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Fort Worth's Legendary Landmarks
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Texas Road Trip: Stories from Across the Great State and a Few Personal Reflections
A New Deal for the American People
Pierced by Murugan's Lance: Ritual, Power, and Moral Redemption Among the Malaysian Hindus
Cleaning Up the Great Lakes: From Cooperation to Confrontation
Cane Fires: Anti-Japanese Movement in Hawaii, 1865-1945
Social Identity in Imperial Russia
Autocracy Under Siege: Security Police and Opposition in Russia, 1866-1905
Native American Legends of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi Valley
The Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad: An Empire in the Making, 1862-79
" Godless Communists: Atheism and Society in Soviet Russia, 1917-1932
Democracy and Slavery in Frontier Illinois: The Bottomland Republic
The Achieving Institution: A Presidential Perspective on Northern Illinois University
Slaves, Sailors, Citizens: African Americans in the Union Navy
Before the World Series: Pride, Profits and Baseball's First Championships
Russian Monarchy: Eighteenth-Century Rulers and Writers in Political Dialogue
Beyond the American Revolution: Explorations in the History of American Radicalism
Cahokia's Countryside: Household Archaeology, Settlement Patterns, and Social Power
Peasant Russia: Family and Community in the Post-Emancipation Period
Pierced by Murugan's Lance: Ritual, Power, and Moral Redemption Among the Malaysian Hindus

Average customer rating:

Confuscious Say: BUY THIS BOOK!
Great fable!
Impressive Across the Storyboard
Too bad for fundamentalism
Born in the USA

American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang , and Gene Yang
Manufacturer: First Second
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
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ASIN: 1596431520
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Amazon.com

Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang's intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools. Each story works well on its own, but Yang engineers a clever convergence of these parallel tales into a powerful climax that destroys the hateful stereotype of Chin-Kee, while leaving both Jin Wang and the Monkey King satisfied and happy to be who they are.

Yang skillfully weaves these affecting, often humorous stories together to create a masterful commentary about race, identity, and self-acceptance that has earned him a spot as a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People. The artwork, rendered in a chromatically cool palette, is crisp and clear, with clean white space around center panels that sharply focuses the reader's attention in on Yang's achingly familiar characters. There isn't an adolescent alive who won't be able to relate to Jin's wish to be someone other than who he is, and his gradual realization that there is no better feeling than being comfortable in your own skin.--Jennifer Hubert

Customer Reviews:

Confuscious Say: BUY THIS BOOK!.......2007-06-28

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL EVER. Unbelievable. I won't give away the plot, but it's SO true to life and the plot twist at the end.... WOW. Better than any kung-fu movie. ROCK AND (egg)ROLL!

My husband is half-Chinese and came to America to go to college. He's told me stories of ABC and how they treat the FOB International Students. His experience mirrors that of Jin-Wang in the book.

I highly recommend this book. I was entranced by the storyline to such a degree that I couldn't put it down.

Great fable!.......2007-06-08

Worth the prizes it received, it's a well written story with great artwork.
The story is exactly about stereotypes, and that's why it uses them.
Instead of running from/avoiding it, the story show stereotypes do exists, but you don't have to care about them, as they mean nothing.
Some people just plain missed the point on the story.
Yes, the protagonists "cousing" is offensive, and is a stereotype... only it was all inside the protagonists mind. He saw himself that way, when he really didn't need to. It was all part of himself.

And imigrants tend to have problems exactly like that, growing up in foreign countries where people will treat him like he was some stereotype.

Read it, and don't think too much. Sometimes people will try to extract/read things the author didn't meant, and that will really ruin the whole experience.

Impressive Across the Storyboard.......2007-05-21

This book is a success on so many levels, it's hard to know where to begin singing its praises. Given its format, maybe I'll point out that Gene Yang's craftmanship and artistic skills are top-notch; he has strong lines and great layouts.

But of course, even the best-drawn comic can still be banal, which is where the congruent plot lines and emotional honesty of AMERICAN BORN CHINESE come into play. Yang tackles racial stereotyping and issues of ethnic identity in a personal way which is much more appealing and thoughtful than the ultra-ironic hipster stance of someone like Sarah Silverman. And while it all leads to the hoary theme of being comfortable in one's own skin, the lead-up (read-up?) to this revelation is well worth your time.

Sidenote: I see that a previous reader is outraged by this book's mixture of Chinese deities with Christianity (the latter sullying the former), and felt ripped off in the process. ("It should have been titled 'American Born Chinese Christian.'") So I will point out that while this book is not pious in any way, Gene Yang does work at a Catholic high school.

Too bad for fundamentalism.......2007-05-19

First, the good: the artwork is very good. The art of the storytelling is very good. I liked the fact that he took on a difficult subject, and I applaud Yang for doing a good job in covering the subject.

Second, the neutral: A few people have said that his use of caricature in the character of Chin-Kee, who is the embodiment of Asian stereotypes, is racist. I disagree. I thought that the character helped to expose stereotypes. I honestly don't think the character adds or detracts to the storyline; it's just the way Yang decided to do it, and it really isn't offensive at all, especially given the number of other admirable Asian American characters in the book.

Third, the bad: I can only give this book three stars because I was extremely offended by the Christian religious undertones. Yang blends the story of the Monkey King with a monotheistic God who rescues him from his folly. On page 215, he portrays the Monkey King's Journey to the West as a trip to see Jesus in Bethlehem. How offensive is that? I've seen fundamentalist Christianity destroy Asian American communities with its neo-Confucian emphasis on obedience and submission. How does this help Asian Americans? As Asian Americans, we need liberation from submission, not more submission cloaked in religion.

So in sum: Good artwork, but maybe the title should have been "American Born Chinese Christian." At least I would've known not to buy it.

If you're interested in Asian American comics, though, there's another book coming out soon called Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine. I've read the three comic series, and it's excellent.

Born in the USA.......2007-05-09

Maybe our parents were too busy figuring out a red-black tree algorithm or worrying about getting a job after graduation that they never bothered to figure out who Bob Dylan was.

