Amazon.com
In Wild Swans Jung Chang recounts the evocative, unsettling, and insistently gripping story of how three generations of women in her family fared in the political maelstrom of China during the 20th century. Chang's grandmother was a warlord's concubine. Her gently raised mother struggled with hardships in the early days of Mao's revolution and rose, like her husband, to a prominent position in the Communist Party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution. Chang herself marched, worked, and breathed for Mao until doubt crept in over the excesses of his policies and purges. Born just a few decades apart, their lives overlap with the end of the warlords' regime and overthrow of the Japanese occupation, violent struggles between the Kuomintang and the Communists to carve up China, and, most poignant for the author, the vicious cycle of purges orchestrated by Chairman Mao that discredited and crushed millions of people, including her parents.
Book Description
Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao's impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love.
Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord's concubine; her mother's struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents' experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a "barefoot doctor," a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving -- and ultimately uplifting -- detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining and educational.......2007-10-08
I read this book in preparation for a trip to China. The book follows the lives of 3 women (daughter, mother, grandmother) in China. Chang does an outstanding job teaching the reader about China's history and politics while at the same time giving us the women's stories. You will learn a lot about China during WWII, Japanese occupation, Communist revolution, Mao's great leap forward and the cultural revolution.
On the downside, the author does not do a particularly nice job in helping the reader understand the characters. You don't get into their brains. This is a minor criticism and I still highly recommend this book if you are at all interested in learning about China in the last 100 years. You will learn a lot without having to read a boring textbook.
Amazing insight into 20th century China and Mao inparticular.......2007-09-19
It is incredible to read this true story about 20th century China. So little is really known about China to those of us in the West. It is hard to believe that so many "intellectuals" here in the West used to, and even still, have so much admiration for Mao when there is truly only evil behind this man. There is a lot of history in this book but really it is the personal story of the author and her family. A must read for us all!
Wild China.......2007-09-15
"Mrs Shau slapped my father hard. The crowd barked at him indignantly, although a few tried to hide their giggles. Then they pulled out his books and threw them into huge jute sacks they had brought with them.
"When all the bags were full, they carried them downstairs, telling my father they were going to burn them... the next day after a denunciation meetings against him. They ordered him to watch the bonfire 'to be taught a lesson.' In the meantime, they said, he must burn the rest of his collection.
"When I came home that afternoon, I found my father in the kitchen. He had lit a fire in the big cement sink, and was hurling his books into the flames.
"This was the first time in my life I had seen him weeping. It was agonized, broken, and wild, the weeping of a man who was not used to shedding tears. Every now and then, in fits of violent sobs, he stamped his feet on the floor and banged his head against the wall.
"My father had spent every spare penny on his books. They were his life. After the bonfire, I could tell that something had happened to his mind."
(Wild Swans, Jung Chang, p.439)
Me, I might've lost mine completely.
After being near-perfectly obedient to a Party whose values you put above your family, to be accused of anti-Party-ism, judged for the very tasks you were instructed to unquestioningly and unconditionally, publicly humiliated and beaten (even made to kneel on glass) and forced to burn the very items you've spent a lifetime collecting and loving...why, I would've been long-gone crazy.
But then these Chinese Communists are dedicated to their work and politics (independently of the cash factor, which wasn't much in Mao's China in the 1950s' to 60s') in a manner quite unheard of today.
I mean, how many of us believe our local politicians are in it primarily because of their "commitment to the unity, harmony and welfare of the country" (to ask is to scoff). Not for Jung Chang's dad, one of the many victims of the Cultural Revolution.
Chang is kinda like Josephus, who escaped a burning Jerusalem (whilst she a 'burning' China) to become a historical-political writer.
Josephus' authorial intentions were of course far more motivated by their allegiance to his benefactor, Vesapian. His was a history of the Jews, but also a thinly veiled exaltation of Rome. Chang's agenda, on the other hand, is an outright expose of the delusions, the cruelty, the very insanity of life and government in China from the start of the 20th century.
From foot-binding to scheming mistresses to escaping third-wives(!); from miscarriages due to long treks (because wives are discouraged to ride in their husbands' vehicles lest 'bourgeosie privilege' is suspected) to the terror of city sieges; from communal self-delusion about a glut (which was really a famine!) to hungry peasants kidnapping babies for food; from profiting from the black-market in banned books (supposedly to be burnt but conveniently set aside for secret trade, especially the erotic ones like Stendhal's Le Rouge et Le Noir) to the Little Red Book 'loyalty dance' (how? Gyrate, wave the book, sing Mao's quotes) - Chang spills everything one would want (and maybe not want) to know about life before and under Mao, structured and timelined by the lives of her grandmother, mother and her own.
The language is simple and clear and not at all 'profound', twisty or avant-garde-ish. Not unlike something you might read in an exercise book from a good Asian secondary school.
Therefore, you sorta know it's the content alone that won Wild Swans the 1992 NCR Book Award and the 1993 British Book of the Year Award. The book is proof you don't need kewl-sounding language to make a serious impact on the literary stage.
Read 'em and (you will) weep.
Wild Swans.......2007-09-01
Well written memoir that reviews the history of China immediately before, during and after the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists, and also the early days of the Communist government. The good and the bad of Mao's rule is vividly portrayed.
Learned, laughed and cried........2007-08-31
It took me over a year to finish reading for it is a large, amazing book and I wanted to make sure that I was very alert when reading. Ms. Chang has a terrific writing style that makes you feel you are right there. Each chapter contributed to my knowledge of China as viewed through three women's eyes. It is the type of book you can finish a chapter and then go back to later for she has organized chapters to complete a period in time. Kathy Condon
Average customer rating:
- Distant Land Made Near
- mostly boring
- WHY ISN'T THIS BOOK BETTER KNOWN?
- Nostalgia
- I trust you will be just as Wowed as I was!
|
The Distant Land of My Father
Bo Caldwell
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Family Saga
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Those Who Save Us
-
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
-
Suite Francaise
-
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
-
Water for Elephants: A Novel
ASIN: 0156027135 |
Amazon.com
The Distant Land of My Father begins like a fairy tale: "My father was a millionaire in Shanghai in the 1930s.... On the day he was born, in the province of Shantung, neighbors presented my missionary grandparents, the only Americans for miles, with noodles in great abundance and one hundred chicken eggs, in honor of their son's birth." To the young Anna Schoene, life in Shanghai is indeed magical. There are servants, a luxurious villa, a beautiful mother who smells like Chanel No. 5, and a young, handsome, polo-playing father. Unfortunately, her father is also a smuggler and speculator who loves his freewheeling life more than anything (or anyone) else. Despite warnings, Schoene refuses to leave Shanghai even after the Japanese invade, and his wife and child retreat to Los Angeles; later, he survives imprisonment and torture only to once again choose Shanghai over his family--this time with the Communists moving in.
