Following stories she wrote as the Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, Barbara Demick embarks on a journey that encompasses the origins, shocking cruelty, and long-term impact of China’s one-child rule; the rise of international adoption and the religious currents that buoyed it; and the exceedingly rare phenomenon of twin separation. This is a remarkable window into the volatile, constantly changing China of the last half century, and the moving story of two twin sisters torn apart by the forces of history, and brought together again by a reporter’s dogged work and their family’s determination. A remarkable window into the volatile, constantly changing China of the last half century and the long-reaching legacy of the country’s most infamous law, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove is also the moving story of two sisters torn apart by the forces of history and brought together again by their families’ determination and one reporter’s dogged work.
This Book Review appeared in the SEP/NOV 2025 issue of
The Art of Healing.
