No comments about When ""I"" Was Born: Women's Autobiography in Modern China (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography).

5 comments about Daughter of the Yellow River.

1. 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.



2. Buy this book--if you want to read a bizarre, narcissistic revenge fantasy. Otherwise, save your money.



3. 
   
   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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

No comments about The Recluse of Loyang: Shao Yung and the Moral Evolution of Early Sung Thought.

5 comments about Escape From China : The Long Journey From Tiananmen to Freedom.

1. The events in Tiananmen Square in June 1989 are one of the 20th century's defining moments. Chinese students took on their communist government & after a 2 week stand-off military forces used overwhelming force to brutally suppress the revolt.
   
   The government issued a warrant for the arrest of the leaders of the insurgence. Zhang Boli was one of the 21 most wanted & the only one not captured. This is his story of how he evades a ruthless nationwide manhunt to escape to freedom in the west.
   
   Zhang Boli comes across as a very brave & intelligent student & in writing this story he wants to not only tell the story of his escape but also of some of the great people who helped him along the way. Worth reading.



2. Just a simple response to Mrs. G's review. Firstly, I wanted to ask Mrs. G, Could you read Chinese to decide whether the English version is good or bad? I found the translation a lot better than the original Chinese version. That is, the original Chinese is even more vulgar in many contexts, and I appreciated the translator's job, with some British taste indeed. A translator can only do so much to improve on a text that was not brilliantly written to begin with. If the translator's English is not refined enough, then it should be the editor's job to edit and revise it. Since you think the English version is exciting, what flaws is there that made you blame the translator? Indeed, I am glad that the translator has beautifully REwritten some content in a way that is acceptable to the American readers, and that shows that the translator is actually a good English writer and also well learned in Chinese studies. Maybe it does not occur to Mrs. G that even a pastor can be biased. It's regrettable if Mr. Zhang, who has apparently converted many Chinese, still cannot acknowledge the translator's efforts and achievement.



3. This book provides a great view into the life of Zhang Boli, the Chinese culture, and the powerful hand of a sovereign God. Yes, the book contained explicit language; however, after visiting with Pastor Zhang Boli, I came to understand that the translating was done by a foreign writer who used lude American language. Pastor Boli, with his very limited English, was not able to read the final production so was unable to even identify the kind of language used in his story's English version. This is an exciting story that is even more awe-inspiring when one realizes that Zhang Boli is still alive and well, pointing many Chinese to Christ in America as well as abroad.



4. First, a short response to the review "telling truth or not" by "a reader". Shortly after the June 4th massacre the Chinese government broadcasted on television a video (apparently taken by the secret police) mockingly claiming that "while the 'poor worms' were on hunger strike, the leading 'turmoil elements' were eating in local restaurants using the donations intended for the movement." Almost immediately after the broadcast a university student in Hong Kong (a student of Chinese Universtiy of HK, if I remember correctly), whose face also appeared on the video, came out and clarifed that the dinner took place AFTER the hunger struck (the hunger strike ended at 10:00p.m. May 16). He was a representative of the universtiy students from HK, and he invited the leaders for dinner and he paid the bill -- no money was used from donations. When the video was replayed in slow motion, one could see what they were eating and would appreciate that it was indeed a very, very simple meal.
   
   One may find that the way the officers conduct their business and the way the commoners response are somewhat beyond believe. I know that the author is genuinely telling the truth, for I was detained in China twice, once for a month and once for 3 days.
   
   I have read the original Chinese version of the book and also some background material about the author. Within three months after he arrived at US he was diagnosed to have final stage liver cancer. The auther immediately started writing his memoir in the hospital bed hoping that he would leave something valuable for his daughter Little Snow. Miraculously his cancer was gone when he finished writing his book!