Bo Caldwell's sepia-toned evocation of 1930s Shanghai is lovely and physical, and given the built-in drama of its setting, this first novel ought to have the vividness of a classic movie. Yet the characters remain oddly flat while world events swirl around them. Great chunks of historical exposition seem largely undigested, while Schoene's final change of heart fails to ring true. In a sense, however, these shortcomings are beside the point. The Distant Land of My Father is above all a tragic romance, albeit one with an unusual love interest. Schoene is so besotted with Shanghai that his wife and daughter are scarcely as real to him as the city itself. --Mary Park
Book Description
Anna, the narrator of this riveting first novel, lives in a storybook world: exotic pre- World War II Shanghai, with handsome young parents, wealth, and comfort. Her father, the son of missionaries, leads a charmed and secretive life, though his greatest joy is sharing his beloved city with his only daughter. Yet when Anna and her mother flee Japanese-occupied Shanghai to return to California, he stays behind, believing his connections and a little bit of luck will keep him safe.
Through Anna's memories and her father's journals we learn of his fall from charismatic millionaire to tortured prisoner, in a story of betrayal and reconciliation that spans two continents. The Distant Land of My Father, a breathtaking and richly lyrical debut, unfolds to reveal an enduring family love through tragic circumstances.
National Bestseller
Customer Reviews:
Distant Land Made Near.......2007-08-13
This is a truly remarkable first novel. The author, Bo Caldwell, has made the city of Shanghai of the 1930's come alive, not only in he visual aspects of the city but in the ambience of the time. The dharacter of the young girl is so well developed that it is difficult to believe that this is not autobiographical rather than fiction. Her complex and conflicting emotions about her father are completely believable and even vicariously experienced in a sense. The character of the mother, too, is welll developed and, like that of the daughter, very sympathetic. My only adverse criticism is that the character of the father is not sufficiently developed to be completely convincing.
mostly boring.......2007-06-29
While the premise of THE DISTANT LAND OF MY FATHER intrigued me - an American family living in Shanghai in the 1930's when the Japanese invaded China - this book took way too long to pull me in. Although written in the first person, the author's writing style is detached and impersonal. This book reads as if it's a piece for the evening news - telling the reader this or that detail, offering only small glimpses of the main characters' inner lives. The reader is told, not made to experience, what's going on. Also, the author's overly-detailed writing bored me to tears. The research Caldwell did preparing for this book was quite evident, but it would have been appreciated more if she hadn't gone on for pages upon pages detailing a barrage of Shanghai minutia - i.e., the order of streets and buildings were so thoroughly detailed I had to pinch myself to stay awake. (This book was my book-group's June selection, which is the only reason I kept on reading.) Finally, somewhere around page 250, the plot became suddenly more engaging and I found myself actually interested in the characters and what was to become of them.
In the end, I found THE DISTANT LAND OF MY FATHER a somewhat interesting read. But this book could have been wonderful - had the author written in a deeper point of view, and made the dialogue more engaging from the start.
WHY ISN'T THIS BOOK BETTER KNOWN?.......2007-06-23
This book is wonderful and unique, it is hard to believe it is fiction - Bo Caldwell has us seeing, feeling and smelling Shanghai and Southern California in the 40's and 50's. This book should be made into a movie - at the very least it should have been a number one bestseller for weeks on end. Everyone I have recommended it to has been blown away. I am looking forward to her next effort.
Nostalgia.......2007-05-07
Strained relationships between middle-aged parents and their daughter are the focus of a story whose main interest for me was the reliving of the period from WWII into the 50s and 60s, with some mostly accurate information about the customs and values of a now-longago time in Shanghai and Southern California. As I am a resident of the Pasadena area the local geography brought to life a story that was otherwise not terribly compelling of a daughter's ambiguous relationship with her father and grandmother. The somewhat shady experiences of the father in Shanghai were perhaps purposely not clearly defined. All in all, it's a nice book to take and read on a long trip.
I trust you will be just as Wowed as I was!.......2007-02-23
Let me first explain how I came upon reading DISTANT LAND. I was in Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena, CA and noticed the book being promoted. I actually bought it thinking it was a memoir and only upon getting it home realized that it was a fictional memoir, in fact a first novel. Then I noted in Vroman's magazine that each year the city of Pasadena picks one book for the whole city to read, so that the city has a common cultural experience. For 2007 that book is DISTANT LAND. At the time I did not know the city of South Pasadena plays a significant roll in the narrative. Then next I had to over come the fact that I am not particularly found of novels told in the first person as DISTANT LANDS is narrated by Anna who we meet as a young girl in Shanghai in love with her surroundings and with her father. A Father who appears at ease with being a blond, blue eyed native born Chinese (born of missionary parents). The novel is epic (taking place from the late 30s to the early 80s), yet intimate and a very unique emotional telling of Anna's life and her Father's love of Shanghai which we discover consumes him as he commits one poor value judgment over another. The book is brilliant in creating a sense of place and character, you are constantly surprised and will find the last 100 pages will rip tears from right out of your eyes. I understand this is Ms. Caldwell's first novel and it is simply an amazing, entertaining, and enlightening achievement in what some might classify as an historical novel. But it is really in the end an intimate story of emotions, choices, and consequences, told through terribly real people that have to learn that love is
overcoming the serious faults of those we should (and must) love. The distant land of Anne's father may have been Shanghai, China, but it was really the emotional distance she felt when her father chooses his love for Shanghai over her and her mother. You come to fell this must be a true memoir as is so believable. This is an outstanding book and I trust you will be just as Wowed by it as I was.
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:
Read it entirely in one night.......2007-09-05
I found this book while browsing the library and borrowed it. I thought it would be good reading material for my daily subway rides since the book wasn't too long at all.
I had a quiet evening, so I started reading. Page by page I turned and when I finished the book it was 1am in the morning. It was definitely a page turner. The reader is kept on their toes to find out what comes next.
I was truly touch by Adeline's story and there were a couple of tear-jerking scenes. This book reminds me a lot of the 1st Harry Potter book somehow. Both tell the story of a rejected child living with sinister relatives.
Adeline's story is different from many other books in that she was a rejected child from a rich family that could have given her everything. Many memoiors tell of a very poor childhood, so I really liked that this was different. She was pretty much poor in a rich family.
I was full of rage when I found out Lydia was backstabbing her & how her brothers are still jerks as adults. Inheritance issues always bring out the nastiest in people. Ultra-rich families do not usually fare well & are usually the subject of drama serial TV in Hong Kong.
Lydia can just shove it...she is just about as dragonlady as Niang for what she did.
Edgar...gosh I wonder if he made a good doctor at all.
James...he's such a timid turtle & it got annoying to see him still like that as a grown adult.
Susan...she married into an ultra-rich family and didn't even care for the inheritance. I was happy for her as she was able to let go of her family.
