1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910787303103321

Autore

Wu Judy Tzu-Chun

Titolo

Doctor Mom Chung of the fair-haired bastards [[electronic resource] ] : the life of a wartime celebrity / / Judy Tzu-Chun Wu

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, 2005

ISBN

0-520-93892-5

1-282-35816-2

9786612358166

1-59875-525-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (316 p.)

Disciplina

610/.92

B

Soggetti

Chinese American physicians

Chinese American women - United States

Women physicians - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.