While Lair of Dreams is steeped in actual history, it is also a work of fiction and, as such, some liberties have been taken for dramatic license. (“Stand back, everyone! She’s got a license for fictional drama!”) The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult is a creation from my imagination, just in case you tried to find it on TripAdvisor. And as far as I know, there are no carnivorous ghosts haunting the subway tunnels of New York City. I’m pretty sure. Well, mostly sure. Okay, not at all sure. You know what? Ride at your own risk.
The Beach Pneumatic Transit Co. really did exist—though, sadly, the little fan-powered train only ran for a few years. Alfred Ely Beach’s subway prototype was long gone by 1927, but with plenty of abandoned tunnels and stations in New York City’s underground, it’s fun to imagine that some ghostly vestige of that old subway station could have existed for our Diviners. If you’d like to know more about Beach Pneumatic, I recommend reading Joseph Brennan’s excellent publication on the topic at columbia.edu/~brennan/beach.
Sadly, the Chinese Exclusion Act was all too real. Passed in 1882, it sharply restricted immigration to the United States from China. Even more restrictive legislation followed, and these discriminatory, xenophobic laws stayed on the books for decades. If you’d like to read more about the Chinese Exclusion Act and its impact, I highly recommend Erika Lee’s At America’s Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882–1943 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003). If you’d like to read a personal family history of Chinatown, I also recommend Bruce Edward Hall’s Tea That Burns: A Family Memoir of Chinatown (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998). And if you find yourself in New York City, please do visit the wonderful Museum of Chinese in America (mocanyc.org).
The story of America is one that is still being written. Many of the ideological battles we like to think we’ve tucked neatly into a folder called “the past”—issues of race, class, gender, sexual identity, civil rights, justice, and just what makes us “American”—are very much alive today. For what we do not study and reflect upon, we are in danger of dismissing or forgetting. What we forget, we are often doomed to repeat. Our ghosts, it seems, are always with us, whispering that attention must be paid.
Acknowledgments
This was a Busby Berkeley production of a book, and over the past few years, quite a few folks have seen me through it all. (Thanks for the kaleidoscopic legwork, y’all.) I owe a debt of gratitude, a fruit basket, and a One Direction lunch box to the following lovely people:
The incredibly talented, wise, and patient Alvina Ling, editor extraordinaire, and the also talented and wonderful Bethany Strout and Nikki Garcia. You are the Charlie’s Angels of Editorial. Boo-ya.
The hardworking LBYR team: Megan Tingley, Andrew Smith, Melanie Chang, Lisa Moraleda, Hallie Patterson, Victoria Stapleton, Jenny Choy, Emilie Polster, Stefanie Hoffman, Adrian Palacios, Tina McIntyre, and Barbara Bakowski. “And ya don’t stop.”
Wizard designer Maggie Edkins for the spooky, atmospheric book jacket.
The incredible, laser-eyed copyediting/proofreading/fact-checking team: JoAnna Kremer, Christine Ma, and Norma Jean Garriton, respectively. They probably all have PTSD now.
Agent Barry Goldblatt, who deserves some kind of medal for patience and bravery at this point in our long collaboration. Josh Goldblatt—thanks for the manga and anime breaks and for explaining to people, “My mom’s not crazy; she’s just on deadline.”
Heroic assistant Tricia Ready for keeping the ship upright and for the research help, read-throughs, and reminders to grab my keys on the way out. Researcher Lisa Gold, who is true to her name and who doesn’t flinch at my midnight e-mails. Bill Zeffiro, for the music info and the quick wit.
The Lovely & Amazing Writing Group—the Spanx of good friends (total support): Pam Carden, Brenda Cowan, Anna Funder, Michelle Hodkin, Cheryl Levine, David Levithan, Emily Lockhart, Dan Poblocki, Nova Ren Suma, Robin Wasserman, and Justin Weinberger. I love you guys. And Laurie Allee and Gayle Forman for all of that, plus saving me many times over. xo