Doctor Mom Chung of the fair-haired bastards : the life of a wartime celebrity / Judy Tzu-Chun Wu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wu, Judy Tzu-Chun.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese American physicians--Biography.

Chinese American physicians.

Chinese American women--United States--Biography.

Chinese American women.

Women physicians--United States--Biography.

Women physicians.

Chung, Margaret, 1889-1959.

Chung, Margaret.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (316 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

During World War II, Mom Chung's was the place to be in San Francisco. Soldiers, movie stars, and politicians gathered at her home to socialize, to show their dedication to the Allied cause, and to express their affection for Dr. Margaret Chung (1889-1959). The first known American-born Chinese female physician, Chung established one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920's. She also became a prominent celebrity and behind-the-scenes political broker during World War II. Chung gained national fame when she began "adopting" thousands of soldiers, sailors, and flyboys, including Ronald Reagan, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. A pioneer in both professional and political realms, Chung experimented in her personal life as well. She adopted masculine dress and had romantic relationships with other women, such as writer Elsa Gidlow and entertainer Sophie Tucker. This is the first biography to explore Margaret Chung's remarkable and complex life. It brings alive the bohemian and queer social milieus of Hollywood and San Francisco as well as the wartime celebrity community Chung cultivated. Her life affords a rare glimpse into the possibilities of traversing racial, gender, and sexual boundaries of American society from the late Victorian era through the early Cold War period.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Introduction

1. "The Medical Lady Missionary"

2. Living Their Religion

3. Where Womanhood And Childhood Meet

4. "A Noble Profession"

5. "The Beginning Of A New Era"

6. "The Ministering Angel Of Chinatown"

7. A Sister Lesbian?

8. Becoming Mom Chung

9. A Model Family At War

10. Creating WAVES

11. "I'll Wait On You Forever"

Epilogue: "There Will Never Be Another Mom Chung"

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612358166

9780520938922

0520938925

9781282358164

1282358162

9781598755251

1598755250

OCLC:

475938169