Adeline...I wish she would stop being the nice person all the time. It was so unfair to her to be taken advantage of even as an adult (Lydia two-timing her while Adeline was willing to help Lydia's song, putting up with 1st abusive husband, still scared of Niang as an adult).
I really wish she had the courage to cut her family off and carve her own happiness with her own family (husband and 2 sons and future grandchildren). I really hope that Adeline is able to/or has already done so. I hope she is having a much happier life right now :)
A PERFECT STUDY OF SCAPEGOATING! ADELINE, YOU GO, GIRL!!!!.......2007-08-10
i have to respectfully disagree with Jazmanian here. No, not 'any family therapist would tell you being cut off from your family of origin would not do any good to your own family.' Even apes have families, and 'family of origin' is not always a safe place.
This book was ALL about moving on and finding blessings in the hand one is dealt. The author had one family member who truly loved her unconditionally and without deviation. Her discovery that her father truly did love her, in spite of his cowardice and weakness of character, gave her some satisfaction; but to realize that throughout her years of emotional torture, there was always one member of her immediate family who had never hurt her and loved her unconditionally, incontrovertibly - namely,her Aunt Baba - was enough for her to move on in her life, taking comfort in the love and support of her husband and child.
The abuse this woman endured was mind-boggling. The incidents with her pet duckling, the orange juice, and being sent to a boarding school that ALSO served as an orphanage was deplorable. But the most painful part of the book to me was when she and her husband accidently walked into that hotel room to find all her siblings having a celebration party to which she was not made aware. That broke my heart, because it hit so close to home; I experienced a similar incident with my own family.
This book was a great comfort to me because I learned that I'm not the only child this has happened to; my similarly dysfunctional family did the same sort of things to me (add in sexual abuse and daily beatings, and there you have it).
Sometimes one must accept that the family is sick and will never be healthy, and realize that one must remove one's self in order to, as you worded it, "do any good to your own family". Had she kept in contact with her sicklings, er, I mean, siblings, 'her own family' would surely have been exposed to their pathological toxicity. Her moving on was the best gift she had to give her family. Past behavior is a pretty good indication of future behavior; why would she want to expose her husband and children to these people?
As one who finally 'pulled the plug' from her bio toxic family, I applaud her for letting these people go.
Tragic beginning, whiny ending........2007-08-03
I enjoyed the beginning of this book. It presented a slice of history about which I was uninformed, wrapped in the personal true story of a little girl persecuted by her family. By the end of the book, though, I felt the author was more determined to make her case against her stepmother than to write a compelling story. The book did not hold my interest to the end, although I did finish it. I wanted to celebrate the triumph of the author over her painful start in life. Instead, I read an endless list of family misdeeds. Victimization of a helpless child is tragic. Wallowing in it as an adult is annoying.
Captivating memoir.......2007-07-10
This book had me very engrossed and actually crying. It doesn't overtly try to teach a lesson or philosophize, but it still makes you think about how it is that people can be so heartless, because we all know, they can.
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.
Amazon.com
The Lost Daughters of China is that rare book that can be many things to different people. Part memoir, part travelogue, part East-West cultural commentary, and part adoption how-to, Karin Evans's book is greater than the sum of its parts. Evans weaves together her experience of adopting a Chinese infant with observations about Chinese women's history and that country's restrictive, if unevenly enforced, reproductive policies. She and her husband adopted Kelly Xiao Yu in 1997, and anyone curious about adopting from a Chinese orphanage--which houses girls and disabled boys--will learn about the mechanics and the emotional freight of the two-year process. Borrowing an image from Chinese folklore, Evans conveys herself, her husband, and their daughter as tethered by a red string that yoked them across an ocean and an equally awesome cultural divide.
The elegant prose is spiced with bits of ironic cultural dissonance. A discount shopper, Evans "felt more than a little strange buying China-made [baby] clothes with which to bundle up a tiny baby, one of China's own, and bring her home." On a bus tour through southern China, she is one of a "bunch of Americans with Chinese infants singing 'Que Sera Sera' in the middle of a sea of traffic. Will she be happy? Will she be rich?" To suddenly hear Doris Day over the horns of a Kowloon traffic jam is heady stuff indeed.
The Lost Daughters of China is at its best when describing Evans's tally of emotional loss and gain. At one point the bureaucratic adoption process is unaccountably delayed, but her father dies during that time and she's able to sit by his bedside. The most mysterious example of this emotional calculus is Kelly's birth mother. Evans invents many plausible scenarios that caused this unknown woman to abandon her three-month-old daughter at a market. These incomplete, necessarily provisional stories help give a face to the larger cultural processes that compel new parents to abandon 1.7 million girl babies annually. The stuff of headlines--human rights, infanticide, rural and urban poverty--is rendered personally relevant in Evans's compelling book. --Kathi Inman Berens
Book Description
"This book calls attention to the pressing issues of abandoned baby girls in China, the result of a combination of historical and cultural prejudices against women and the current draconian, one-child policy. The Lost Daughters of China is an evocative memoir that will not only attract parents or would-be parents of Chinese baby girls but will touch the hearts of us all." (Chicago Tribune)
Proclaimed an instant classic upon its hardcover publication, The Lost Daughters of China is at once compelling and informative. Journalist Karin Evans tells the story of adopting her daughter, Kelly, who was once one of the hundreds of thousands of infant girls who wait for parents in orphanages all over China. Weaving her personal account with extensive research, Evans investigates the conditions that have led to generations of abandoned Chinese girls and a legacy of lost women.
With a new epilogue added for the paperback edition, this book will appeal to anyone interested in China and in the emotional ties that connect people regardless of genes or culture. In the words of bestselling novelist Amy Tan, The Lost Daughters of China is "not only an evocative memoir on East-West adoption but also a bridge to East-West understanding of human rights in China."
Customer Reviews:
I was so nieve before reading this book!.......2007-08-22
All I can say about this book is that it really opened my eyes. A couple times while reading I thought to myself, "Could this be real?" The statistics and information given in this book are mind blowing. The book delivers the information in an organized, easy to understand way. After reading so much about the adoption process it was a nice change to read about the culture my child will be coming from. I gained historical and political perspective as well a real understanding about the way things "actually" are in China. I have to say that anyone adopting a Chinese daughter should read this book. I can only imagine it will also help me answer some questions that may arrise as my daughter grows.
Very Educational!.......2007-05-16
A must read. Very informative on China and how the adoption process came to be what it is today & why. Sad and heartbreaking at the same time. Did not agree w/all aspects (belief system of author) but apart from that, it is a really good book.
Lost Daughters of China.......2007-02-01
Since my own daughter is in the process of adopting a baby from China, I thought this book would give me insight in the whole process. The author is from the Bay area so we had much in common.The book was very informative.
