The Year of the Rat

Long description: For Maria Conti and her family, this could mean death by starvation. Their only income is the little she earns from her share of a saloon catering to American and British servicemen. When they leave China, the business will go with them. The Contis get no rent from their tenants. Nor can Mr. Conti sell the building, for in these uncertain times no one will buy. Maria's little sister, Nola, helps her father manufacture ersatz liquor in their dining room. Her mother, Ming Chu, knows her family's Italian citizenship is useless; the Contis are trapped.