Family Matriarch LK Lennie Lee (1923–2021) lived a long and productive life. While sorting through her belongings, we discovered a book she had written about her life and times — plus those of our forebears. At the top of the first page, there was a handwritten note:
“Grandmother Lee’s Autobiography.
Note: Needs corrections and upgrading”
Our family began reviewing her work expecting conventional tales — the Gold Rush, the railroads — but instead, we found astonishing stories.
From tales of coffin stowaways and shrimping villages to the 1939 World’s Fair and years serving as a teacher and fiery counselor, the narrative threads together, personal, political, and cultural elements.
Rooted in the vivid recollections of L K Lennie Lee and expanded by her son, Ron Lee, and descendants, Sojourners to Joke Sings: Tales of Chinatown & Beyond blends oral history, myth, and archival research to reclaim erased narratives and honor the lives of “Joke Sings”—those who survived and forged belonging across oceans and generations.
About the Authors
Lennie Lee and son Ron Lee had similar careers as real estate investors and public school teachers. In her spare time, she wrote an extensive autobiography and memoir that included detailed observations of life in San Francisco’s Chinatown beyond the facade of tourism.
Ron spent his free time advocating for a variety of issues involving Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders. At Lennie’s request he was directed, along with his two daughters and nephews, to edit and add to her work. The result is an extraordinary adventure story and a description of the entire Chinese diaspora.