Will Chen, a senior at Harvard, is recruited by a shadow corporation to spearhead a heist reclaiming five looted zodiac fountainheads from European museums. He assembles a crew of four other Chinese American students: a pre-med student, a software coder, an engineering dropout, and an art history major. The mission transitions from a high-stakes robbery into an examination of cultural restitution and the history of Western colonialism. As the group navigates theft and international travel, they confront the specific tension of being diaspora subjects tasked with restoring artifacts to a homeland many have never fully inhabited.
This book is for readers interested in the ethics of museum curation and those who study the legacy of imperialist plunder. It appeals to people who want a heist narrative centered on the psychological burdens of the model minority stereotype and the complexities of second-generation identities. Readers finish the book with a clearer understanding of the legal and moral arguments surrounding repatriation and the emotional disconnect between ancestral heritage and modern citizenship.
Balanced in tone; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2022
- Language
- EN
