The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street

About this book

An intimate geopolitical memoir that gives voice to the thousands of "parachute kids" across North America--children raised by long-distance phone calls and international wire transfers.In 1979, following the US-Taiwan break in diplomatic relations, a family emigrates from Taiwan to North America--only to arrive in the midst of a deep recession. With few job prospects, the parents make a wrenching decision: to return to Taiwan for work, leaving their children behind in Vancouver. At just twelve years old, Wiley, the youngest child, suddenly finds herself unsupervised with only two rules to live by: study hard and stay out of trouble. What begins as freedom soon gives way to homesickness, cultural dislocation and isolation. The siblings struggle in different ways, but once a month, during brief overseas phone calls, they gather to maintain the illusion of stability for their guilt-ridden parents. The separation grows from months to years. The family is never whole again. The story of this fractured household parallels Taiwan's own ongoing struggle for survival, identity and recognition--much like its children, scattered across the globe. The memoir draws a powerful connection between personal and political displacement, revealing a hidden history of resilience among transnational families. While countless "astronaut children" and "parachute kids" have grown up in Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand, their stories remain largely absent from the literary landscape. The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street brings their experience into urgent and unforgettable focus. Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho's debut is a searingly honest account of being left behind in the pursuit of a better life, and offers a rare, first-person look at the emotional cost of the transpacific dream.