A must read for anyone contemplating adoption from China.......2007-01-03
I found this book to capture a lot of the concepts involved in the path to adoption. The style of writing is very good and enjoyable and easy to read. I have sent this book out on loan to many of my friends and family to open their eyes to the "big picture" of adoption. There was a bit of repartition in a couple of spots but that's about all I could critisise. A great read to help prepare for the whole process.
Highly recommended!!
Outstanding and still timely.......2006-12-18
This is still the preeminent resource. I have read so many memoirs, stories, studies and the like in this subject area. I want to be very informed as I have adopted from China. I read this one before I went to China and was awaiting our referral. Some of the material is a tad dated but the essence still holds true. There isn't a better resource to read in my opinion. The Children Can't Wait by Laura Cecere is also fabulous but more stilted but well worth your time if you can find a copy. The Lost Daughters of China is fabulous and worth your time.
Average customer rating:
- I love this book!
- Superficial, poorly-written and patronizing
- Jade Snow Wong's Fifth Chinese Daughter
- San Franciscan Chinese Gal
- Fifth Chinese Daughter
|
Fifth Chinese Daughter
Jade Snow Wong
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Sculpture
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Pottery & Ceramics
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| China
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
California
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Social History
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Concubine's Children
-
On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family
-
Paper Daughter: A Memoir
-
Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir
-
Nisei Daughter
ASIN: 0295968265 |
Customer Reviews:
I love this book!.......2007-01-12
I became interested in buying this book after reading the author's fascinating story in the L.A. Times last year. Since reading Fifth Chinese Daughter a few months ago, I have given it as a gift to three friends who also found this young woman's story as heartwarming and courageous as I did. Side benefit: I learned a great deal about Chinese-American culture and about American history, circa 1930s - 1950s.
It's also a great book for teen girls. Reading about Jade Snow's sometimes difficult youth and teen years and how she met her goals will be very inspirational to that age group.
Superficial, poorly-written and patronizing.......2004-03-29
I usually don't write negative reviews, but I really was surprised by all the glowing reviews here. I truly think this is a terrible book and here is why.
1). The characters are only skin deep. We never really get to know them beyond their attitudes toward Jade Snow. And Jade Snow herself is very opaque as well, we don't get to know more of her except that she is filial, hard-working and eager to please people. The insides of these characters are not alive and they resemble dull automatons carrying out the actions of a pre-determined script.
2). The prose is very flat, so the end result reads like a very long summary of the plot rather than the book itself. The author crammed in many minutae of her life into the writing, with a emphasis on the details of food preparation. but most of the details are not evocative and fails to enrich the world she is trying to portray.
3). A streak of very patronizing attitude to Asians Americans run through out the book. It culminate with a cringe-inducing climax of self-hate at the very end of the last chapter, in a scene meant to be the big emotional pay-off for the whole book. Jade Snow's father tearfully confess that he had done wrong by raising her under the backward Chinese culture, and that he should have raised her in the superior, freedom-loving Christian way.
Jade Snow Wong's Fifth Chinese Daughter.......2004-02-16
"You must have confidence that I shall remain true to the spirit of your teachings. I shall bring back to you the knowledge of whatever I learn." Fifth Chinese Daughter is an inspiring autobiography that traces the life of Jade Snow Wong from childhood to adulthood in San Francisco's Chinatown. In her book, Jade Snow describes the numerous hardships and rewards that shaped her life. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Asian culture of early twentieth-century America. Looking through Jade Snow's eyes, the reader is able to experience the conflicting cultural experiences of the middle daughter of a large family of Chinese immigrants.
Conforming to Chinese tradition, Jade Snow felt that her worth as an individual was dictated by her family. Although Jade Snow's father took pride in educating his daughters in both Chinese and American customs, he valued the future potential of his sons over that of his daughters. Jade Snow's childhood is tainted by unjust punishment and suppressed emotion. Such experiences led her to pursue independence and acknowledgment in a country that offered numerous opportunities for well-educated young woman. However, from her difficult childhood, Jade Snow learned discipline and respect, qualities that allowed her to succeed and gain respect from her family. It is fascinating to witness her transformation from a submissive child to a woman of integrity and perseverance.
As Jade Snow tirelessly worked her way through college, she came to understand the injustices of Chinese tradition. Ironically, at this time, she also developed a greater appreciation for her Chinese heritage and through it discovered her life's passions. Despite the heavy skepticism and criticism of her family, Jade Snow pursued her dreams with optimistic determination, suffering many hardships along the way. In each of her life's stories she proves to us that great rewards come from hard work and unfailing belief in one's self. If you ever feel hopeless or just want to be inspired, Jade Snow's story will lift you out of your darkness.
San Franciscan Chinese Gal.......2003-08-26
In the book Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong, the author tells readers about her childhood as a Chinese girl living in San Francisco. Ms. Wong gives readers a chance to see what life was like growing up during the early 1900ýs as a Chinese girl. Throughout the book, you learn many things Chinese-Americans do which are different from American customs. Readers are given an idea of how Chinese-Americanýs raised their families during that time. The author shows in vivid detail what happened to her and what she had to work for in her childhood.
Jade Snow was brought up in a household that made sure their children knew their native culture as well as the culture around them. Since an early age, Jade was given Chinese lessons by her father until she was old enough to attend Chinese school everyday after her American classes were over. The book chronicles Jadeýs life from her early childhood to when she becomes a young woman living on her own. Throughout the book, you see Jade learn to do the shopping for the family, cope with problems in school like discrimination, get into college on her own, and find jobs for herself.
There were many things I liked about this book. Even though, this book isnýt like the books I normally read, it was very hard to put down. The author writes her story in
graphic details, which pulled me into the book. I loved how she talked about her father in many ways, how some days he believed in her and others, he had no confidence in her. Also, I believe that Jade was a strong girl throughout her childhood. This is because she had to live with such strict rules in her household like respecting her elders, and how if she or her siblings did anything wrong, they would get punished by getting whipped.
If I were to compare this novel with others I have read, I would have to say that this novel is in my top 50 books I have ever read. I found that every page I turned in this book, I was wondering what would happen next. This novel was very fun to read because I liked learning about what life was like for a young Chinese-American Women growing up during the early 1900ýs.
I would most likely recommend this novel to another, unless the person did not like autobiographies. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about people of different cultures. Jade Snowýs book is geared more to people who like to read about peopleýs cultures, but I think many would find this book very interesting.
Fifth Chinese Daughter.......2003-08-22
Through out most of Jade Snow Wong's life, she grew up in a Chinatown in San Francisco with Chinese traditions. These traditions meant that her husband was picked for her, her parents made her attend a public school and a Chinese school at the same time, and she had to help with all the house hold chores and cooking. Jade Snow wanted independence from these traditions, so she went to collage. There, she learned how to live her own life.
I liked this novel because it taught you many different things. For example, it taught you many different Chinese traditions and how hard it was growing up being a girl in a traditional Chinese house and that is also why it makes this novel unique and remarkable. My overall impression of this book would be good and I recommend this book to others, but mostly girls because it is about a girl's life.
