5 comments about Thousand Pieces of Gold (Asian Voices).

1. Every author has their way of writing a book. I won't criticize like how other reader's have on here. My judgement is that we are entitled to our oppinion. Having said that, I love the book esp. after knowing it was based on true events and that it actually happened. I really like this book which is why I am going to be buying myself one.



2. _Thousand Pieces of Gold_ is the biography of Lalu, a young Chinese girl sold by her father, eventually arriving in America where she is first bought by a saloon owner in Idaho, then won in a poker game by another saloon owner who eventually becomes her husband. The journey from rural China to "wild west" has a number of layers to it: of course the personal journey of the heroine, but also the racism and sexism common to the time.
   
   To me, the writing waxed and waned, alternating between beautiful descriptions of the northwest and less enthralling prose, hence the 4 stars. Writing aside, it is a wonderful story as Lalu (later called "Polly") struggles to find happiness and her place in the world - a quest everyone can relate to. As in life, there are set-backs, challenges and frequently things don't work out the way Lalu/Polly had hoped (or planned.) But as Lum McCunn writes, "It (is) not luck that determines the rise and fall of cakes or bread or lives, but skill, strength, and the right ingredients." Lalu/Polly had these characteristics in abundance, and the description of her pluck, courage and will more than make up for any nitpicking (on my part) of the author's writing style.
   
   It is a fabulous summer read and a great story. Recommended.



3. This is story of a woman whose saga begins when her father is forced to sell her. She goes through many hands, I won't spoil the story, and eventually lands in the Wild West USA. It's a great story and my only criticism is that the writers style is one of simplicity for the sake of simplicity (you'll understand when you read it).



4. The film (one of my favorites) inspired me to acquire the book and as usual I found the book to be far superior to the film. The norm since converting a book to film is similiar to condensing.
   
   The book did lack in factual detail which would have made it longer and far more interesting, as a factual historical novel. As a piece on racial discrimination and women's fight for equality it is the best of reading.
   
   For those interested in the subject the book and film are well worth adding to your collection.



5. Ali H. 1B
   I was fascinated by Lalu journey through the world and her life.
   She although being born in China gets to travel half away arournd the world all the way to America before she even turns 13. Her story is trajic but very rebellious and she makes it a point of bieng heard no matter what the situation may be. The book is very interesting and if you have never travelled overseas and witnesed anothor part of the world, you must read this book and learn how different people from different cultures survive on this planet.

1 comments about In Search of the Dharma: Memoirs of a Modern Chinese Buddhist Pilgrim (S U N Y Series in Buddhist Studies).

1. This story of a Buddhist monk search for his place in the wheel of life is candidly written and enjoyable. Chen-hua has very interesting things to say about the practice of Buddhism in China. He finds abuses of power at several of the monasteries he visits. A must read for someone looking for an introduction to Chinese Buddhist doctrine and principle.

1 comments about The Chinese.

1. John Fraser's book is an easily accesibly, non-scholarly overview of the terrible events that occurred during China's arguably darkest period in it's 3,000 years of history. He avoids the objective by-stander point of view and is able to draw the reader to the story and the Chinese people. Simply must-read for anyone interested in understanding China.

No comments about The Last Refugees from Shansi: In the Hands of the Chinese Boxers (An Eyewitness Account).

No comments about American Paper Son: A CHINESE IMMIGRANT IN THE MIDWEST (Asian American Experience).

3 comments about Reflections of Seattle's Chinese Americans: The First 100 Years.

1. I thought the book was great because I learned a lot about the struggles that the older generation went through. It opened my eyes to a history that I never knew before. The stories were well written and I enjoyed the photos and historical essay. I highly recommend this book.



2. A must-read, must-have for anyone interested in effective presentation of oral histories. Awesome for library research and as a personal coffee table book. I couldn't put it down.



3. Very moving, intimate personal portraits of the lives of 71 Chinese Americans who talk about the very harsh era before World War II, when discrimination and poverty were prevalent. A few of the photo portraits and stories are memorable, quite touching. Immensely readable throughout.

5 comments about The Waiting Child: How the Faith and Love of One Orphan Saved the Life of Another.

1. The book was very interesting, but I wounder why the mother did not have her daughter, checked out by a physclogist with all the problems that she was having with her adjusting to her new life??. I enjoyed reading the book and finding out how the children are really treated, I do think that China is selling there baby girls, what do they do with the money that they get, very good book to read and pass along to couples that are in the process of adopting, I am passing to my friend that is adopting hopfully in Jan 09



2. This book was excellent! I couldn't put it down once I started it! Highly recommend it, along with a box of kleenex's!



3. I definitely have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it is an amazing story. I was adopted from Korea, have two other siblings that were adopted, have been involved in adoption groups my entire life and for a time, even worked in an adoption agency, so the book hit close to home in many aspects. I think there were very few pages where I didn't find myself sobbing. And I will also say that throughout reading the book, I would vary from reading the book to trying to persuade my husband to adopt/start the application process! ;) So, those are the reasons why one should read this book.
   
   However, as an adoptee, I would say that I have a problem with the mother in this story sharing her daughter's story so openly. I firmly believe that an adopted child's story is their story and they should be the ones to share it...not their parents'. I understand to a certain degree that as an adoptive parent, your child's adoption is a part of your own story....however, details about the way her birthmother left her child are very private matters. I'm not sure if I would want my history out there for all to read and I don't think that the daugher is of the age where she would be able to fully process what it means to put your story in print. And while the author was extremely honest in this story about her own feelings when she initially met her daughter, I think that there would be a lot of things that would be really difficult to read as her adopted daughter....especially during adolescence.
   
