20 Years to Write My First Book. Now I'm a Published Author and Cleared My Family's Name

Qin Sun Stubis grew up in a Shanghai shantytown during the Great Chinese Famine.

She survived her father’s repeated imprisonments during the Cultural Revolution, and carried a lifelong dream of writing a book.

For decades, that dream sat quietly beside her desire to restore her family’s name.

In her forties, Qin finally began to write, transforming twenty years of painstaking work into Once Our Lives, a memoir that honors her parents and preserves a slice of history the world rarely hears.

This UnLost Cause conversation is about resilience, memory, and the power of telling your truth, no matter how long it takes.

Highlights:

-Growing up in a Shanghai shantytown during the Great Chinese Famine

-The arrest and imprisonment of Qin’s father during the Cultural Revolution

-Living without support (family ostracism and survival ingenuity)

-Finding refuge in books as a school librarian -The turning point: China’s national college entrance exam

-Career as a tour guide and interpreter for visiting Americans -Decision to leave China and start over in the United States

-The loss of both parents and the merging of two “lost causes” -Beginning the writing journey and overcoming language barriers

-Why the book took 20 years to complete

-The moment a publisher said yes -Lessons for anyone chasing a long-delayed dream

Resources Mentioned:

*Once Our Lives by Qin Sun Stubis

*Her Website

Followup: If Qin’s story inspires you, please like, share, and subscribe so more people can discover UnLost Cause. For more inspiring stories, visit https://unlostcause.com.