Although we were born in the US our growing process was rather systematic. We must play the piano, we must take our SATs, we must enter Harvard, we must drive nice cars, we must get a big house, we must... Somewhere in the process it becomes shocking how disconnected we are from the rest of the world. So instead of being confused or angry this book explains why it's OK to be an outcast, a minority, a weirdo, a nerd, and an outsider by combining three different stories together.

I recommend this book to any "weirdos" out there.

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

Average customer rating:

Prepare for the unexpected.
Interesting motive, fails to deliver
Interesting Perspective Rarely Seen
who's talking now
Distracting

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Maxine Hong Kingston
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679721886
Release Date: 1989-04-23

Amazon.com

The Woman Warrior is a pungent, bitter, but beautifully written memoir of growing up Chinese American in Stockton, California. Maxine Hong Kingston (China Men) distills the dire lessons of her mother's mesmerizing "talk-story" tales of a China where girls are worthless, tradition is exalted and only a strong, wily woman can scratch her way upward. The author's America is a landscape of confounding white "ghosts"--the policeman ghost, the social worker ghost--with equally rigid, but very different rules. Like the woman warrior of the title, Kingston carries the crimes against her family carved into her back by her parents in testimony to and defiance of the pain.

Book Description

A Chinese American woman tells of the Chinese myths, family stories and events of her California childhood that have shaped her identity.

Customer Reviews:

Prepare for the unexpected........2007-03-22

This is a tremendous novel. The author threads the stories her mother told her when she was a child, through the retelling of her own life, using them to draw you into her own imagination. As she grows up, living half immersed in traditional myth and half in gritty reality, where mothers and daughters are only human, the reader grows up with her. The first person telling of her childhhood stories puts the reader directly in the shoes of a child/young adult working through the stories she has been told, using them to form her hopes and dreams and her understanding of the world.

(N.B. You may not think that your childhood stories influenced the way you live, but if you think for a minute, I am certain some will come back to you and you'll realize that just the other day you did something based on or combatting that belief. Maybe you even still wish on stars?)

Interesting motive, fails to deliver.......2007-01-12

While the perspective and ideas of this novel are ones rarely seen in modern day literature, Maxine Hong Kingston fails to captivate a reader in a way that one would expect from a novel dealing with the difficulties of not only being a minority in the U.S., but for simply being female.

The story starts off with the tale of Kingston's deceased aunt, who brought shame to the family and was unmentionable due to the fact that she bore an illegitimate child. As she gets into the tale and finds a parallel between herself and her aunt, both not wanting to conform to societal expectations, the story quickly changes to a story of a legendary girl trained by two old people to battle evil. The narration is filled with melodramatic elements and disorganized and often random occurences that make no sense at all, thereby losing the reader's interest early on in the book. The story then changes a few more times to different events in her family occuring in different eras, making it hard to grasp the relationship between themand her purpose for doing so. As you can see, the organization in this novel seems to be its biggest flaw. Instead of focusing on one tale and going in depth about it, the fact that Kingston changes stories so frequently and often before they are fully developed is annoying and seems to be pointless. While the stories she includes share a common theme of decpicting independent and strong women, her melodramatic and ineffective ways of narrating not only loses the reader's interest but in the process, I think even Kingston got confused about what she was trying to say!

Interesting Perspective Rarely Seen.......2007-01-12

Kingston combines the use of allegory, fantasy, and real life elements of her childhood to explore the social status of Chinese American women from the 1940s to the present in The Woman Warrior. While at first all of her stories may seem random, they all connect to Kingston's point of view as to how not just being a minority but also being a female made life difficult for her in both cultures. Her interwoven stories were so fascinating, as she brilliantly compares what she truly wants and what society is willing to allow her to do. It is crucial that the reader pay close attention to when her stories shift. My one problem with her plot organization is that she focuses on one story, and then suddenly shifts to another story. I couldn't understand until I was at the middle of the plot to comprehend each story's purpose in the bigger picture. But once the reader succeeds in getting over that one flaw, the rest is amazing. Kingston develops a unique style all on her own as she somehow connects the fantastical parts of her dreams to what she is forced to experience in everyday reality. In the backdrop of her personal experience, Kingston describes America's problems with racism and sexism different women in her lives are hurt by this. Kingston needed to maintain her flow; but the intriguing connections involving fantasy and reality work effectively to enhance her purpose.

who's talking now.......2007-01-11

This book tries to do too much! and doesn't succeed.

Even though this book had a good story over all, the confusing narration completely distracts from the intended message.

The entire story is in first person, no matter who is talking. This gets very confusing when the story suddenly shifts to another woman's story and you still think you are reading about the previous person. Suddenly you are reading and you think that the same character has somehow appeared on the other side of the world having no idea how she got there.

You will end up spending the whole book just trying to figure out who is speaking that you will miss most of what the book tries to say.

This is supposed to show the reality of what it is like to be a chinese woman but this is too hard to see when everything else is in the way.

This book does do some things well like its clever incorporation of irony in the narrator's retelling of a story that she has been forbidden to tell. It also incorporates superstitious elements such as her mother's battle with ghosts while at college and the enticing tale of the woman warrior. There is more irony seen here when most women in the story are seen as being weak, yet the woman warrior is strong and represents all the women with its title.

