life of slavery, while being pursued by gangs and missionaries, in order to find true love in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the turn of the 20th century. Ah Ying is only 9 years old when she awakens in the hold of a ship bound for America. Sold by her family for a few Chinese yuan, she is beaten and burned as a child slave in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Her defiant survival allows Ah Ying to take control of her life, as she finds romance, is rescued by missionaries and is given a new life at the Mission Home. Life is good until her rescuers become her captors and she is again forced to flee to be with her beloved Gee Sung. What ensues is a race between her love for Gee Sung, the Tong highbinders that want to enslave her, and the Presbyterian Missionaries that want to save her soul. “Three Coins” is based upon a true story that touches upon the themes of human trafficking, immigration, cultural and racial discrimination, violence, and romance that are as relevant today as they were 140 years ago.
Russell Low is a physician with a passion for discovery and storytelling. His discoveries in the medical field have changed the way that his colleagues worldwide practice medicine and image disease. Discovery of his own roots began 30 years ago through the stories of his parents and their siblings. Growing up in Central California, more American than Chinese, his connection to Chinese culture and history was limited and incomplete.
Russell Low's most recent novel "The All-American Crew" explores how Ah Ying's "Three Coins" created ripples that led to her grandsons' heroic exploits as part of the "Greatest Generation" during World War II. Celebrating American diversity and ideals of honor, bravery, and freedom, The All-American Crew is a magnificent true story of men at war.
Discovering the 1903 Hong family photograph among the belongings of 100-year-old great Uncle Kim sparked a decades-long search for the stories behind the photograph. These are the stories presented in Three Coins. In his searches, Russell came across a 130-year-old newspaper notice titled “Villainous-looking Chinese after a Chinese Girl.” In the article, he recognized his great-grandparents’ names, but the romantic drama it uncovered shook the core of his family’s belief in who they are and how they came to be Americans. Russell frequently lectures on Chinese-American history, and his family’s story has been featured on the History Channel, National Public Radio, the Voice of America, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Russell lives with his wife Carolyn Hesse-Low, an avid and well-known plein air artist, in La Jolla, California where they raised their two sons Ryan and Robert.