   So...although I think this is defintiely worth reading, for me, it left me with mixed feelings.



4. 
   This book is amazing!
   
   It is about an American mother who goes to China to adopt a three year old girl. This girl, Jacklyn, has lived in the orphanage for two years where she's taken care of a little boy, Xiao Mei Mei. She's acted like a mother to him and made sure the older boys in the orphanage don't pick on him. When Jacklyn, gets adopted she makes it her mission to get her mom to adopt "her baby". Her mom turns to her own family to help her get this baby adopted. Every night Jackyln asks when her baby is coming to America. "When Xiao Mei Mei come?"
   
   Being adopted from China, I found the book very touching. When I went back to my orphanage this summer I saw a little girl who had been left at the orphanage the night before and I fell in love with her. I, like Mrs. Champnella, know what it is like to feel protective of a child you don't know and love that child with all your heart.
   
   I would recommend this book to people who, like me, aren't too religious but won't mind hearing about it. It certanly didn't put me off the book. I think everyone would love this book because it's about the determination of one little girl to share her new life with the one she loves.
   
   Read it, believe me you will love it!



5. I'm so glad the author wrote this book. It's the story about the love an orphan has for her best friend, her little baby. It's not something that the average person would choose to pick up, but I love reading adoption stories and this one was fabulous. Anyone who is about to adopt or even thinking about it should read this. It's heartwarming to read about different ways to create a family.
   My friend, adopted from Korea as a baby, also loved it and now hopes to one day adopt from China as well.

1 comments about Paint the Yellow Tiger.

1. This is a great book for an art lover to read. It is not only because the author Mr. Dong has a tremendus reputation in the watercolor world but also his beautiful art works with familiar city scenes. Reading this book makes you feel that you have been traveling with this great artist as a long time friend, bringing you into his life. from a young boy who like to paint the Yellow Tiger until he becomes a famous artist. Whether this book serve as an autobiography or a story book, the author put most of his art skills and philosophy into it. Such as, all his human figures are facing the same direction and think the same things, He always seems to put the oriental Yin-Yan rule into his painting. I also enjoy his soft color, the balance of shape and light and the composition for which he has become so famous.

No comments about Portraits of Chinese Women in Revolution.

4 comments about They Called Us White Chinese: The Story of a Lifetime of Service to God Mankind.

1. They Called Us White Chinese is an autobiography of the late Robert N. Tharp, missionary to China in the early 1900's. I read the book cover to cover. It is extraordinarily well written, detailed, and full of interesting stories. It covers his boyhood which details Chinese construction techniques, social/cultural aspects of village life, provincial wars and his life and adventures in general. His capture during WWII and take over of the Communists follows. The trials of him and his wife in escaping the country are almost incredible. Mr. Tharp had a long career in linguistics in the U.S. working for military and intelligence services, which he describes in the latter third of the book. The book is anything but overedited and Mr. Tharp may carefully describe a particular adventure in vivid detail so that it becomes a short story in itself. I also appreciate the almost complete lack of "self-analysis" or abstract social commentary etc... This book is also a great aid to understanding Chinese history and culture. Highly recommended.



2. As a former student of Robert Tharp, I was interested in his new book, "They Called Us White Chinese". The title seems a little bit funny until I learned that due to the fact that he and his wife, Eva, were interned by the Japanese during WWII they lost all their identity papers, and when they came to the US, immigration officials stamped on their visa that they were, "White Chinese". Thus brings to an end their saga that comprises of almost 900 pages of the most beautiful coffee-table book I have ever seen. This book should cost three times as much. Contemporary Chinese history has never been explained as well as through the eyes of a "Westerner" born and raised in China. A Must Buy!



3. I should note that in 1994 when I first bought this book I was amazed and delighted to find myself mentioned in it (on page 751.) I was one of Bob Tharp's USAF Chinese students, recruited out of basic training in the summer of 1955. Years later, after finishing my Air Force tour (in Korea, using everything I'd been taught at Yale's Institute of Far Eastern Languages by Bob Tharp and his colleagues)and finishing college and law school, I found myself back at Yale, assisting Bob in the same USAF program while I took a correspondence course for the Michigan bar exam.

   I wish that I had known just a portion of the information that's in this great work of a book about Bob's early life when I first met him - I would have held him in even higher regard, if that's possible.

   This book paints an amazing picture of a tumultuous time in Chinese (and American) history, and the latter portions show clearly the contributions that Bob and Eva Tharp and their colleagues made to US security. He trained hundreds of air intelligence specialists, and many of them, like myself, found our lives forever changed and enhanced by our exposure to Chinese language and culture.




4. This book takes you through a journey of a man's life in his service to God. From the first page, you're introduced to Robert Tharp, son of a missionary in China. Slowly, you're taken through a concise narrative of the daily routine in Manchuria, detailing events as broad as the various warlords who entered the city to as detailed as how the local mastrigate ate plumbs.

   The pictures in the book add to the book by showing what people did. Rarely are there books with such quantity of pictures.

   There are wonderful anecdotes of everyday life and experiences Bob had. He has an entire section devoted to chinese humor, which are incredibally difficult to translate, but he does it with style.

   Anyone with interest in what life in China was like, this book is a must read.