My latest picture book, WORTHY: THE BRAVE AND CAPABLE LIFE OF JOSEPH PIERCE, is a whole two weeks old today! 🎉 But of course, this manuscript began much earlier than that. And the research took longer than I expected. Why? Well, I sold this book on spec to my editor, Arthur Levine, way back in 2019. Arthur had actually given me the idea to write about the Chinese people who fought in the Civil War, and I did about a days’ worth of digging around on the internet before writing a few sentences about what I thought the book might be about before pitching it to him. I had never sold a book that way before, without even an outline, much less a completed manuscript. It made me anxious — I wasn’t even sure where to begin or which soldier should be the main character.
And then the pandemic hit, and access to many sources of information became impossible. I couldn’t visit libraries, museums, archives, or historic battle sites. I had to rely exclusively on the internet and what I could find on it. I am so grateful for everyone who has added to its vast repository! At first, I did broad searches for any information about Asians who fought in the American Civil War. That led me to a National Park Service book called Asians and Pacific Islanders and the Civil War. The book was out of print and not yet available to read on the NPS website (which you can do by clicking the link above), but I was able to borrow a copy through interlibrary loan. You can bet I took photos of the entire book before returning it! Here is the page where I first learned about Joseph Pierce:
At first, I tried writing about two Chinese American men, Joseph Pierce and Thomas Sylvanus. But that proved to be too much. It’s hard enough to cover one life in under 1000 words, not to mention two! Once I decided to write solely about Joseph, I was able to narrow my search. That led me to this important book, An American Journey: My Father, Lincoln, Joseph Pierce and Me. This book was written and published by Irving Moy, a Civil War reenactor whom I consider to be the foremost expert on Joseph Pierce. Irving had done extensive research on Joseph Pierce and donated his papers to the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. How I wish I’d been able to visit the museum and explore Irving’s trove of papers!
Using the information in Irving’s book, I was able to expand my search to include Amos Peck, the ship captain who bought young Joseph Pierce in Canton, China; the Peck family in Connecticut; the records of The Hound, the ship that Amos Peck captained and brought Joseph to the U.S. aboard; and websites and documents related to Joseph’s regiment, the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.
I knew that there were Civil War buffs out there, but I didn’t quite know how passionate they were until I explored Facebook groups, Quora threads, Reddit forums, YouTube videos, blogs, and webinars hosted by multiple different organizations. I also took deep dives into Newspapers.com, Ancestry.com, GenealogyBank.com, and Fold3.com. The Library of Congress’ collection of Civil War documents was also invaluable. Over the next several years, I was able to build a version of Joseph’s life that I felt was as accurate as I could make it while also being true to how I perceived his character, since Joseph didn’t leave any personal diaries or letters behind. The few quotes that I found attributed to Joseph in newspaper articles revealed a person of integrity who was proud of his Chinese ancestry but also deeply invested in his adopted country.
If you’re writing a historical nonfiction book, I hope this post gives you some ideas about where else to look for information. For others, I hope you enjoyed this peek behind the scenes into my research process! If you’d like to know more about Joseph Pierce and Worthy, please check out the following:
❖ My blog post on “Mining for Heart in the Absence of Compassion,” on Beth Anderson’s blog, which will be posted on September 26th. Beth is an amazing historical nonfiction author, so please check out her books as well!
❖ My virtual book launch event with illustrator Youa Vang, on September 30th at 5pm PT/8pm ET. You can register for the event here, which is hosted by the NCTE Asian/Asian American Caucus.
❖ And lastly, if you’re in the Denver area, I’ll be doing a joint in-person launch event at Boulder Bookstore on November 9th with the wonderful Lauren Kerstein, author of HOPE RODE, which is about the women Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky. More info on that event here.
I’m giving away a signed copy of WORTHY! Please leave a comment below before Sept. 30th to enter.
What a wonderful post! Such a journey to create this amazing book! Congrats, Andrea! And I look forward to sharing your post on my blog on 9/26!
Thanks, Beth! I can’t wait to share more about WORTHY with your readers!
Thank you for sharing your research journey and resources. Those who passionately search for the facts and willingly share their findings make the internet a rich and rewarding place for writers. I’m fascinated by it, as well as the writer’s path from research to picture book! I’m looking forward to reading Worthy!