Distracting.......2007-01-10

Kingston strives to weave a profound, complex story about being a Chinese-American in The Woman Warrior, but usually only succeeds in coming up with an unorganized, choppy book that doesn't consistently flow or excite. She explores the racism towards Chinese-America women with her own family's history by juxtaposing the comfortable with the unknown, the fantastic with the mundane. Some chapters are successful in portraying the characters as isolated but strong women, but others only succeed in making the reader feel confused and unconnected to the story.
The novel begins by detailing the story of Kingston's aunt, who was shamed after having an illegitimate child; the first chapter encompasses most of the themes and styles of the rest of the novel, and, like the rest of the book, it is excessively ambiguous. Kingston constantly switches between past tense and present tense truth and imagination. In a single chapter, Kingston describes both her own life and her aunt's life as she pictures it from the stories her mother tells. While these elements are used as a stylistic device for an effect of uncertainty and ambiguity, they are too overwhelming, especially in the first chapter of the story. The reader does not know who Kingston, the narrator, is yet, but the author instantly jumps into narrating two overlapping stories. This chapter does, however, have redeeming qualities. It immediately reflects Kingston's gift for vivid imagery and description, so that, even if the reader may not understand the plot, he or she may still appreciate the colorful and detailed pictures Kingston draws in her narration.
The second chapter, least connected with Kingston's own life, is the most epic and exciting, especially because of Kingston's excellent descriptions. Again, Kingston does not make clear the point of view; it is difficult to realize immediately that Kingston is actually describing the tale of Fa Mu Lan, but in a first-person perspective. This does, however, make the chapter more emotional for the reader. As for the storyline itself, it is, I think, the best one in the book. The reader does not feel obligated to relate to Kingston's struggles with racism and acceptance, because the story does not relate to Kingston. The story is a fantasy, filled with magical elements as well as intense emotions such as love, determination, and spirit. The reader feels liberated as Fa Mu Lan triumphs over boorish warriors despite her original status as a girl. Later, however, Kingston attempts to connect Fa Mu Lan's fantastic tale to her own struggles as a Chinese-American. She first describes her inability to assert herself, and then claims that her true power is in her writing. This brief conclusion feels irrelevant and stark compared to the brilliant story of Fa Mu Lan. Though Kingston tries to tie the story back to her own life, she ends up making her life seem bleak and unimportant in contrast with Fa Mu Lan's life.
Kingston draws the following story from an outside source, her mother. This chapter is another intriguing and riveting part of Kingston's novel, coincidentally, it also involves supernatural elements and follows the tale of a woman who triumphs over typical gender roles. Kingston creates a fascinating tale by using the perfect blend of dialogue and unusual descriptions. The plot of this chapter, which involves Kingston's mother's transition from a revered doctor in China to a laboring wife in America, again contains two contrasting themes. And again, the narration that involves fantasy, growth, and triumph is exciting and absorbing, while the narration of struggles of American life are dull. Kingston attempts to draw the reader into all parts of her story, but the parts that relate to the struggles of female Chinese-Americans are only dull, not profound, because they are too unfamiliar to impact the reader, and too unremarkable to entice the reader.
The final chapters of The Woman Warrior, which revert back to the ambiguous, unorganized format of sections of previous chapters, are not very satisfying. Kingston begins to describe yet another disconnected aspect of struggling as a Chinese in America, this time narrating her aunt's story from a third-person perspective. While Kingston is able to depict the conflict caused when a traditional Chinese clashes with modernized Americans, it is difficult to sympathize with her aunt. Kingston moves too quickly from one story to another, and, apart from the themes, the stories are almost completely disconnected. The last chapter is the most disorientated as Kingston quickly shifts back to narrating her own childhood. Even the themes in this chapter seem disconnected from themes from the previous chapters. Kingston portrays herself as a cruel and violent girl. This is an awful way to end the book, as the reader feels only contempt and confusion towards Kingston.
Your reaction towards the book will depend on your personal history. You are probably more likely to enjoy the book if you have experienced hardships arising from cultural differences and isolation. Though Kingston displays a gift for language- especially description and epic storytelling, her attempts to incite the reader's empathy do not succeed.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction
Provocative, appealing and controversial
pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Provocative, appealing and controversial.......2006-08-02

Fomenko has succeeded to convincingly demonstrate the misconception about what "history" factually is... It is fiction and -like we can read and judge for ourselves- no science. It indeed is "make belief" only. I "discovered" Fomenko while studying the "old" history of Al Andaluz, Spain. Having found too many contradictions in available data, having seen too many forgeries as to pretend the importance of christianity for its decline, I ventured out to find Fomenko, who convinced me that we know little if anything for sure of the epoch before the XI-century. However, the integration of the Arabic-Islamic cultural history into the heavily distorted Western fails... There are some attempts to fit "the budding new religion" (Islam) into Fomenko's scheme, but they are too weak to be taken seriously and too often focussing on Turkey as the region where things started to influence the West, which is untrue at all.
Islam certainly was no "new religion" in the X-century. That the highly cultivated Al Andaluz ruler Mohammed-I could have been "mirrored" down in time into some myth about the "illiterate" founder of Islam itself is highly speculative. Nevertheless, Fomenko convinces me about the processes that were involved in forging a christian history. Intriguing and controversial as his books are, I recommend them as to rethink our current position in time and space and simply verify what was claimed. It is a "good" book, but not for bedtime reading... Mundus vult decipi, the world wants to be cheated. Fomenko's readers will understand why.

pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.......2006-02-16

Traces of white wine were found in Tutankhamen's tomb however there were no record of white wine in Egypt until the 3rd century AD, 1600 years after the young pharaoh died according to the traditional chronology. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18925395.400
It can be interpreted as a contribution towards New Chronology theory that pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.

Average customer rating:

interesting
Horrible
ah king!
Definite Eye-Opener
The Ultimate Dream

Donald Duk: A Novel
Frank Chin
Manufacturer: Coffee House Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0918273838

Customer Reviews:

interesting.......2007-01-04

pretty interesting but a kind of bad ending. the book has an interesting beginning though.

Horrible.......2006-08-07

Frank Chin uses 3rd person to go through the novel. What? Is he trying to question our competancy? It's and incredibly dull and boring book and is about a boy who dislikes being chinese. He wants to be a famous dancer-- so why doesn't he just do it. I mean it doesn't matter if you're chinese or not. Really, the book is about a kid who is so emo over his ethnicity, it just sickens me. Shut up and quit complaining. Only a few interesting dreams but that's it.

ah king!.......2006-03-27

this book was good. it was interesting to read. it has 2 messages that i found.

Definite Eye-Opener.......2005-06-16

First of all, I am surprised that not many people have read or even heard of this book. Why is it that America eats up all the stereotypical, sell-out Asian-American literature and denies something as real and tangible as Frank Chin's "Donald Duk"? Instead we are force-fed Amy Tan. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Amy Tan, she is a very engaging writer, however, the average reader does not know where to draw the line between fiction and fact. They assume that because Amy Tan is Asian, every word that spills across the pages of her works is the solid truth. It is important for people to understand this distinction before reading any literature, lest they mistake fiction writing for truth and buy into the stereotypes presented by the author. Unfortunately, most people cannot make this distinction and their knowledge of Asian/Asian-American culture is limited to what they read in "The Joy Luck Club" and other such works.

