Sin in the Forbidden City Book Introduction

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Morgan, born in poverty on Manhattan's Lower East Side, learned to survive in a harsh environment, eventually becoming a respected caulker in Brooklyn's shipyards. At 14, she joined the Union Navy, fighting in several battles during the Civil War. After the war, she purchased a ship and rescued survivors from a sinking vessel amidst a Japanese Imperial Navy attack, only to be stranded on an undiscovered island for a month. During this time, she blended Eastern and Western cultures and fell in love with a Chinese royal. Morgan documented her life from the Civil War to her adulthood, compiling her diaries and family stories into a single volume after much advocacy from her partners.