WHAT: "Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: from China to America – the true story of abduction, adoption and separated twins", an online RASBJ book talk by author Barbara Demick

WHEN:8-9 PM Beijing Time, Wednesday 6th August

ABOUT THE EVENT: Barbara Demick's latest book, "Daughters of the Bamboo Grove" tells the story of two sisters torn apart by the forces of history, and attempts to bring them together. Fangfang and Shuangjie were twins born illegally during China's one-child policy, and in 2002, Fangfang was snatched from relatives. The family worried they would never see her again, but they didn't imagine she could be sent as far as the United States. She might as well have been sent to another world. Former Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, Barbara Demick reveals the origins, cruelty, and 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.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Barbara Demick is author of "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea", "Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood" and "Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town" which was published by Random House in July 2020. She was bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times in Beijing and Seoul, and previously reported from the Middle East and Balkans for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Demick grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Yale College. Her North Korea book was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. She was a press fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Bagehot fellow in business journalism at Columbia University and a visiting professor of journalism at Princeton University. She lives in New York City.

HOW MUCH: Free for members of RASBJ; 50 RMB for members of RAS branches in London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul; 100 RMB for non-members. Alipay may be an easier payment method than WeChat. You can also pay by credit card. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership​

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: RASBJ members should click "Register" or "I will attend" and follow the instructions. After successful registration you'll receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event online. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder. Members of partner RAS Branches: Please register 72 hours in advance to allow time for membership verification. You'll receive three emails from us: the first confirming receipt of your registration request, the second requesting payment, and the third confirming receipt of your payment, with a link to join the event online. Please check your spam folder to ensure you see all RASBJ emails.

REFUND POLICY: If the event is cancelled, registrants will be refunded in full.