A nonprofit in Bucks County is celebrating the life and legacy of the acclaimed novelist and humans rights advocate they were founded by.

Pearl S. Buck International is celebrating the life of Pearl S. Buck, who resided in Perkasie for many years. The author, who passed away in 1973, would have turned 131 on June 26.

Known for her 1931 novel, The Good Earth, which documented life in rural China, Buck was known for her advocacy of the adoption of Chinese-born children, making her one of the first Americans to advocate mixed-race adoption. 

“Today, her cross-cultural, educational, and humanitarian legacy continues through the work and mission of the organization she founded, Pearl S. Buck International, and affiliate foundations around the world,” the organization said online.

Her novels brought a level of awareness of Chinese culture to an American audience; throughout her life, Buck lived in the country herself, residing in Zhenjiang and Nanjing under the name 赛珍珠 (Sai Zhenzhu).

“Happy birthday, Pearl!”

Learn more at Pearl S. Buck International.

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