The Poker Bride is a different kind of Wild West story. From the gold rush in Northern California to a mining town in the highlands of Idaho, it follows the remarkable Polly Bennis. Smuggled from China as concubine, she was later traded in a poker game—and, in an unusual move, married her, becoming the stuff of Idaho Lore. Journalist Christopher Corbett explores the role Chinese immigrants, particularly women, played in shaping the West. How did they maintain their dignity despite being traded as sex slaves? Were they really any different than ordinary pioneer wives? What lasting imprint did Chinese sojourners leave on the Western psyche?
Guest:
Christopher Corbett, author of The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the West (Atlantic Monthly Press). Professor of journalism at University of Maryland—Baltimore County.