I hope that libraries and museums are able to keep digitizing their collections so writers will have even more available to them on the internet! Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy Worthy!
Fascinating backstory to a fascinating story! Thanks for sharing your process, Andrea. I love PB biographies and I’m excited for this to be in the world for many to discover.
Thanks, Robin! I hope editors keep acquiring PB bios — the kids (and us!) need them!
I am in awe of your research – during COVID – and after. This is a thoughtful book for all ages, so many layers and possible discussions. Your event in Denver sounds amazing! Hope this sells well.
Thank you so much, Robin! I feel like the research never ends, even after the book is published. LOL. I keep finding out new things — like a photo of Joseph that I hadn’t seen before!
Wow! So much wonderful! You really found excellent resources and probably way more than could fit in several 1000-word books! This looks great! Congratulations, Andrea!
Oh yeah, the first drafts of this manuscript were WAY over 1000 words! That’s where a good editor and ample use of the Delete key come in. 😅 Thanks for reading and commenting, Angie!
Oooh, I can’t wait to read this. Thanks so much for your insight in research. Congrats Andrea!
Thanks, Debra! I hope you enjoy reading Worthy!
Congrats, Andrea! Thanks for sharing your process with us!
Thanks, Maria! You were a huge help while I was writing this book — I’m eternally grateful!
The pandemic turned everyone’s lives inside out and upside down. I can’t even imagine how scary it would have been to have sold your manuscript and then having your usual resources close. Congratulations on finding other resources and writing this important book. I’m excited to read it!
Thanks, Danielle! Yeah, there were a lot of times when I wondered what I’d gotten myself into! I hope you enjoy the book!
Such a challenge to tell a story with integrity when the subject themselves has left nothing behind. It raises interesting questions about storytelling and perspectives in general! I recall now commenting on the cover image before. I really love that shimmering, ghostly image of the Statue of Liberty. This sounds so moving. I can’t wait to read it.
So true! My version of Joe’s story may not be exactly how he thought and felt. My blog post coming up on Beth Anderson’s blog talks about how I connected Joe’s actions with newspaper quotes from the time period to show what he might have faced. I hope you enjoy the book!
What a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into your research and how you developed Joe’s story. Congratulations, Andrea! I’m looking forward to reading this!!
Thank you, Andrea, for the kind and supportive words about my research that assisted you in your new book. Thanks to Andrea I read an advance copy of “Worthy,” and ordered two copies for myself and three year old granddaughter. I wrote the following review on Amazon after I received my copies,
“Worthy” is inspired by the true-life story of Joseph Pierce, the highest-ranking Chinese soldier who fought in the American Civil War. It touches on the common need we all share … the need to belong and considered “worthy” enough to be accepted for who we are and for what we have accomplished once given the opportunity to make something of ourselves.
It’s the story of a 10-year-old boy, sold to a sea captain in China, and brought to live in the United States. His trials and successes despite racial prejudice is a microcosm of our nation’s immigration story. It’s story and theme told in understandable prose with its beautiful artwork is quite relatable to the age group that it’s intended. Kudos to Andrea Wang and Youa Vang for this gift.
Irving Moy
Author, “An American Journey- My Father, Lincoln, Joseph Pierce, and Me”
How interesting! I have studied the Civil War in depth, but never ran across the name Joseph Pierce. Now I need to learn more. Thank you for this post.
Thank you for introducing me to Joseph Pierce. I look forward to learning more about him. Congratulations of writing such an important book.
Andrea, what an amazing journey (in so many ways)! Congratulations on this beautiful book.
So glad you were able to work past any roadblocks due to Covid and get your research done! What a challenge!
Congrats Andrea! Loved having a peek behind the curtain!
Your book reinforces the fact that there are so many stories to tell. This is the best way to learn about history in my opinion. Joseph Pierce is a name new to me and I look forward to reading his story.
Thanks, Andrea, such an interesting peek into your process. Looks like a beautiful book!
Thanks for pulling back the curtain on your research process and shining a light on an historical character of integrity that kids (and all of us) should know about! I’m looking forward to reading it!
Thank you so much for sharing your writing and research process with us! Congratulations on this beautiful and important book!