Whew! That was quite a rant :) Back to the review:

Frank Chin is NOT Amy Tan. On the surface, "Donald Duk" presents itself as a light-hearted, comedic read. In fact, the entire premise of this novel seems silly, as do the characters. However, beneath the surface lie some serious questions about culture, identity, and racism. With its rich portrayal of history and culture, "Donald Duk" challenges the abundant stereotypes and misrepresented histories often present in American culture. Paired with Chin's vibrant and crisp writing style (It took me a few pages before I warmed-up to his style, but once I did I was hooked), the end result is a novel that manages to be eye-opening without being preachy. A feat that is seldom accomplished. I don't say this often, but I love this book. "Donald Duk" is an entertaining, albeit important, novel that should be introduced to more readers.

The Ultimate Dream.......2004-09-30

Growing up, there was always that one person you wanted to be. That one person you were reminded of everyday in the media that seemed so much more glamorous than your average lifestyle. For Donald Duk, being Chinese wasn't quite satisfying enough. He dreamt about being Fred Astaire, his Americanized idol. The whole novel bases its message on being happy with what you got, something I feel important growing up in a self-centered America.
Donald is a 12 year old boy living in the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco. His life experiences are similar to the stereotyped foreigner. He gets made fun of by the Chinatown bullies, leaving him with no self-respect and dignity for himself. He realizes the stereotypical aspects of American-Chinese and it drives him to unhealthily hate himself. I think the message of this book can reach out to so many people who are in similar situations with their social life.
The novel puts Donald in a period of life where self image starts to become an important thing. I could really connect to this because around the same period of my life, this was also important. He wants to just be American so bad that he has negativity for all things Chinese. Hatred is found in several ways including food, culture, and way of life. He hates the weird foods; he hates the embarrassing, easy to baffle names including his. Donald is constantly being made fun of by his ridiculous link to the Walt Disney Donald Duck. Even his mother's name is Daisy. He even hates his uncle who performs Chinese opera seldom at him school; imagine that. Even his best friend appreciates the culture more than he does. Basically he would do anything to be anything but Chinese. I know I've been so ungrateful at times. After reading this novel, you feel much more self-assured. You don't get that much in literature.
This book contains good balance to imply the message with the introduction of Donald's father, King Duk. He is the wise, old man carrying mentoring features for Donald. If it weren't for his father, Donald would be lost in American culture. He shows him how to adapt instead of completely transform. He makes it important that instead of being laughed at, laugh with. You don't gain much knowledge with out experience.
If you're not familiar with Chinese culture, some parts of the book can be a little cloudy. There were some parts that I could get completely lost in, but the ultimate message shined through. The dreams that he endures about being an underground rail-road builder in the 1800's is what turns him around. The dream sequences were my favorite, switching the story up with eccentric details. He finds out that the Chinese are just as creditable as anyone else and have received no recognition for it. He starts to appreciate where he has come from, becoming a happier person. The adaptation process starts to come easy to him, making him proud of his individualism.
Sometimes you just need the help of others to see more clearly. For Donald, his dreams opened up the passageway for him. Also, through the help of his family and friends, he could actually start to enjoy himself. Chinese culture is one that holds a lot of values. Back in China, death could even result from breaking this. Throughout the book, the main values presented were family, respect, and righteousness. Frank Chin did a very good job of combining freedom of choice by America with the traditional values of Chinese. This is a book we could all learn a little from.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Laurel-Leaf Books)

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Chinese Cinderella
Great book for a pre-teen
Amazing Efforts
Happily ever after?
The Most Emotionally Excellent Memoir!

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter (Laurel-Leaf Books)
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440228654
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Amazon.com

Chinese Cinderella is the perfect title for Adeline Yen Mah's compelling autobiography in which, like the fairy-tale maiden, her childhood was ruled by a cruel stepmother. "Fifth Younger Sister" or "Wu Mei," as Yen Mah was called, is only an infant when her father remarries after her mother's death. As the youngest of her five siblings, Wu Mei suffers the worst at the hands of her stepmother Niang. She is denied carfare, frequently forgotten at school at the end of the day, and whipped for daring to attend a classmate's birthday party against Niang's wishes. Her father even forgets the spelling of her name when filling out her school enrollment record. In her loneliness, Wu Mei turns to books for company: "I was alone with my beloved books. What bliss! To be left in peace with Cordelia, Regan, Gonoril, and Lear himself--characters more real than my family... What happiness! What comfort!" Even though Wu Mei is repeatedly moved up to grades above those of her peers, it is only when she wins an international play-writing contest in high school that her father finally takes notice and grants her wish to attend college in England. Despite her parent's heartbreaking neglect, she eventually becomes a doctor and realizes her dream of being a writer.

Teens, with their passionate convictions and strong sense of fair play, will be immediately enveloped in the gross injustice of Adeline Yen Mah's story. A complete glossary, historical notes on the state of Chinese society and politics during Yen Mah's childhood, and the legend of the original Chinese Cinderella round out this stirring testimony to the strength of human character and the power of education. (Ages 10 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

A riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s.

A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.

Following the success of the critically acclaimed adult bestseller Falling Leaves, this memoir is a moving telling of the classic Cinderella story, with Adeline Yen Mah providing her own courageous voice.