Customer Reviews:
A rare look at life at the turn of the century in China.......2006-12-07
China always seems to have a veil of mystery around it. This book give a rare glimpse of life at the turn of the 19th century as the empire was dying and the nationalists and communists were gearing up for battle. I read this book for a class on Chinese women and absolutely loved it. I will always remember the part of having her feet bound and how her mother would lay on her legs at night so that she could sleep. Unfortunately I lost the book after many years. It wasn't until now, as I was conducting inventory of our biography collection at the library where I work, that I came across the sequal to this book. For those who could not get enough of Lao Tai-tai, there is a second book by Ida Pruitt titled "Old Madam Yin: a memoir of Peking life 1926-1938." The copyright date is 1979. The Daughter of Han is now a wealthy widow struggling to adapt to the new order. If you can't find it on amazon you can always Inter-library loan the book, I know there's at least one library in the midwest that has it ;).
Superb documentation of a Chinese working woman.......2006-01-19
This riveting book details an area of Chinese life seldom touched by written records. The remarkable friendship between Ida Pruitt and Ning Lao Toai-Toai has led to this very readable, and beautifully textured description of Ning Lao Toai-Toai's life in the late 19th and early 20th century. I found it both an enjoyable read and a valuable source of information about my research related to Chinese family life.
A Slice of Life.......2004-02-08
Ning Lao Ta'i-ta'i. _The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman. Translated and Transcribed by Ida Pruitt. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1967.
Every now and then I read an entire book in one for one or two reasons a) I have to read a book that I have put off for the time period in which I had to read it b) I become completely engrossed in it. I must say that, in the case of this book, it started off as the former and it ended up being the latter, although I still have to write a paper on it by tuesday.
This memoir was was orally transcribed by Ida Pruitt over a two year period in which Mrs. Ning visited her from 1936-38. Pruitt was forced to leave Beijing in 1938 when the Japanese invaded the series. In the brief introduction of the book, Pruitt informs the reader that she does not know what happened to Mrs. Ning after she returned to America. The brutallity of the Japanese army was not as great in Beijing as in such areas as Nanjing and Shanghai,but one can not help wondering about Mrs.Ning who the reader, or at least I, becomes quite attached to.
Mrs. Ning begins her tale by detailing how her family became established in the town of P'englai her family history is both entrenched in history and folklore and makes for a fascinting read. The book continues following her life from her childhood, marriage, hard times, working both for government officials and missionaries, and finally living in Beijing. The greatest thing about this book is the extraordinary detail Mrs. Ning goes into describing her everyday life. One can almost see oneself removing the fourth wall of the past and being able to see late Ching China. One gets to see a good picture of opium addiction and the dealings inside yamen, political offices, that are no longer controlled by skilled officials. A great book.
I Really Liked this book!.......2003-05-17
I had to read this book for a core class in college and I thought that I would have hated it. Actually, I really liked it. It told of a Chinese working woman's life. It even gives the reader an insight into her lifestyle and her struggles during this tumuluous time in history. The story even touches on the japanese invasion. I didn't think this biography would be interesting but it was. I would recommended this book to anyone. It is a light read and it is very interesting.
life of one Chinese woman.......2002-08-22
Ida Pruitt's biography of Ning Lao T'ai-t'ai (literally "old lady Ning"), a peasant woman of northeast China born in 1867, is a fascinating anecdotal retelling of Ning's personal history as she related it to the author over the course of their two year long friendship. The storyline of Ning's life: childhood, marriage, work, and children, is laid out in a chronological history, broken into separate sections at particular turning points; and yet a cohesive theme of hardship, oppression and poverty, of strong-willed women and weak men is carried throughout not only Ning's tales but also through the stories she relates of her ancestors and neighbors.
Pruitt writes in the voice of Ning as if she is translating, but what she is really doing is recalling Ning's stories of her life in the first half of the 20th century. Ning was born into an educated middle class family which had fallen on harder times. Her father wants a better situation for her marriage, but the older husband he choses for her becomes addicted to opium driving the family into poverty. To survive and feed her children Ning must become first a beggar, then a servant to various households: military, Muslim, bureaucrat, and finally to Christian missionaries. And Ning's voice does come across clearly; speaking against concubinage and prostitution, about the penury of employers, the need to support and keep family together.
By using a first person retelling of the stories Pruitt gives the impresssion of accuracy, yet there were 7 years between the conversations with Ning and the writing of the book. Also the apparent bias against Japanese in prologue and last chapter together with the pub. date of the book indicate a hidden agenda on the part of the author. Still, although limited to the view of this one woman's experience, Ning's story is reflective of the hardships of life for Chinese women before the Communist era.
Average customer rating:
- An amazing fantasty/mysery set in the English countryside
- China Garden
- my favorite book
- A Mystery Woven With Skill
- the best
|
The China Garden
Liz Berry
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Mysteries
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Mysteries
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Old Magic
-
The Perilous Gard
-
A Certain Slant of Light
-
Blood and Chocolate
-
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Readers Circle)
ASIN: 0380732289
Release Date: 1999-10-05 |
Book Description
When Clare moves with her mother from London to Ravensmere, an historic English estate, she can't shake the feeling that the residents already know her, especially Mark, a maddeningly attractive biker. Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere's abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their own past is tragically linked to the estate. But when Clare discovers that Ravensmere is in grave danger, will she risk her future-and Mark's-to save it?
Customer Reviews:
An amazing fantasty/mysery set in the English countryside.......2007-10-05
This is an amazing fantasy/mystery/romance. It is about a girl who is slowly unravelling the mystery of her mother's past and her future, after they move to a beautiful and mysterious country estate in England. The story is very original and filled with symbolism.
I definitely recommend reading it. I gave it 4.5 stars, rather than 5 because I am extremely picky about what I consider a 5 star book. The only qualm I had with this book was that the romance seemed a bit shallow. It was based almost entirely on a fate they seemed unable to escape, and instantaneous sexual attraction. The sexual content is a bit mature for teens too.
Aside from that, I really liked it.
China Garden.......2007-09-10
ISBN 0380732289 - With teens the target audience, and with teens largely able to pick their own reading material without mom and dad nosing in, let me at least note that the sex scenes aren't as bad as romance novels for the grown-up audience, but they're there.
Clare and her mother, Frances, have some trouble getting along lately, partly because of the boy Clare's been dating. Once somewhat idealistic, Clare has taken up Adrian's opinions, which tend toward the "every man for himself", greedy sort. This is a little thing compared to what's coming next - Frances has taken a job as a private nurse and tells Clare, basically, that she ought to stay behind in London. Clare, however, makes up her own mind (for once) and decides to go along to Ravensmere, where her mother will be caring for 87 year old Mr. Aylward. Slowly, long-hidden truths begin to come to light.
