Ray Hosler

China Grade: A novel about the Transcontinental Railroad Ray Hosler

Sixteen years after the gold rush, California underwent a social and cultural transformation with the influx of Chinese workers to build the transcontinental railroad. They filled the ranks of the Anglo-Americans. Together they risked everything battling the elements in the high Sierra while laying track. China Grade is the story of two Chinese brothers and a Cornish family searching for a better tomorrow. Their lives, hopes, and dreams cross paths in unexpected ways. This novel is an insightful historical account wrapped around a love story. It breathes life into the people who built the Overland Route as it delves into the motivations and challenges they faced - physical and cultural - working for the Central Pacific Railroad. The author searched through dozens of online newspapers from the period, and relied on the latest books, including "Waiting for the Cars." This is the first book in a trilogy. Book two, Wrights, and book three, Powder Works, are available in paperback or ebook. All three books are available in a single Kindle ebook called Broken Tools.