Customer Reviews:

Chinese Cinderella.......2007-05-19

Have you ever felt like you were unwanted? Have you have felt hated like nobody likes or wants you? Well if you know this felling you would have close ties to this book. Also for the record Adeline Yen Mah has felt like that since she was born. So I haven't thought that it couldn't get worse because it really can get worse.
The book is a biography of her life while she was in China. The book covers most of her life but it is more of her childhood not her most recent life. It describes the sadness that Adeline has been through. It in the first chapter It says everyone hated her because three days after she was born her mother came down with a high fever and died two weeks after she was born. So she never got to now her real mother. Her father remarries and all his children didn't like her but they were forced to call her niang (which in Chinese means mother) which none of them think of her as their real mother they all didn't like her. Her stepmother always abused her and never liked her she only liked the kids that she had gave life to. So she always abused her younger and older siblings.
I actually could compare this book a little to my own life. I haven't felt as unwanted or as hated as she has. I also haven't been abused like she has. I haven't actually really been abused all that much. But I have felt unwanted before. I haven't been abused like had been I haven't ever been abused that much.
Over all I would give this book a 10 out of 10. It only has 200 pages altogether so it won't take you a very long time. It is a very good read. It would take you maybe a weekend or two to read it. That is why I gave it a 10 out of 10.
I would recommend this book to anyone but it would be more of an adult book. It has way too much sadness for a young child. Also if it for an adult one of them people that are always happy and peppy and think that nothing can ever happen too them. It will be a real eye opener because they will realize it could really happen to them. So then they won't be going around saying "my life can't get any worse".

Great book for a pre-teen.......2007-04-24

I picked up this book the other week for my 12-year-old daughter after browsing thru the bookstores for something outta the norm for her. I bought it solely on the back-cover synopsis -- mine being an only child and doted on for the most part. I kind of expected her to glance at the cover and half-heartedly browse thru it. I was so wrong! She read it in a few days! She's always been into books -- but of her own choosing: Harry Potter and/or Lemony Snickett, fantasies and the like. After she put it down each night, she would tell me a bit about what she just read. Believe me, she's NEVER done that before. She said it truly was a cinderella story, and wondered why no one would help the little girl more. She showed alot of empathy for Adeline as a child. What I think I'm trying to convey is that it is a book written to touch the soul of the young reader -- something the author succeeded so well at.

Amazing Efforts.......2007-03-29

I strongly recommend the book Chinese Cinderella to people who do not mind a book that might make them cry. This book was a page-turner because while reading it, you just have to find out what happens next. Anyone with a strong heart will enjoy this book because it is so amazing what this little girl went through. While reading this book, there were some parts I felt like I was about to break down and cry, but there were others where I wanted to meet Adeline Yen Mah and congratulate her for her amazing efforts.

Happily ever after?.......2007-02-07

Out of all honesty, I hate reading autobiographies; I just can't keep myself interested in them. But Chinese Cinderella is well detailed and written. It kept me wondering what would happen next. Although it can improve in some parts, I highly recommend you this book.

Chinese Cinderella is really inspiring to me and it taught me that no matter how horrible your life may be, you can still be successful if you work hard [like Adeline herself].

Like the original story, Cinderella, Adeline lives with a family that neglects her. But she follows her dreams and becomes successful.

It's a wonderful book filled with every emotion you can think of, angry, sad, love, care, disappointment, etc.

After I read it, I loved it so much, I told my friends about it and now they're reading it too!

[...]

The Most Emotionally Excellent Memoir!.......2007-01-31

This is a great book to read to catch up with your reading. It goes by so quickly, but it's super affecting. There are several times where you just have to cry. Before you know it, you'll be done with it, and it's so clear and easy to understand, perfect for a book report! It basically is about a chinese girl who feels unwanted in her family. However, Adeline(the author) puts such fantastic details to enrich her story.

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes

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Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats`
Excellent service.
Things to do with children
Easy Multiculturism
A delightful book well illustrated

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
Nina Simonds , Leslie Swartz , and Boston The Children's Museum
Manufacturer: Gulliver Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0152019839

Book Description

Filled with delectable recipes, hands-on family activities, and traditional tales to read aloud, this extraordinary collection will inspire families everywhere to re-create the magic of Chinese holidays in their own homes. They can feast on golden New Year's dumplings and tasty moon cakes, build a miniature boat for the Dragon Boat Festival and a kite at Qing Ming, or share the story of the greedy Kitchen God or the valiant warrior Hou Yi.
This stunning compilation from bestselling cookbook author Nina Simonds and Leslie Swartz of the Children's Museum, Boston, is the perfect gift for families that have embraced Chinese holidays for generations--and for those just beginning new traditions.

Customer Reviews:

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats`.......2006-11-10

This book is full of activities; stories and recipes--we will be using this book a lot in keeping the some of the traditions of China alive for our adopted daughter.

Excellent service........2006-08-13

The book arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition as promised. Thank you.

Things to do with children.......2006-02-28

A nice book full of pictures and stories about the various festivals. There are craft items to make and food to cook. A good idea for those who are trying to incorporate chinese culture into their family life.

Easy Multiculturism.......2006-02-25

Very pretty book for those of us visual learners. Concrete and abstract examples of Chinese culture, good for children of different ages.

A delightful book well illustrated.......2005-12-19

I found this book on Amazon while writing my children's book. "Moonbeams" is a delightful children's book. Combining the legends, activities and recipes for each Chinese festival is a clever and useful idea that is carried out very well in this book.

A friend borrowed my copy a few months ago and it looks like the book's not coming back!

Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Average customer rating:

Story of a Heroine? Or a desperate orphan?
Heart breaking yet Inspiring
Great Insight into Chinese Culture
Page Turner that Never Ends Well
You Think You Got it Bad...

Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
Adeline Yen Mah
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0767903579
Release Date: 1999-04-06

Amazon.com

Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest.

Book Description

Born in 1937 in a port city a thousand miles north of Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest child of an affluent Chinese family who enjoyed rare privileges during a time of political and cultural upheaval. But wealth and position could not shield Adeline from a childhood of appalling emotional abuse at the hands of a cruel and manipulative Eurasian stepmother. Determined to survive through her enduring faith in family unity, Adeline struggled for independence as she moved from Hong Kong to England and eventually to the United States to become a physician and writer.

A compelling, painful, and ultimately triumphant story of a girl's journey into adulthood, Adeline's story is a testament to the most basic of human needs: acceptance, love, and understanding. With a powerful voice that speaks of the harsh realities of growing up female in a family and society that kept girls in emotional chains, Falling Leaves is a work of heartfelt intimacy and a rare authentic portrait of twentieth-century China.

