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Customer Reviews:Average Customer Rating: Eerily beautiful brutal story about a little-known astounding smuggler. If you had told me that the one of the most prominent figures in human smuggling was a little Chinese lady, I'd not have believed you. Snake Head (the name comes from the title given to people who serve that function, as traders and smugglers of men), is about such a woman. Sister Ping, as she's known, who filled large barges full of human cargo and smuggled them into the US. It's a fascinating and tragic tale, amazement coming at the sheer scope of her operations and efficiency, and sadness at what the people she trades have gone through. This book is an excellent commentary on immigration laws and purpose, as well as an intriguing side into american Chinese culture. If you are a huge fan of "lost history" vignettes, this is a must-have. Highly recommended. A page turner The story is captivating - it's a page turner, which isn't always easy with ambitious non-fiction. I found it's not the best book to curl up with if you want to go to sleep, but it's a great book to get to sucked into. The subject - human smuggling - is a fascinating one. I read the book knowing very little about the subject. The book provides a memorable education. Immigration is a complex, charged topic, and you get the sense he comes to the topic with an open mind. Ultiamtely, he has his opinions, and he makes them explicit in the epilogue, but he lets the story tell itself. But the main appeal is the author's distinctive voice. It's hard to describe fully. All of the cliches about good writing come to mind - as transparent as a pane of glass, as comfortable as a friend telling you a story, as authoritative as a judge (while still being self-aware enough to know the limits of his knowledge). He's a hell of a writer. The Chinatown Underworld Unmasked This book must have been a labor of love. The story of the Sister Ping and the Chinese Mafia is laid out in a manner never equalled and as a reader you feel like you are journeying with the author as he makes his discoveries. The immigration neutral tone of the book helps the reader understand the problem as it is, not as we might want it to be. Incredibly well-researched, dramatically written, one of the best things I've ever read about the Chinese mob and/or Chinatown. I interviewed one of the agents that worked on the Golden Venture case years ago and always thought someone brilliant and dedicated could make a great story out of it all. Well, this author has succeeded. The Snakehead This is not the sort of story that gets a lot of press as the subject is always at the bottom of a debate.The issues are very well presented and brings up the age old debate as to wether we should revere the likes of Sister Ping or revile her.As long as there are people who want to come into the USA then there will be people who will enable them to in this case sister Ping. Was she doing this out of the goodness of her heart or was she doing it all for money. The good thing about this was that the author leaves the decision up to you. The book although fairly long keeps your attention the whole way through. I found it very illuminating and hope that other people will to. Why should we tolerate other ethnicities coming into this country but not the Chinese. It makes you think and as with most things in life it is not a matter of black and white as we would like it to be. A very worthwhile read. An Amazing Read My "hat's off" to Patrick for taking on this enormously sensitive and complex subject -- and turning it into a brilliant and beautifully written masterpiece. Impeccable detail. Fascinating style. This is one of those rare books that forces you to hunker down and devour it cover-to-cover well into the wee hours. Excellent!!! | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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