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THE SNAKEHEAD: An epic tale of the Chinatown underworld and the American dream, by Patrick Radden Keefe ($39.99, Picador)
When Sean Chen saw the 45m Golden Venture floating in the harbour in Kenya's Mombasa, it looked too small, he thought, to get him and hundreds of other undocumented migrants across the Atlantic to the American east coast. Many of his fellow travellers agreed, and flatly refused to get on. But Sean was 18 years old, and filled with resilient optimism. He had spent weeks trekking through the Burmese jungle, and months living on a cargo ship which ran out of food off the African coast.
Like thousands of others, he had left home in the Fujian Province in China without any ID or documents - no passport, no visas, nothing except a few T-shirts and pants in a backpack. Chen had been expelled from school at 14 after joining his cousin's pro-democracy protest. After harassment from local authorities, his parents paid people smugglers, or "snakeheads", a down payment to get their boy to the US.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 25-31 2023-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 25-31 2023-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
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Spilt milk
Excess dietary calcium goes into toilets, not bones.
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To the Max
The testosterone and torments of late adolescence are centre stage in this novel about finding your place in life.
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A chemical killer
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Creating the WOW factor
Meg Williams, in charge of the biggest festival involving a bunch of people wearing wacky outfits, admits she's not very flamboyant in her own dressing.
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After cancer treatment, Graeme Downes takes stock of a musical life leading The Verlaines and lecturing future generations of songwriters.
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Wrong message
A UK journalist who came here to talk about Rwanda’s authoritarian regime found herself the victim of a social media hate campaign.
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IBD is escalating, seemingly thanks to the Western lifestyle, and New Zealand has one of the highest rates in the world.
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The point of Peters
There's been much to admire about the NZ First leader's politics over the years, but where has it got him?
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Don't call us ...
Finland's ingenuity galvanised the rapid global uptake of cellphones, so it's paradoxical the country's latest claim to fame should be the elevation of no-speakies to a new commercial opportunity.
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He is here
In the week my brother died, there was a storm in the universe.