Customer Reviews:

Story of a Heroine? Or a desperate orphan?.......2007-06-12

Falling Leaves is a true story (from the perspective of the author) about how everyone's life in a rich Chinese family was turned upside down by the marriage of the father and an Eurasian step-mother. Besides the devilish treatment of the step-mother towards the author and her siblings, there was the betrayal between brothers and sisters, and how they fought mercilessly over the inheritance left by the father. Though the author became immensely successful in her medical career as well as her writing career over the Falling Leaves book and other novels, her unresolved bitterness towards her step-mother and her siblings was evident from the book. I would imagine that the author remains cut off from the rest of the family to this very day. Though the book tried to lead readers to see the heroine side of the author and how she overcame the torments given by her family and other misfortunes, one just can't help but wonder the price of her success--disclosing the ultimate ugly side of her very own family and the broken family relationships she is probably still suffering. I as a reader do doubt her motive of writing this book. Was she trying to inspire readers to overcome adversities in life, or was it to earn justice for herself outside the walls of the courtroom? Despite her success as a writer, I would not envy her life so filled with un-forgiveness and broken family relationship. Yes she also seems to have a happy marriage and good children, but as any family therapist could tell you, being cut off from your family of origin would not do any good to your own family.

Heart breaking yet Inspiring .......2007-04-17

unmeasurable strength of a little girl who survived all odds.

Great Insight into Chinese Culture.......2007-04-12

Adeline's memoir is both sad and beautiful.
It is really an interesting read and trully is a chinese "Cinderella Story"

Page Turner that Never Ends Well.......2007-04-11

As much sympathy I feel towards Adeline Yen Mah, I cannot help but thinks that she is absolutely insane to allow herself to go through her life living the way she lives, with agony and undying hope that her family will somehow eventually come around. After the treatments her sister and brothers have bestowed upon her as a child, and after her evil-as-can-be stepmother treated her like dirt beneath her feet, she still forks out money, time after time, whenever her cruel family asks for it. Why did she foot her father's medical bills when they are clearly so wealthy that they can afford to live in Monte Carlo? And why did she not fight for the will? I can see that her sister Lydia probably already squandered all her inheritance away, and have probably gone back to guilt-tripping Adeline into giving her more money. And Adeline probably has. For goodness sakes, think of your poor husband! Why are you wasting your guys's hard earned money on ungrateful people? Just because of your own wants of finally being accepted? Yet time and time again you find that you've been tricked and that you were never loved the way you want to be. Wake up and smell the coffee, Adeline. Your family obviously wants to keep in touch with you for your money. Spare your own children and your loving husband the agony of your depression. I can't imagine that you, constantly craving attention from your family, can be a happy mother. Oh, and to stay with Bryan even after he beats both you AND your son?! How can you tolerate that??

Overall, this book was a page-turner in the sense that it makes the reader keep wanting to know if there is a happy ending, a satisfactory happy ending. Instead, it is one hearbreak after another. Being a Chinese-American myself, I hate reading these novels on other Asian-Americans because they are just so depressing, and the ending is never a happy one. Spare yourself the agony an anger if you want to good read that will lead you to a happy ending. Otherwise you'll find yourself disappointed.

You Think You Got it Bad..........2007-03-17

I picked up this book during a holiday vacation at a relative's home. Being a medical professional with an interest in Asian culture, my aunt thought I would enjoy it. It was a fascinating look at the disaparity within the family - before stepmother and after; before the cultural revolution and after; and the success of some of the older female relatives balanced against the crushing patriarchy affecting the younger members of the family, especially the author. Her success is a tribute to her intelligence, ambition and willingness to go it alone, even if it meant possible disinheritance.

Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans (The Interact Series)

Average customer rating:

Very helpful but some things have changed...
Encountering the Chinese : A guide for Americans
This book is worth the encounter
an experience leading to a Must read and better understandin
Highly Recommended

Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans (The Interact Series)
Hu Wenzhong , and Cornelius Lee Grove
Manufacturer: Intercultural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1877864587

Customer Reviews:

Very helpful but some things have changed... .......2006-07-30

Having just taught in two major Chinese universities, I found this book very helpful. But based on my conversations with numbers of students (at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level), in today's competitive China some things appear to have changed. E.g. granted the diversity of a vast country like China, in those cities that have been more impacted by Western consumer culture there is much more individualism especially among youth. At the more prestiguous universities intense competition means that fewer students are as willing to assist their colleagues as their more traditional counerparts might have once been. Highly recommended (even for tourists) but do be aware of the increasing impact of Western culture.

Encountering the Chinese : A guide for Americans.......2006-03-24

I found this book interesting however, if you plan to just visit China and not live there it is probably not that helpful. If you are an American and do plan to live there for some period of time it would probably be quite helpful.

This book is worth the encounter.......2005-10-11

This book is primarily directed at Americans involved with China but much of what it refers to is also valid for other English speaking westerners. In fact, it is the best book I have read in terms of explaining Chinese culture as x, y, z. It is said that everything you hear about China is true, but not necessarily where you are. This book includes valuable information that is true in most locations in China, not only the coastal cities, nor just Beijing, nor only in academic circles. The book is broken into two sections. The first half of the book contains general culture information about Chinese people which should be applicable to Chinese in general, no matter where they live in the world. The second half contains information specific to Mainland China and situations you may find yourself in there.

A poignant example would be the fact that when Chinese people are visiting you and decide it is time to leave they do just that, leave. There is no extended time of talk after an initial, "I need to go soon," rather they just stand up and say goodbye. This surprised me the first time it happened with some students but I quickly became used to it. I have read other books which recommend against reading books like this because they will only cause more harm than good. However, almost everything in this book was relevant to my time in China and if I had read it before I went my learning curve would have been shallower.

I would hope that they will come out with a third edition of this valuable book. A few items are dated and China is changing so rapidly that some details are sure to be very different in the future.

an experience leading to a Must read and better understandin.......2005-04-13

I have just finished the book, twice; Encountering the Chinese; A Guide for Americans. by Hu Wenzhong & Cornelius L. Grove.

This is a great book for help in making cross cultural or intercultural communication between Chinese and Americans more rewarding while trying to avoid abrasiveness regarding deep fundamental differences.

