Katie Gee Salisbury Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Katie Gee Salisbury is a published American author. She is known for writing the Not Your China Doll biography of Anna May Won, the first Asian-American movie star. She says that the idea for the book lived in her head for over a decade, so she is overjoyed that it is finally completed and available to readers starting in 2024.

Her writing has appeared in publications and outlets such as Vanity Fair, MSNBC, the New York Times, The Ringer, The Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and other places.

Salisbury was a finalist for the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship in 2021. She also gave a TED Talk titled “As American as Chop Suey”. She also pens the newsletter ‘Half-Caste Woman’.

Katie is a fifth-generation Chinese American who is from Southern California originally and now has resided in New York City for over fifteen years. She says that however, most days she is California dreaming.

Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Simmering Life of Mae Wong is the biography of Mae Wong. Grab a copy of this book and see why people like Lisa See are describing it as “Enlightened, nuanced, and honest” and why Entertainment Weekly named it one of the “Books We Are Exciting to Read in 2024”.

It is set against the glittering backdrop of Los Angeles during the time of the gin-soaked Jazz Age and the rise of Hollywood in the background, this debut book celebrates the first Asian American movie star Anna May Wong, bringing to light an unsung heroine so that she can rightfully reclaim her place in cinema history.

Before there were Sandra Oh, Lucy Liu, Awkwafina or Constance Wu, there was Anna May Wong. During her time, she was a legendary beauty, a fashion icon, and a witty conversationalist.

Plucked from her family’s Los Angeles laundry business, Wong rose to stardom in the blockbuster from Douglas Fairbanks, The Thief of Bagdad.

The press and fans clamored to see more of this unlikely actress, but when Hollywood kept casting her in stereotypical roles, she went abroad and took her talents to the global stage in protest.

Anna May starred in acclaimed films in Paris, London, and Berlin. She met royalty and heads of state of several nations, dazzling them all and leaving trails of suitors in her wake. She came back to take on Hollywood at its own game by speaking out about the blatant racism in the industry.

Anna May used her new stature to move away from being typecast as a dragon lady or a China doll, and worked to reshape Asian-American representation in film. Filled with stories of admiring costars and capricious directors, this is the true story of a vibrant and groundbreaking artist that one cannot help but admire. Katie Gee Salisbury has done a tremendous job of bringing the life and world of one of Hollywood’s most important actresses to life here for the reader. Pick up a copy and see what you think!