In the face of what's currently happening in the world, I feel that this story is so much more powerful. I must say, I first started reading the excerpt because of the intriguing title, but then, the author drew me in with her words. I know that historical books are extremely hard to write because of the immense amount of research that goes into it. I was transported immediately into a disease ridden city. I could stand next to Pia, watching the parade with her. As a Chinese-American, I can definitely relate to Pia's conflict with anti-immigrant sentiment (especially since xenophobia, in particular toward Chinese, is becoming extremely prevalent as a result of the corona virus). I can't wait to read the rest of Pia's story.