Before reading this book I did not know that Chinese culture is one of collectivism, I had thought that everyone is individulistic in the world, I had never known anything different. It was hard for me to understand Chinese life until I got some help from these two authors. It explained many of my questions and concerns for why Chinese do some of the things they do and act in such ways in response to things I do. Why i was treated the way I was, for the way I acted, which I had no idea, was only a response of a disliking of my fundamental character and individualistic personality, one of American born and raised in the Heartland U.S.A..

It showed me the reason, for alot of my confusion and why I received the response I did for my actions.

I acted like an individual and showed anger, which I read to the Chinese are two of the worst ways to act. This difference in fundamentals between myself and the Chinese culture may have led to the misunderstanding and consequential accusations, and or just the overall way of bringing anxiety and frustrations to the surface in my life here in China.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to know the difference between collectivism and individualism, the predominate theory or doctrines of China & The United States, for better relations between these two ways of thinking for more harmony on both sides for neither one is right or wrong for without education the other has no idea of the inherited fundamental differences each have.

It has helped me see the Chinese way of thinking and acting in response to my way of thinking and acting in my daily life, something that rarely do Americans need to or have to think about. I will forever before instinctly acting on my own individualistically trained nature to see how such acts would be seen from the perspective of one of collectivistic. Like I would never complain aloud in anger about poor pay, nor openly criticize a Chinese person, nor think only of the betterment of myself in matters of personal likes and dislikes. I would also refrain from wearing expensive, name brand, clothing while in the presence of less educated and fashion sensitive people who may feel I am just a selfish American taking advantage of being able to travel the world freely as I my country has given to its citizens. The sometimes I really feel that it is not about cultural differences but something we all have subltely within us, something very known which we all can recognize; jealousy, envy, concite, revenge, hate, and many others that if one is not careful, and educated can appear very similiar to the other as a possible excuse as to say that we have named it a fundamental difference in cultural perspective one of the friction between individualism and collectivism.

>> also if you don't have an idea yet why this book is so important>> a letter to a friend, referring this book and what I had learned from it>

Dear Professor xxxx,

I am not quite sure how to thank you and Prof.xxxx, except to acquire the utmost from this gracious learning opportunity.

Before receiving your email, I had just finished one of the required readings, Encountering the Chinese; A Guide for Americans. By Hu & Grove

How true it really is, I am probably not the first nor the last to say that, but wow I was both amazed and glad that I had read it, to confirm what I had questioned repeatedly and already dealt with and deal with every day. True to it that Americans are fundamentally individualistic, I at least understand that as I was raised by my hard working, blue collar, U.S. Veteran and father, to be self sufficient and self promoting in work and daily affairs, that my survival muchly depended on myself, and that to act in way to promote myself and my priorities is what will make success for myself and family. To depend on another was and is looked down upon, as an American, as one needs to become a compitant providor both to society and his/her family. Such a phrase for this I remember being told as I was growing up, "you need to make a life for yourself, no one else is going to do it for you."

On the other hand, or at the other end of the "continuum," the orientation of the Chinese, collectivism.
Like I had said before, my wife is Chinese, though we are both young and she is somewhat even younger then myself, I have indeed and will continue to make observations on this fundamental orientation in the difference between individualism and collectivism, which if not observed and prepared for will indeed as I have experienced many times, surely cause faux pas, conflicts, and downright hard to explain your way out of -misunderstandings, for it is hard to teach that we both are right from our own orientation, though each of us find from our own conditioning and orientation that the other is wrong. In the moment of such misunderstanding it is not common and hard to say, "ohh, our conflict is one which stems from fundamental differences," instead it is best to be informed beforehand, to be eguipped, and that is exactly why I feel that this course and this book of which is a required text, is of very high importance and benfit.

I am indebt to you for allowing me to expand my knowledge, not only academically but also the practical knowledge that will allow for me to put into practice, at once within my immediate family and that of my surroundings.

Thanks,
-An American Citizen (born & raised on U.S. soil)
-Married interculturally w/ a Chinese Citizen born and raised in one of the two systems one country,-HK
-living with an all Chinese Family, except myself

Highly Recommended.......2004-04-22

If you are going to China and seek a better understanding of the courtship between East and West, Hu Wenzhong, who is Chinese, and Cornelius Grove, who is American, wrote this culture-bridging book for you. They clearly reveal not only the differences between Chinese culture and the Western culture, but the origin of many of those differences. They explain both history and culture as a context for contemporary social standards, from practical etiquette to how to conduct yourself on a daily basis as you travel, live or work in China. The authors accomplish their explanatory goals, avoid silly generalities and give the visitor just enough knowledge to avoid being completely humiliated. When you read this, you'll have a framework for determining what else you need to learn before you go. Meanwhile we highly recommends this very readable, consistently interesting book.

Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China

Average customer rating:

Wondering How Poisoned Food and Drugs Comes out of China? READ THIS BOOK TO UNDERSTAND WHY
A Memoir With Chinese Characteristics
Insightful
A masterpiece
Faustian Bargains Needed to Survive

Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China
John Pomfret
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present
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Mao's Last Revolution
China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)

ASIN: 0805076158
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Book Description

A first-hand account of the remarkable transformation of China over the past forty years as seen through the life of an award-winning journalist and his four Chinese classmates

As a twenty-year-old exchange student from Stanford University, John Pomfret spent a year at Nanjing University in China. His fellow classmates were among those who survived the twin tragedies of Mao’s rule—the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution—and whose success in government and private industry today are shaping China’s future. Pomfret went on to a career in journalism, spending the bulk of his time in China. After attending the twentieth reunion of his class, he decided to reacquaint himself with some of his classmates. Chinese Lessons is their story and his own.

Beginning with Pomfret’s first days in China, Chinese Lessons takes us back to the often torturous paths that brought together the Nanjing University History Class of 1982. One classmate’s father was killed during the Cultural Revolution for the crime of being an intellectual; another classmate labored in the fields for years rather than agree to a Party-arranged marriage; a third was forced to publicly denounce and humiliate her father. As we watch Pomfret and his classmates begin to make their lives as adults, we see as never before the human cost and triumph of China’s transition from near-feudal communism to first-world capitalism.

Customer Reviews:

Wondering How Poisoned Food and Drugs Comes out of China? READ THIS BOOK TO UNDERSTAND WHY.......2007-05-13

This book helps to explain the state of moral affairs in China.

