5 comments about Mr. Ding's Chicken Feet: On a Slow Boat from Shanghai to Texas.

1. In Mr Ding's Chicken Feet, the author, Gillian Kendall, comes across at first as maybe a little naive and unwary. She is a risk-taker. Her apparent lack of serious doubt about the whole enterprise, her trust in her fellow human beings not to harm her and her faith that it would all work out made me a little nervous on her behalf. But she is vindicated by the experience and it is her empathy and geniality that are the keys to her success. Observing Kendall's openness to life and her willingness to reach out across cultures became one of the pleasures of reading the book. A cynical reader such as I am found it instructive to watch her interest in humanity unfold and be repaid.
   
   Her story really takes off once the ship leaves shore. Then it leaves behind any experience I and probably most readers have had. Shipboard life with a completely male crew who mostly speak very fractured English seems so weird and challenging that you half expect the book to be a story of failure -- perhaps noble failure but depressing nonetheless. So it's very satisfying that she actually makes a difference to the sailors' English and lives. She is inventive in her methods and determined to give her employers their money's worth and thereby wins the crew's respect and affection.
   
   Kendall can write -- just see her description of the terrible storm at sea. It had me rigid with tension. Shades of Conrad in Typhoon. She has a distinctive and likable tone of voice. The book tells an optimistic story in an unpretentious way and gives you faith in the power of empathic teachers (and English!).



2. Ji Lians book very good. Makes me laugh. Have to laugh and wake up husband to read good part. I like this book. I like especially page where I am mention. I am Li. I am beautiful asian/american. Not Chinese. I too, don't like chicken feet.



3. Everyone loves an adventure (or at least reading of one) and most of us will never take a boat from China to America. Envious of this one, I curled up by my fireplace and read Mr. Ding's Chicken Feet with a taste for the fascinating journey of a Caucasian woman on a boat full of Asian men. I was not disappointed.
   
   The author sets sail on an ocean of cultural difference and wins over the hearts of the crew - a rough and salty bunch who sit spellbound by her in English class.
   
   Because of the obvious vast expanse of ocean to cross, you know that the author is going to have to face a few things she has probably never had to before, and deal with them. There is, after all, no escape on a small boat in the middle of the ocean.
   
   Kendall reveals the color of the crew over the course of the journey as if she were polishing up tarnished brass. It was great fun to read about the men as they blossom at the hand of their teacher...though the revelations were not one-sided.
   
   Not surprisingly, I felt the poignancy at the sight of land, which meant having to say goodbye.
   
   Kendall writes with an unpretentious clarity, humor and heart. I definitely recommend it.



4. I spent the academic year of 1999/2000 teaching English in Shenzhen. I spoke no Chinese, at the time, and had no formal teaching experience. So I could definitely relate to Gillian's frustrations, culture shock, and malentendus. It's 1991 and Gillian is a grad student in Galveston, TX. The semester is coming to a close and she spies an ad on the bulletin board for an ESL teacher aboard a ship sailing from Shanghai to Galveston. After a hard sell Gillian manages to land the job aboard the all male ship. The company flies her to Shanghai where she boards the ship. The reader witnesses her feelings about being the only woman on the ship; loneliness and some sexual harassment egged on by the only other American on board. She experiences a Sapphic awakening as she realizes in her state of isolation that she doesn't have any romantic feelings for her boyfriend. She manages to break through the cultural, gender, and language barriers to form some attachments to her students and especially Mr. Ding, the cook. The book is riddled with faux pas but the funniest part, I would say, is when she saves Mr. Ding by hurling the violent Panamanian vendor into the Canal.



5. Savoured the book from start to finish. It took me 2 weeks to read the last 20 pages because I did not want it to end. I am looking forward to reading the next Gillian adventure.

No comments about Discovering Chinese Painting: Dialogues with Art Historians.

5 comments about The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew (1965 - 2000) ('Li guang yao hui yi lu', in traditional Chinese, NOT in English).

1. A simple and concise history of the nation-state, my original home. A handbook for building a nation-state, or any other
   multi-cultural organization. In this volume, LKY provides insight into his decision making, but does not spend much time reflecting upon his deepest motivations/expectations. The rationalizations are kept on an even-keel, and the text has a bit of a grade-school history text feel to it.

   I'm looking forward to the 2nd volume. It would probably be too much for LKY to describe his deepest rationalizations, his actions speak louder than his words. I would have liked to have understood the role of his wife and children more.




2. Reading Lee Kuan Yew's "The Singapore Story" is analogous to swimming in an ocean of enlightenment. It is a unique piece of writing. Candid and down-to-earth, Mr. Yew's memoirs showed that courage, faith, hope, and perseverance are not only enough to transform a man, but an entire nation. Singapore's victories over colonialism and communism showcased this fact. I no longer wonder why Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other top-notchers find this book irresistible.



