Hello Golden Gate: Goodbye Russia

Hello Golden Gate is the epic generational saga of a family that was forced to flee their mother country and spent the rest of their lives looking for a place to call home. When author O1ga Valcoff 's grandparents left behind everything they cared for while fleeing from the Russian Revolution of 1917, they became part of Asia's White Russian community, where a diaspora of stateless refugees found comfort as they tried to rebuild their lives. Two generations later, Olga was born in Japan and moved to Shanghai with her parents, always on the run from war, Communism and political oppression. Hello Golden Gate is a factual record of Russian refugees in the Far East from the early 1920's through World War II and Chinese Communist take over of China. At the heart of Olga's story is a strong family bond that endured hardships, enjoyed good times and never gave up hope. From illness, imprisonment and wartime destitution to beautiful Japanese festivals and opulent Russian religious holidays. The vignettes in Hello Golden Gate let readers see what life was like in another time and place

Olga Valcoff was born in Kagoshima, Japan, and grew up in Japan, Shanghai and the Philippines, before and during World War II. She emigrated to the US with her family in 1951; she arrived at San Francisco and then lived in Seattle. Later, she studied drama at Los Angeles City College. Olga has worked in theater in Chicago and as a fashion designer in New York City. She has one son, Nick. She is retired and lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with her husband, Nicolas, and a cat.