5. I was a strong supporter of the Tiananmen movement for freedom and democracy, and those leaders were once a time my heros and heroines. But now I began to question the truth of their statements. They were not respectable as they claimed, and they did something actually not decent during the movement. When the others were on hunger strike, some of them were eating in local restaurants using the donations from those poor students, which were intended to fund the movement. What they have done later in the US is also disappointing. During my years in Beijing University, I secretly contacted some classmates of the former leaders, who I believe are honest people. They gave a totally different description of the deeds of those former heros. The Communists did kill the students, but the roles of these leaders in this movement should be studied more carefully before I believe them. I highly respect those died at the Square for the freedom and democracy of China, but those leaders are not my heroes any more, and began to question their doings in the horrible summer of 1989.

No comments about Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter.

No comments about Robert Morrison and the Birth of Chinese Protestantism (T&T Clark Theology).

5 comments about Onoto Watanna: THE STORY OF WINNIFRED EATON (Asian American Experience).

1. I didn't mean to like Winnifred Eaton. After all, she was a bit of a fanfaronade and very much of a poseur, not at all the sort I wanted in my circle of intimates.

   But Diana Birchall's sparkling biography changed my mind. Writing with unblinking honesty, Birchall describes the many lives that her chameleon grandmother lived, from journalist and novelist to story editor and screenwriter. Of most interest to me were the stories of her career as wife in two unconventional marriages and mother to four children. Birchall's graceful use of language is enhanced by her wit and intelligently ironic style. She concludes this delightful biography with the acknowledgment that sharing what she has learned about her grandmother has been a privilege and a joy. Surely it is no less a privilege and a joy for the reader.




2. Birchall's fascinating and beautifully written account of her grandmother's life is an important work for scholars in women's studies, Asian-American or American studies, Canlit, and the movie industry, and for the general reader seeking a compelling biography.

   Other reviewers have mentioned Eaton/Watanna's background. I will stress instead the absorbing interest of Winnifred's successive reinventions of herself in societies that had no ready place for her. Like a brilliant slackrope walker with an increasingly awkward load, Winnifred managed to shift her balance not only to survive, but pulled off one tour de force after another. Her performances as a Japanese-American novelist, as a screenwriter and as a rancher doyenne would win applause from Daniel Defoe.

   Eaton/Watanna has become a focal interest of American scholars in recent years. As her granddaughter, Birchall had informaitonal advantages in writing on her. Her graceful, well-considered book shows how glad we should be for Birchall's advantages.




3. "A jolly, laughing lady" are the first words of the bigraphy; the last ones are: "To be able to share what I have learned with others has been a privilege and a joy. Has not this journey been an enviable inheritance in itself?"

   Inbetween these words Birchall indeed shares with the reader the life of Winnifred, in personal and intimate detail. Birchall also seduces the reader into not just reading, but thinking about the culture and times Winnifred faced in her own inimitable style, from her life in Canada as young girl down to the years of Hollywood.

   Normally I am none too fond of biographies but this one enchanted me, by the content and by the style of Birchall's writing. Full of zest, lifely images and easy to read on and on. As non native reader I appreciated this very much; it was a joy and a privilege to share. Would that all biographies were such a good read!




4. "A jolly, laughing lady," those are the opening words of the biography.
   The closing words are:
   "To be able to share what I have learned with others is a privilege and a joy. Has not this journey been an enviable inheritance in itself?"

   In between those personal words, I got the chance to intimately share the life of Winnifred Eaton. Birchall opens the family vaults, secrets and intimacies; shares her deductions and her thoughts about Winnifred with me as reader; and writes in a zesty, tangy language that kept seducing me to read on and on.
   The things I learned about the early filmindustry in Hollywood and the look behind the screens, are as fascinating as all the facts about the working conditions for women in the first half of the century in the USA

   This biography by Birchall leads me to wonder and think about Winnifred as a human being and also about the culture and times that Winnifred went through in her life and tackled straight on, in her own inimitable style.
   What more can a biography do?

   Normally I am none too fond of biographies as genre. This one had me enthralled, qua content and style of writing.