3. This volume is childhood up to Singapore's dumping by Malaysia.



4. This is simply the most amazing and interesting biography, i have ever read. What makes Lee's narrative interesting are his crisp observations supported by official British documents made public after 35 years.



5. Mr Lee Kuan Yew - or LKY - as he is fondly referred to by both admirers and critics, has been a controversial figure as easily discernible in the oxymoronic titles he is often given, such as "benevolent dictator" and "enlightened despot". But to call him such names without heavy qualification is to utter a painful half-truth.
   
   "The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew" aptly displays the range of LKY's sensitivity, insight, and wisdom harvested not only from his personal experience from WWII onwards but also from the experiences of others. As a young Singaporean who has lived in Singapore all her life I thought I was very familiar with this iconic figure who I had often read about from his speeches, newspapers and textbooks. However, his memoirs displayed another angle of his personal self which is rarely seen in the media.
   
   I think it's a waste that not many young Singaporeans have read this book. Perhaps they should. His writing is powerful but easy to read, and I found myself reading it into the small hours of the night. This book would also appeal to you if you're interested in Singapore, its policies, and its history.

No comments about A Reader's Guide To Amy Tan's the Joy Luck Club (Multicultural Literature).

No comments about On Philosophy in China (Wadsworth Philosophers).

No comments about A Classical Chinese Reader: The Han Shu biography of Huo Guang.

5 comments about Cornbread and Dim Sum: A Memoir of a Heart Glow Romance.

1. I was hooked by this book from the first words I read. Mrs. Sue uses a warm and direct style to convey scene and emotion in a way that can almost be felt viscerally by the reader. In describing her unique experience of a life built upon a love between people of different races, the author pulls few punches when describing both the pain and uncertainty of being faced with obvious discrimination as well as the joys and deeply felt passions for her husband and daughters that were a part of her journey through life. This book earns my highest recommendation.



2. Cornbread and Dim Sum has received the INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER OUTSTANDING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD.



3. I was fascinated and riveted by this personal love story between a Chinese man and African-American woman. The sad part is that I normally would not have picked up this type of genre of a book to read it. That would have been a shame and I would have missed a wonderfully told tale of the heart and the soul.
   
   Cornbread and Dim Sum is more than a look at the lives of two people caught up in the racial tensions caused by their inter-racial relationship - we also get a look at marriage, love, family values and cultural differences. Being a white male, this book afforded me an insider view of their unique life together that I would not otherwise have been afforded. I came away a better person for having read this book. It opened my eyes to what love is all about. Their lives are fully exposed on the pages of this book and honestly dealt with through the easy to read emotional prose of author, Jacqueline Annette Sue. She takes you along her life journey as reflections and remembrances while preparing for her younger daughter's wedding. The writing style works to weave the past and present into a mosaic of emotional and spiritual imagery of where their life took them.
   
   This book is not so much about racial differences that tend to separate us, but about what is means to be a human being. I found this book hard to put down once I got into the first several pages - I was hooked. I had devoured the entire book in less than 24 hours on having it in my hands. I give this book my highest rating and recommendation. This is not just a book for women or ethnic readers - this book does deal with some racial issues that divided people but their love story transcends all that. You will come away seeing these two people not just as an African-American and Chinese couple but as human beings who endured all that happened in their lives because they found a love much greater than anything that would harm that relationship. I fell in love with their story and think that other readers will as well.
   
   Note:
   
   Author Jacqueline Sue is now writing a screen play about Vietnam where she recently made a heartfelt journey. We look forward to reviewing it when it is completed.



4. The entire book was so warm and inviting. It was truly nice to be invited into the Authors life. Being in a BW/AM relationship it was nice to finally read a book with experiences that related close to my own. Thanks to the author for the courage and time spent writing this enriching memoir.



5. This was a beautiful, poignant story that needed to be told. I thank Mrs. Sue and her family for allowing the public to take a glimpse at the obstacles she and her husband faced, which only made their love stronger.

No comments about A Daughter of Han: The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman.

1 comments about Michael Chang: Tennis Champion (Picture Story Biography).

1. This large-print biography is intended for children. The rather slim volume opens with an introduction on Michael's courageous win at the '89 French Open, then launches into a account of his early life and career up to 1992. Although understandably short on detail, the pictures are what make this book a real find, as there are many childhood photos and snapshots out of the Chang family album.

No comments about Wang Kuo-wei: An Intellectual Biography (Harvard East Asian Series).