Barbara Demick in conversation with Lindsey Hilsum – Daughters of the Bamboo Grove – Daunt Books Marylebone, 9/6/25

Posted: June 5th, 2025 | No Comments »

Daunt Books is delighted to announce an event with the renowned journalist Barbara Demick, who is joining us to discuss her brand new book Daughters of the Bamboo Grove.

Barbara Demick is beloved for her rigorous, immersive and evocative journalism, and this latest book once again demonstrates her prowess.

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove tells the story of Zeng Fangfang and Zeng Shuangjie, twin sisters born in China, one stolen by the authorities and sold to adoptive parents in America, who believed that the child had been abandoned. She had, in fact, been kidnapped by local officials and sent to an orphanage. The Zeng family’s efforts to reconnect many years later frame Demick’s remarkable investigation into how China’s “one child policy” corresponded with a huge demand for international adoptees in America.

This poignant story follows the twins, and their respective fates, whilst also describing Barbara’s role in helping to reunite them against huge odds. Painting a rich portrait of China’s history and culture, it asks questions about the impact and consequences of China’s one-child policy and the ethics of international adoption.

Writer and journalist Lindsey Hilsum joins Barbara for this conversation. Lindsey Hilsum is a multi-award-winning journalist who has been a foreign correspondent for the past four decades. She has been Channel 4’s international editor for the past 22 years and is the author of In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin, Sand Storm and I Brought the War with Me.

Barbara Demick won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nothing to Envy, her seminal book on North Korea, which went on to be shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize ‘Winner of Winners’ Award in 2023. She is also the author of Eat the Buddha which was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, and Besieged, her account of the war in Sarajevo.

Ticket price includes a glass of wine or a soft drink.

Monday 9th June 2025 Event starts at 7:00pm

Daunt Books Marylebone
83-84 Marylebone High Street,
London W1U 4QW

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