From Ironing Board to Corporate Board: My Chinese Laundry Experience in America Paperback – August 20, 2008

From Ironing Board to Corporate Board is a quintessential immigrant tale. Ginny Gong, the eldest child of a hardworking Chinese American family who operates a laundry in New York, finds herself balancing two worlds. She works hard to meet her parents' expectations of her at home and the family business, and at the same time to develop her own identity - as a first- generation Chinese American, and eventually as a teacher, mother, career professional and community leader. Written for young readers and adults alike, Ginny Gong's memoir poignantly illustrates the issues that many immigrants face: reliance on family/family associations as support systems, entering school as ESOL students, use of children as language translators in different adult situations like medical care, parental expectations of children even beyond college, and differences within the same family marked by culture and generation, among many others. Ginny Gong's voice is a welcome addition to the growing documentation of Asian American history, and a fast, enjoyable read.

From page 1, Ginny's book is a real charmer. She shares many details of a uniquely personal story, with universal themes that resonate across physical and cultural borders. If understanding the past is key to interpreting the present, this book is especially relevant for young people who may not fully appreciate the sacrifices made by previous generations. That aside, this book is simply a sweet story and fun read. Highly reccommended!