Distant Land of My Father- Bo Caldwell

The San Clemente Library was very fortunate to have author Bo Caldwell, author of "Distant Land of My Father" at this month's book group. The book was a fascinating read- it was so rich with detail that it seemed like a non-fiction or memoir.

The group was shocked to find out that Bo Caldwell never actually went to Shanghai during the research for her book. Rather, she relied on research books and made lists of elements such as trees, shops, street names, etc. Her description of the scenes in Shanghai were so realistic!

According to Bo Calwell, "the Distant Land of My Father takes place in Shanghai and Los Angeles from 1937 to 1961, and is based on the life of an uncle of mine, my mom's oldest brother, who spent much of his life in Shanghai." She met this uncle as an adult at a relatives funeral. She befriended him and over time, grew to know and better understand the former 'black sheep' of the family. While she never spoke to him about his time in Shanghai, she did retrieve materials, tapes, and documents that he had saved about his time over there after he passed away. These materials then became the basis for her book, "The Distant Land of My Father."

The group truly enjoyed having Bo Caldwell- it was a delight to hear about her writing process and the inspiration that her uncle gave to this book.