A Note from Amy Alznauer

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Photograph © 2019 by Erin Zhoushi Erin by 2019 © Photograph is the author A Note from Amy Alznauer Amy from Note A , illustrated by Daniel by Daniel illustrated , The Boy Who Dreamed of Who Dreamed Boy The of Infinity has a master’s She Miyares. from writing in creative degree of Pittsburgh. University the Amy Alznauer Amy with her family in Chicago. family her with When she isn’t writing, she is teaching calculus and number number calculus and is teaching she writing, isn’t she When time spending or University Northwestern at classes theory About the Author them space to work and an audience. The brothers hope to share their story to give other artists, even very young ones, the the ones, young very even artists, other to give story their share to hope brothers The audience. an and work to space them a new magic is born. until trouble mix of own and their love through struggle to courage Chinese president Hu Jintao. Hu Chinese president are and Chicago, in Bridgeport, B Center Zhou the run DaHuang, and ShanZuo by go now who brothers, the Today, giving newartists, support and encourage centers The Missouri. Kansas China, and City, in Beijing, centers new art opening nothing—no money and no place to live—to start all over again. And once again from nothing they rose to fame. In 2011, 2011, In fame. to rose they nothing again from once And again. all over start live—to to place no and money nothing—no as it a gift to presented eventually and Brothers Zhou the from a painting Obama commissioned Barack president US siblings. And there were many Chinese artists and friends who helped the brothers along the way. the along brothers the helped who friends Chinese and artists many were there And siblings. Theyleft them. before adventure a great had still they of warehouse, dusty doors their the opened brothers the After with America to came and suitcases in paintings their up Theypacked risk. a big in China take to careers art promising many things. For example, the younger brother, Shaoning, was actually born in the village of Ningming, not Wuming, but but Wuming, not village of in the born was Ningming, actually Shaoning, brother, younger the example, For things. many other three were There cliff ofpaintings. Huashan location the the to closer of actually and Guangxi province instill the find a way to transform it into something beautiful, a dream they realized by painting together on the same canvas. same the on together painting by realized they a dream beautiful, something it into transform to way a find out left I story, the To create thisnew magic. forth brought that of bones legendary lives their the is here tell I story The little brothers the magnificent world within. world magnificent the brothers little often most the love you thing very the teach: legends great that lesson the learned brothers beginning the the So from and life theirdifficult wouldtake brothers The to a dream. birth gave trouble of This mix and love trouble. most the brings But by the same token, they were also lucky. Their family owned a bookstore. And bookstores are amazing things, offull things, amazing are bookstores And owned a bookstore. Their family also lucky. were they token, same the by But the showed and books the up opened who a grandmother lived in it for was special, bookstore this And beauty. ideas and Revolution. In some ways they were unlucky. Their family owned a bookstore. And the government did not approve of approve not did government the And owned a bookstore. Their family unlucky. were they ways some In Revolution. later, taken mother their was born, Shaoning ofjust before allto taken sorts Thisled father misery—their business. private name. family a disgraced and labor, hard poverty, away, sold a sister The Zhou Brothers, who as children went by the names Shaoli and Shaoning, are indeed real, as real as you and me. They me. and you real as as real, indeed are Shaoning, and Shaoli names the by went children who as Brothers, The Zhou Cultural ofof the came China, and during Republic age of People’s days the early the during 1950s, in the born were “Some doubters in the future may question whether [the Zhou Brothers] ever really existed,” a existed,” really ever Brothers] Zhou [the whether question may future in the “Some doubters flourish.” They do. They “They did. wrote.