So many things Clare thought she knew - from where her mother was born, to her own name - turn out to be half-truths or outright lies. Frances had spent Clare's entire life protecting her from Ravensmere and the legacy that will be hers, no matter what she does. With a history that might well go back tens of thousands of years, Ravensmere and the families tied to it protect a secret so powerful that the head of the Aylward family and his bride, always a Kenward daughter, must protect it with their lives.
Really well done, with a nice build up (that others found too slow) that leaves you wondering where everything is headed. As the secrets are revealed to the reader, and to Clare, understanding begins to dawn - but the real secret is beyond your guessing. You're going to have to read it to find out!
On the negative side, there's not much. At one point Clare snaps "Cat fleas don't live on humans." at Roger Fletcher, which is just stupid, since there's no such thing as "cat fleas" and fleas DO live on humans. And I hate to say it, but the ending wasn't as well done as the rest of the book. If Clare and Mark hadn't actually SAID what it was that they were sworn to protect, I'd still have no idea. Don't let that scare you off, though, because this one is one you'll be sorry to miss out on!
my favorite book.......2007-09-10
This is my favorite book ever. Mystery, intrigue, incredible plot and character development, romance, it's got it all! Liz Berry is a great author.
A Mystery Woven With Skill.......2007-09-06
An intricate web of lore, romance, and mystery, this novel raises some interesting thoughts about the pressure of inheritance and the suffocating nature of responsibility. The plot is well thought out and mysterious, and as a reader you can feel yourself being slowly sucked into the story, lured by the many cryptic clues that lead up to the climax.
Ravensmere, the old country estate that is the setting of the story, is so deeply saturated with history and emotion that it is almost like a character, too alive and potent to be merely a part of the scenery. It creates a mysterious, intoxicating mood for the book simply through its presence, and provides the perfect location for a subtle mystery story.
In much the same way, Clare Meredith provides the perfect heroine for such a story. She is sharp, level-headed and sensible, believable and realistic, just like any ordinary person until she comes to Ravensmere and discovers her seer-like powers and bizarre connection to the estate and its puzzling past.
The only major flaw that I discovered upon reading the novel was that it took a while to get into. Nothing really happened within the first hundred pages to capture my interest. The plot only really starts speeding up after Clare meets Mark, and even then it could be quite slow-moving at times. Rather then hauling the reader in with explosive action or suspense, the author relies on her elaborate plot with its many mysterious references to draw your attention.
the best.......2007-08-11
I have read this book over and over again. I may have read it for the first time at about the age of twelve, but I do feel that the book is captivating for woman of any age. It is mystical, but in a way that feels real and like I might belong, too, to an estate like Ravensmere.
I have been inexplicably drawn to this book, like Claire to Ravensmere, the garden and the biker, for ages.
On top of that I have discovered that the author is one of the nicest around!
The book is magic!
Book Description
"Daughter of the Yellow River is a testament to perseverance, determination, courage, and success." - Deepak Chopra, best-selling author of Peace Is the Way
"Diana Lu's memoir effectively weaves autobiography, advice, cultural insights, and career journey to reveal what many women already know: work is intensely personal. Her self-reflection is contagious, and hopefully her perseverance will be as well." - Joanne Gordon, former Forbes staff writer and author of Career Bliss: Secrets from 100 Women Who Love Their Work
"Daughter of the Yellow River is an inspiring story of a remarkable woman. From the deprivation of the Chinese Cultural Revolution to success in the Western world, it depicts the victory of determination and pluck over personal and business adversity." - James Pammenter, former director, KPMG Management Consulting
"This book vividly proves the power of `You will never know until you try.' Diana Lu provides a simple, compelling approach to building the life of our dreams. This is an authentic road map for anyone pursuing lasting and transformational change in their lives." - Darryl Quan, chief financial officer, Image Global Impact.
"Diana's beauty masks a dynamic entrepreneur who knows what she wants to do and does it. Her life story takes her from the struggles of an impoverished childhood in China to success in a highly competitive global industry to a commitment to helping people forge their own paths to fulfillment. She shares her challenges and disappointments, triumphs and achievements, and the lessons she has learned about business and about life." - John Edward, former divisional director, Corning Incorporated.
"Inspirational, motivational, and stimulating are words that describe this book. Diana Lu's `can do, can achieve' attitude makes this book a must for those who want to get more out of life. She is proof that if you are an intelligent woman dealing in a male-dominated industry, you can be successful while maintaining an air of sophistication and femininity." - Mike Yell, general manager, Fujitsu Australia & New Zealand
When Diana Lu was three years old, her family was forced to leave their comfortable middle-class life in the city to live an impoverished coal-mining village at the edge of the Gobi Desert for China's culture revolution "re-education."
Life in that remote place was a constant struggle against hunger and fear. Passionate & determined, Diana resolved to create a better life based on her own talents and dreams; she turned down prestigious job after medical school. Overcoming parental & societal objections, she explored university teaching, real estate, and other fields before finding her niche as a top executive in the optical fiber industry. In 1997 Diana moved to the United States, and launched her own international enterprise, melding the Western & Chinese business cultures to work with clients globally.
Operating in a competitive, male-dominated high-tech field, she achieved astounding success -- from earning $30 a month in 1993 to in ten years making sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This inspirational book -- part memoir, part guidebook to personal and business success -- illustrates her remarkable journey.
* I am a daughter of the Yellow River. Its waters flow within me like the blood in my veins.
* I didn't need to define or limit myself by the circumstances I came from -- what counted was where I was heading.
* I realized that our lives will be what we choose to make them… That can be a daunting challenge, but the rewards are immeasurable.
Customer Reviews:
Three valuable themes.......2007-06-01
I met the author at an entrepreneurship conference in San Francisco and found the meeting interesting enough to order the book. I found the book to be a mixture of biography, history, and motivational parables. While the biography was perhaps a bit too long, it provided a stage for discussing three very important issues. The first was the potentially destructive impact of dogmatic national policies (The Chinese Cultural Revolution) on a family at the very personal level. The second theme presented the difficulties inherent in and evolution of the relationship between Asia-born parents and their westernized children. The final theme presented the riskiness of small businesses doing business with big companies in China.
Bizarre Revenge Fantasy.......2007-05-27
Buy this book--if you want to read a bizarre, narcissistic revenge fantasy. Otherwise, save your money.
Grabbed Me!.......2007-05-15
The book just grabbed me ...
Being a fan of Eastern Phylosophies and Worlds, thsi was just my best ride. China from a point of view that is heartmoving. A distinctive culture, on stage for the world.
Reading this book feels like Diana Lu is telling it live to you. It's not and easy ride since it might change the way you experience a couple of things in your life. Escpcially if your are western like me.
Enjoyment and understanding of global human life at large.
Incredible! Must Read! Delicate prose.