5. In my library I have dozens of books inherited from my parents and my grandparents. We have been readers for several generations, and I grew up with many of these books. One of these books was a novel called "The Heart of Hyacinth" by an author mysteriously named Onoto Watanna. The author was unknown to me, but I thought the book was one of the most beautiful of all the books I'd inherited, with lovely Japanese-style illustrations and drawings.

   But now I've had a chance to learn about the woman who lurked behind that exotic nom de plume. I learn she was not Japanese at all, but half Chinese and half English. Yet her true story seems to be as fully exotic as any of the character's lives from her books.

   Diana Birchall has done a wonderful job of bringing her fascinating grandmother to life. The book give a wonderful look at a most unusual woman, and what life was like for young women at the turn of the last century. At least what life was like when the young women were as self-confident and gutsy as the young Winnifred Eaton.

5 comments about The Attic: Memoir of a Chinese Landlord's Son.

1. This book is captivating and full of flavor. Cao's writing style is very wonderful. When read The Attic, you gain access to a world that is not common to 20th or 21 century Americans. Cao describes his life of living in Shanghai China with very little materials but making the very best of it. The book is an excellent example of the human spirit overcoming the challenges of life. After you get into he book you just cant put it down. I would prescribe this book to anyone that would like to see into the life of mid 20th century China. Caution, this book has customs and parts of daily life that are very different from western custom. Please read with caution if you have a sensitive nature.



2. This is a very well written tale of survival. It is filled with instances of humor and triumph. It depicts a Chinese culture and a cuisine that is not, as one of the previous reviewers stated, for the faint of heart. This story shows a person that is both proud to have survived and troubled by some of the things that he did to survive. I was fascinated by this story and I was grateful to have read it rather than to have lived it.



3. The other reviews mention the graphic, nauseating chapter on unusual eating practices in China - things so horrifying to a Westerner that I won't even attempt to describe them.

   The reviews leave out the human atrocities in the book, and there are plenty. What this author's sister is forced to do to her hand to survive chills my blood and depresses me, even now, months after my initial reading.

   Overall, this is not a novel for the faint of heart - I can't express this enough!

   The chapter on animal abuse (I can't call it anything but) is the most revolting thing I have ever read, so BEWARE! If you are a vegetarian, don't even ATTEMPT this book.

   Aside from the dark content, I just did not find this book pleasing; the author is a selfish creep who abuses his family. I suppose the reader is supposed to write this off as cruel youth, but the entire book leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

   If you want to read something both lyrical and informative about China, try Falling Leaves, or Red Scarf Girl, or Bound Feet, Western Dress. Any of those memoirs would be an excellent read. Red China Blues is also a fascinating book, though written by a Westerner. Don't bother with this book unless you want to be nauseated by the cold writing and the graphic descriptions of animal torture.




4. This is a great book. Although there are some graphic descriptions of some foods, the book is well-written, absorbing. One of those good, rainy day, sitting in front of the fireplace, read-at- one-sitting books.



5. This is my all-time favorite book. I've read it three times. I suggest it to everyone. I've found myself chuckling through descriptions told with humor, but in reality must have been very difficult situations. I've heard only one negative response to the very short chapter devoted to methods of killing and eating animals. It is very shocking. It is not gratuitous violence, it's China's very ancient way. The author did not imply that these methods were widespread by any means. The rest of the book is funny and sad and thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

3 comments about Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain.

1. Good Fortune by Li Keng Wong is a great example of an autobiographical book. Li tells about her journey to "Gold Mountain" and the obstacles she faced as a Chinese girl in the United States.
   
   Her journey begins when Li's father has arranged for her, Mama, and her two sisters to come join him in Gold Mountain. They agree and are sent on a remarkable adventure half-way across the world. When they reach their destination, Li and her family have to endure the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Great Depression. To survive, her dad has no choice but to open up an illegal lottery shop. If he keeps getting arrested, all of them could be sent back to China.
   
   I liked this book because of the detail in every sentence. It really changed the way I thought about history in 1933. Once I started the book, I felt like I was with Li every step of the way.
   