Our book discussion group chose this book at the request of the three Chinese members. Formerly quiet during our book discussions, one woman now opened up and told us her story: a) Beijing 1968: 10 years old, her "bourgeois" family had been split apart and sent to distant work camps- she, deemed too young to send away, remained home ALONE in their apt and went to work in a factory every day, coming home to brain-washing at night from officials who visited her apartment. Her 13-y.o. brother returned from the camps, having lost his mind- she took care of him. Her grandmother was sent home to die "in front of my eyes- I was so shocked!" Later, her mother, sick with leukemia, was sent home. She never went to school during all this time. College entrance exams were announced when she was 17 and she borrowed books and began to study. "The only thing I could not study on my own was chemistry. I slept two hours a night but still I had nightmares when I slept." She was one of a very few who passed and was allowed to go to college. Her mother died a week after getting the news that her daughter had passed the exam. "Every day that I went to work in the factory I said to myself, 'I have to get out of here!' Now, when I go back to China, I see the same people that I worked with- still there. They are dead in their minds and in their hearts... No one wants to talk about these things in China- but I am writing a book and a play. I am afraid of nothing now."

A Memoir With Chinese Characteristics.......2007-02-26

Expectations count for a lot. I had heard an interview with John Pomfret a year ago in which he said he was working on a book about Chinese values. I was looking forward to such a book, but got this memoir instead.

Once I was readjusted my expectations, I found Pomfret's observations quite illuminating. His cast of characters is intriguing; each one could have been the basis for an entire biography. But there are too many, and the narrative concerning each classmate is difficult to follow (with the exception of Little Guan). The "lessons" of the title could have been more easily learned by giving the reader more of Pomfret's excellent stories showing how these extraordinary people coped with and participated in China's metamorphosis over the last 28 years. There is not one classmate in this book, including Pomfret himself, who is not deserving of a fuller treatment by this gifted writer.

Insightful.......2007-01-21

I knew much of the information in this book but learned it in much greater detail, along with the psychological effects of the Cultural Revolution. Fascinating insight into today's Communist Party to a degree that is is scary to think about. Makes you really wonder how such a schizophrenic Party can function and what are they really up to when dealing with the West, who value human life so differently. Lots to think about. The stories of the classmates provide much thought provoking material to digest. Thank you Pan!

A masterpiece.......2007-01-09

After I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down until I finished it all. This is by far the best book I've read about China written by a westerner. Many westerners claim to be an expert on China after making a couple trips to China. But this author really immersed himself into Chinese life to have a very deep understanding of china and her people. He shared a shabby college dorm room with a couple other chinese students in the early 80's - I don't think many westerners had this kind of experience.
Some people may complain that this book seems only focused on China's dark sides. We have to see China did make lots of improvement in many areas in the past 30 years. Maybe just because all the classmates this book covered seemed to have some personal tragidies. Nevertheless, this book is a still a masterpiece because all the characers in the book are real people. and the author did a marvelous job retelling their story with passion and brutal honesty.

Faustian Bargains Needed to Survive.......2007-01-07

There is lots of material on the exiles, refuguees and China based casualties of the Cultural Revolution, but this is the first I've read with confessions. As JP's friend Zhou says everyone in China claims to be a victim, but "do the math". What could the ratio of victim to torturer be? This book doesn't answer that, but sheds light on the Cultural Revolution's environment and aftermath.

Also, westerners tend to see Tiananmen Square through an idealistic lens. JP reports on hunger fasts with 8 hour shifts and petty police actions: "No bicycle here". JP heard little dialog among the protestors. Demagoguery was met with louder demagoguery and sometimes fisticuffs. The major leaders left China when the chips were down leaving behind many followers who lost what little they had. Some, like JP's composer friend, spent years in prisons where they were mercilessly beaten.

Each of JP's survivor friends had to make compromises of a nature inconceivable to most westerners. Some began in youth gangs, empowered by party leaders to harrass and destroy parents, teachers, anyone with a modicum of success or talent. Some actually tortured their parents. Others were only steps removed from their parents' murders. The lucky ones merely had to deny or denigrate parents, teachers or neighbors to survive the gangs of angry peasants, the urban poor and propagandistically vulnerable young people with hormones running wild. The immediate mental calculus was simple, you couldn't beat them so you joined them.

There is one generational twist. JP's friend Song has an alcoholic father who dreadfully abused him worse than the "system". For what we know of abusive family relationships we are not surprised that Song returns to China at great risk to himself upon his father's bidding. The father shows no acknowledgement of or care for the danger involved.

JP's "longitudinal" examination of these, perhaps typical, students of this generation is a major contribution. Despite their relative success, their lives are not easy, and their success is vulnerable to the jealousies and connections of others. They continually make compromises, like the composer who lyricises that the Chinese people have won their freedom, or the party propagandist who intimates that China needs a free press and the entrepreneur who teaches Marxism on the side.

The story is not over. This generation will be succeeded by the "little emperors". Will these children, fully indulged by 2 parents and 4 grandparents, emerge with self-esteem (unavailable to the culture revolution generation) or complete selfishness? How will these young people with greater education, travel, material well being and opportunity react to the current immovable system? How will they administer China when they become the system?

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family

Average customer rating:

generational story
Engaging and educational...
Fascinating
Skip this one but enjoy her others...
Even After A Couple of Years, A Memorable Read

On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family
Lisa See
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679768521
Release Date: 1996-08-27

Book Description

Out of the stories heard in her childhood in Los Angeles's Chinatown and years of research, See has constructed this sweeping chronicle of her Chinese-American family, a work that takes in stories of racism and romance, entrepreneurial genius and domestic heartache, secret marriages and sibling rivalries, in a powerful history of two cultures meeting in a new world. 82 photos.

Customer Reviews:

generational story.......2006-11-10

I like Lisa See's books and this is another example of her fine writing. This time, however, her focus is the story of her own family and their impact on their new country.

Engaging and educational..........2006-11-07

Lisa See is one of those rare authors that can draw you into and keep you engaged in a story weaved with historial significance as well as personal emotions. A must read for any first or second generation immigrant who has always bee