Creat chance for yourself!.......2007-01-12
No pay no gain? No, no pain no gain. For this generation (born 1970's even 1980's) how to chase dream, complete dream, could find some clues from "Daughter of the Yellow River". For western, through Diana Lu' story to know her growing background and understand china.
Height of narcissism!.......2006-12-30
Albeit it started well and gave some insight into an average family's life in China under the Gang of Four, it quickly derailed and became self-adulatory, patronizing and boring. I could not stand her own praise of her smartness, insights about life and prettiness. What's up with all those self portraits of her in different cities? As another reviewer suggested a visit to a shrink might help. To summarize, ended up being a waste of time; Don't waste your money on this book.
Average customer rating:
- Mother's World-Daughers World
- A family divided by the Cultural Revolution
- Nice intro to the Chinese perspective of the New Government
- A Moving, Deeply Personal Account of the Cultural Revolution
- Riveting Story; Cold War Patriotism
|
Three Daughters of Madame Liang (Buck, Pearl S. Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck, 4th,)
Pearl S. Buck
Manufacturer: Moyer Bell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classics
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Classics
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Imperial Woman (Buck, Pearl S. Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck, 3rd,)
-
A House Divided (Good Earth Trilogy, Vol 3)
-
The Mother
-
Dragon Seed (Buck, Pearl S. Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck.)
-
East Wind: West Wind (Buck, Pearl S. Oriental Novels of Pearl S. Buck, 8th,)
ASIN: 1559210400 |
Book Description
After her husband takes a concubine, Madame Liang sets out on her own, starting an upscale restaurant and sending her daughters to America to be educated. At the restaurant, the leaders of the People's Republic wine and dine and Madame Liang must keep a low profile for her daughters' sake.
Soon her two eldest daughters are called back to serve the People's Republic. Her oldest daughter, Grace, now a doctor, finds meaning through her work. Things are not as easy for her daughter Mercy, a musician who is not in demand in the People's Republic, nor for her new husband who she has brought back to China with her.
Watching her two daughters grow apart and knowing that her youngest daughter will never return, Madame Liang must also face the challenges The Cultural Revolution, and how to keep herself and the restaurant, alive.
Customer Reviews:
Mother's World-Daughers World.......2007-06-11
I really enjoyed this book as Ms. Buck was able to take the reader inside a family caught in a changing world during the Chinese revolution and show how the characters each acted and reacted according to the information they had and what they believed or wanted to believe about that information. Madam Liang, who is coming to terms with disillusionment about the revolution and her past part in it, and her daughters, who had been sent to America for education and protection and their return to China with patriotic and idealistic expectations, are classic generational viewpoint studies. The shocking ending to the story was unexpected and expected all at once. The basic story is still relevant today.
A family divided by the Cultural Revolution.......2004-03-05
"The Three Daughters of Madame Liang" was Pearl S. Buck's last major novel and it holds its own with the best of her work. In Madame Liang, Buck has created a fascinating character, a woman who is very much her own person. After doing the very un-Chinese thing of leaving her husband when he takes a concubine, which he claims is his right because his wife has produced no son, Madame Liang determines to make her own way in the world and opens a gourmet restaurant that caters to the high and mighty of the People's Republic (even good Communists appreciate good food). She has not only survived, but thrived, by keeping a low profile and providing her customers with the best. But she has sent her three daughters, Grace, Mercy and Joy, to America to be educated; and now, after many years separation, Grace has been called home by her government to serve the new society.
Madame Liang has her own opinions about the new society which she has prudently kept to herself. But Grace, back home in China, throws herself into her work as a doctor and embraces everything blindly, including a young physician named Liu Pang, who parrots everything he has read in Mao's Little Red Book. Mercy, the second sister, is a musician, whose talents are not in demand in the People's Republic; but she misses her home and induces her new husband, a rocket scientist, to return to their country. For Grace, the return home is the fulfillment of herself; for Mercy and her husband, it is a disaster. Meanwhile, the third sister, Joy, a painter, having found romance and happiness with a fellow artist who has left China for good and never intends to return, remains in America to make her life with him.
Madame Liang watches the growing tension and hostility dividing the two older sisters with alarm and resignation. She can't live her daughters' lives for them; all she can do is keep on living her own life. But her own life can't survive the insanity of the Cultural Revolution; the very success of her restaurant means she's an enemy of the working classes. The Cultural Revolution sweeps everything away in its path; including Madame Liang.
Buck writes with a flow that keeps her book moving effortlessly along like an unbroken skein of thread (one gets thoroughly caught up in the narrative before realizing that there are no chapters; the book moves from one scene to the next till the final page), covering some six or seven years from the end of the 50's to 1966. Through it all, Madame Liang's continually expressed faith in her country and people suggest that, whatever her own fate, China and its people will survive in spite of themselves. Although the book is ostensibly about her three daughters, it's really the story of a remarkable woman, and through her, the story of China in transition.
Nice intro to the Chinese perspective of the New Government.......2003-05-17
I thought this novel was a wonderful introduction to the mindset of the Chinese people, both those living in China, and those living in America, towards the new government. It was an enlightening story because as an American, we view it simply as a government as one that took away everyone's freedoms, which it did. Yet, of course, it's not that simple. The story is about that deeply-rooted devotion to one's mother country, no matter what changes it goes through. It also reveals what led to the change of government, and what problems arised and what new changes occurred afterward. Through Madame Liang, representing the older revolutionary generation, the story showed how the revolution failed, and she saw how certain mistakes in history were made. Through her daughters, it showed the hope in which the younger generation had for the new China, and their attempts to restore a strong nation within the new framework. Also revealed was the the repression of emotions, through Grace, the eldest daughter, her hopeless lusting after Liu Peng, yet knowing that his mind was narrow and brainwashed in the Communist school of thought. Of course, the repression of individual thought was evident with John Sung, the scientist who refused to create weapons to be used against Americans. The stories surrounding Mercy and Joy, Madame Liang's two other daughters, was interesting in that they both struggled with their loyalties to China, but love, in Joy's case, kept her in America, while experience in the new China, forced Mercy to escape. There were a lot of interesting themes throughout the story, the theme of love in light of this new way of life, the theme of pride in one's own race and country. The style in which the story was told was very different from that of "The Good Earth." Here it was a much more fast-moving narrative, and a great modern story.
I couldn't put this book down, but there's just one thing that bothered me, and that was the ending, which seemed so abrupt. All of a sudden certain events happened which bluntly put the entire story to an end. Certainly these events were convincing, yet it still left me completely shocked and almost disappointed once the novel was finished. That's the only reason why I gave it four stars.