   Yin A.
   Grade 6
   Ms. Kawatachi



2. Li Keng Wong, Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain (Peachtree, 2006)
   
   I have never been a big fan of the memoir, and with the recent market glut, chances are, when one picks up a random memoir, one will end up opening the window and summarily ejecting it, unless one needs to line one's birdcage or is short of toilet paper. That said, every once in a while you get lucky. And while I don't think anyone will ever confuse Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain with deathless literature, at least it won't get mixed up with deathly boring literature, either.
   
   The majority of memoirs I've read recently have fed on the public's fascination with humiliation, of self and of others. And while Li Keng Wong went through some rather nasty stuff during the period of her childhood she relates here, she never gives into that tabloid sort of impulse. With that alone, she's already well ahead of the pack. It also helps somewhat that this is a book written for school-agers (I'd say middle school, or bright elementary school students); Ms. Wong gets down to brass tacks pretty quick, and then stays there, without any of the aimless meanderings one sees in recent works by, for example, Melissa P. (One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed) or Craig Thompson (Blankets). She's got a story to tell, and she tells it, and that's that. She also avoids the trap of overplaying her hand at any given time; this would be all too easy a thing to do, given that part of this memoir covers her stay in an interment camp courtesy of the Chinese Exclusion Act. But Ms. Wong writes of the stay in the detention camp as one more stopping place on the greater adventurous path her family took. I ended up a lot more fond of this book than I expected to be, and unhesitatingly recommend it. *** ½



3. Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain is the autobiography of Li Keng Wong. Born in the village of Goon Do Hung, Li Keng has never known her father, Baba, since he is working in Gum Saan (aka United States "Gold Mountain"). Along with her older sister, Li Hong, and her younger sister, Lai Wah, Li Keng's life is one of pleasant simplicity and anticipation. The family is waiting for Baba to write a letter telling them that he's returning to bring them back to America. When the letter finally arrives, there is much preparation as the family prepares to pass their interrogation on Angel Island. Because of the strict laws, the family must lie convincingly to officials in order to enter the country. Li Keng and her family hope that America truly is a place with gold-paved streets, but will the new land bring hope or disappointment?
   
   Li Keng's story covers a vast period of time. The first half of the book concentrates on the year before they come to America (1933), the second half of the book concentrates on the struggles, disappointments, and hopes once they arrive (1934-1941). The story is interesting, yet narrated unevenly. It is an honest portrayal of an immigration story--the hardships, poverty, etc. Still I would recommend this book as a good autobiography for younger readers in third to sixth grades.

2 comments about Adopted, the Chinese Way.

1. I read this book because the author is a friend of my mother-in-law's, and now I wish she were a friend of mine! This treasure gives a glimpse of a way of life now gone forever, of a unique upbringing combining two radically different cultures. Amy Tan wrote about her mother's experiences; Mrs. Church could very well have been her mother. Her descriptions of the food and their methods of preparation alone are worth the price of the book. I felt like I was sitting across the table from the author as she recounted tales of growing up in pre-WWII China, and I wanted the stories to continue. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, this book is a testament to human adaptability. I was sorry to see the book end, which it does a little too abruptly for my taste. But this is just a small complaint in an otherwise very worthwhile book. I don't have a lot of time to devote to reading, and this one deserves a place on my keeper list. Search it out; you won't be disappointed.



2. I read this book because the author is a friend of my mother-in-law's, and now I wish she were a friend of mine! This treasure gives a glimpse of a way of life now gone forever, of a unique upbringing combining two radically different cultures. Amy Tan wrote about her mother's experiences; Mrs. Church could very well have been her mother. Her descriptions of the food and their methods of preparation alone are worth the price of the book. I felt like I was sitting across the table from the author as she recounted tales of growing up in pre-WWII China, and I wanted the stories to continue. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, this book is a testament to human adaptability. I was sorry to see the book end, which it does a little too abruptly for my taste. But this is just a small complaint in an otherwise very worthwhile book. I don't have a lot of time to devote to reading, and this one deserves a place on my keeper list. Search it out; you won't be disappointed.