Beyond the Narrow Gate

In 1947, the Communists took over China, and four remarkable women were forced to flee their homeland. Arriving in Taiwan in 1948, Dolores, Suzanne, Margaret, and Marx, met at the elite First Girls' School, the "narrow gate" where a lucky few could become eligible for U.S. visas. In this refuge, their characters were built, their friendships were formed, and their eves were focused on the future — a life in America, where their paths would diverge dramatically. But this group portrait does not end once the women reach America. Beyond the Narrow Gate chronicles the struggles and hardships the women faced in their new country and breaks new ground by taking readers outside of Chinatown into diverse communities and families, effectively re-drawing the map of Asian America.