A Moving, Deeply Personal Account of the Cultural Revolution.......2001-08-25
I have read more than a dozen novels by the extraordinary Pearl S. Buck, and this is one of my all time favorites. Buck's lucid writing, and deep understanding of complex cultural issues makes this a gem. Set against the back-drop of the Chinese cultural Revolution, THE THREE DAUGHTERS OF MADAME LIANG charts the deeply personal journey and loss of one Chinese family. There is a sophistication to Buck's writing that is not always immediately apparent, but once you become used to her voice, the deceptively simple prose gives way to deeply moving insights. This is a glowing, powerful novel about a family and a country at a crossroads. Don't miss it!
Riveting Story; Cold War Patriotism.......2001-01-15
Pearl Buck did a masterful job of exploring the consequences of the Chinese communist revolution. Each of Madame Liang's daughters, Grace, Mercy, and Joy, come to terms with it in their own way. The essence of the book, however, is the realization that, whether a person is attracted to communism or repelled by it, his actions are usually dictated by his own personal interest. In that sense, the book is a satiric ridicule of the communist ideal.
Amazon.com
Written in the present tense, First They Killed My Father will put you right in the midst of the action--action you'll wish had never happened. It's a tough read, but definitely a worthwhile one, and the author's personality and strength shine through on every page. Covering the years from 1975 to 1979, the story moves from the deaths of multiple family members to the forced separation of the survivors, leading ultimately to the reuniting of much of the family, followed by marriages and immigrations. The brutality seems unending--beatings, starvation, attempted rape, mental cruelty--and yet the narrator (a young girl) never stops fighting for escape and survival. Sad and courageous, her life and the lives of her young siblings provide quite a powerful example of how war can so deeply affect children--especially a war in which they are trained to be an integral part of the armed forces. For anyone interested in Cambodia's recent history, this book shares a valuable personal view of events. --Jill Lightner
Book Description
"This is a harrowing, compelling story. Evoking a child's voice and viewpoint, Ung has written a book filled with vivid and unforgettable details. I lost a night's sleep to this book because I literally could not put it down, and even when I finally did, I lost another night's sleep just from the sheer, echoing power of it."
-- Lucy Grealy, author of Autobiography of a Face
From a childhood survivor of Cambodia's brutal Pol Pot regime comes an unforgettable narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.
Until the age of five, Lounge Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights, and sassing her parents. While her beautiful mother worried that Loung was a troublemaker -- that she stomped around like a thirsty cow -- her beloved father knew Lounge was a clever girl.
When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Ung's family fled their home and moved from village to village to hide their identity, their education, their former life of privilege. Eventually, the family dispersed in order to survive.
Because Lounge was resilient and determined, she was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, while other siblings were sent to labor camps. As the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia, destroying the Khmer Rouge, Loung and her surviving siblings were slowly reunited.
Bolstered by the shocking bravery of one brother, the vision of the others -- and sustained be her sister's gentle kindness amid brutality -- Loung forged on to create for herself a courageous new life.
Customer Reviews:
Everyone should make time for this book.......2007-10-08
We need this type of literature to remind us of the horror we are capable of inflicting, and the delight we are capable of inspiring. Here we have the opportunity to learn about the history of other countries and cultures and the effects of war and violence. By reading Ung's story, Americans can learn to appreciate that some immigrants and refugees to the United States have endured far more than we can even imagine.
Ung's story is told with the innocence and honesty of a child, even though her reality is riddled with hurt, grief, and despair. How is she able to survive the destruction and devastation of war? What makes her want to go on living? The chaos and randomness of life will make the reader see that each gift is a blessing.
Ung has learned to accept the responsibility that comes with survival. Why me...? What not me...? She states that by writing her book she was able to come to terms with many of the haunting details of her past. By writing about her fear and rage, she was able to face the "monsters" of her childhood as an adult. Telling her story was not about the money or the recognition, but about making people aware of what life was like for one family, for one little girl who grew up during the hell years of 1975-1979 in Cambodia. Though there is much anger and pain, it is the love of family and love of oneself that sees Ung through the trauma of war.
Captivating.......2007-10-05
With a story as tragic as this it is no wonder how the details are so vividly portrayed by Loung Ung. Her story captivates in essence the cruel and communist actions of the Khmer Rouge. As one of the few surviving family members, Loung proves how a love for her father helped her endure such a tragedy. However, she was not excluded from being subjected to the endless amount of pain, which created numerous psychological road blocks such as hatred and vengeance. This is clearly a story of heroism through endurance.
Breathtaking.......2007-08-31
I was interested in reading a book about the Cambodian Civil War, and this book gave me insights about the author's life story. The author Ung went through many emotional times with her family that had to do with survival. It made me cry many times... touched my heart. I recommend this to readers who are interested in the Cambodian war and would like to know what it's like to be in Loung Ung position during the time of chaos.
Read it with caution.......2007-08-18
The author was too young and her memories were not always reliable. Read it with caution. For instance, Ung wrote about a family trip to Angkor Wat, which took place in 1973 or 1974 when she "was only three or four years old" (p. 109). I had a discussion with a former Lon Nol soldier who was in Siem Reap at that time and he was adamant that Angkor Wat was not accessible because the Khmer Rouge was in full control of the area.
Cambodia had been fighting a civil war since 1970, so it is hard to believe that there were people vacationing at that time, especially in a region that was controlled by the Khmer Rouge. But the book contains a picture of the family trip to "Angkor Wat," which was taken at Wat Phnom, a temple in Phnom Penh.
Exaggerated stories of surviving atrocities are not unknown. It even exists within the Jewish community; for example, the story of Deli Strummer, which has been written in the Washington Post. I would compare "First They Killed My Father" to that of Holocaust survivor's Deli Strummer. If you want to read something poignant like that of Anne Frank, get Chanrithy Him's "When Broken Glass Floats."
She remembers for us to remember..........2007-05-15
In the epilogue, Loung thanks her editor, because she's says without the editing, we'd all be reading a much longer book. In this case, I would love to read "the much longer book".... I can't say enough positive about the book, even though I know it has received criticism. It's a first hand account of the same stories I've heard first hand over.. Stories that deserve to be retold so that hopefully they never have to be experienced again. Whether you are an academic with an interest in Cambodia / Southeast Asia or the casual reader, you will be haunted a young girl's life.. in " First They Killed My Father".[...]
Books:
- 24 Declassified: Vanishing Point (24 Declassified)
- 52, Vol. 1
- A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- A to Z Mysteries: The White Wolf (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
- Agents of Innocence
- American Skin: A Novel
- An Indian Summer: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves, Champions of Baseball
- Black Seraph
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win
- History: Fiction or Science
- Bionomics: Economy As Ecosystem
- Can You Beat Ken
- Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide
- History: Fiction or Science
- Fallen Soviet Generals: Soviet General Officers Killed in Battle, 1941-1945
- Internet En El Estudio Contable
- Company Tax Reform in the European Union: Guidance from the United States and Canada on Implementing
- The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Master and Man
Mao: The Unknown Story
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)
Life and Death in Shanghai
A Thousand Splendid Suns
