A Diamond's Reflection

This novel follows the stories of Chinese students as they arrive in the United States in the early 1980s and struggle with the challenges of transitioning to their new lives. Having grown up in China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution, these young intellectuals immediately face a completely different world. They quickly learn that living in America brings advantages to their careers, yet carries its own difficulties and burdens. Raymond Liu is a graduate student when the red tornado of the Cultural Revolution sweeps across China. Sent from his studies to plant rice in a small village, he soon meets Wendy Zhou. Wendy was a Zhiqing and had been separated from her parents as an infant; when her guardians passed away, they left her a diamond ring, which carries a family history. After suffering a tragic event together, Raymond and Wendy marry. In 1981, Raymond leaves for the U. S. to continue his studies, becoming a professor and an expert in virology. Wendy soon follows him, where she is able to reunite with her long-lost mother and siblings. Her cousin Tingting Cheng also moves to the U. S., in search of her first love, Raymond Liu... Experience these immigrants' emotional conflicts, family struggles, joys, and heartbreaks as they face the realities of pursuing the American Dream. You will learn their motivations for leaving China, how they adapt to life in the U. S., and how their views of American life evolve...