1 comments about Yeee-Hah: Remembrance And Longing.

1. Dr. George Shen, Chief Editor Emeritus of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, published in his column, April 11, 2005:
   "Yeee-Hah! is an impressive, enjoyable read. It is highly informative on the lives of Chinese Americans and how they coped and progressed. In particular, chapters on racial discrimination and on the comparability of the Chinese and Jews are original and written with insight. The book enables readers to have a better understanding of Americans and of the author."

No comments about The Romantic Legend of Sâkya Buddha: Translated from the Chinese - Sanscrit.

No comments about The woman warrior: Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts.

No comments about A Chinese testament;: The autobiography of Tan Shih-hua,.

No comments about La Gloire de Mon Pere (In Chinese).

No comments about Diversion En Una Lavanderia China/ Fun in a Chinese Laundry: Memorias/ Memories.

3 comments about A Memoir of Misfortune.

1. Ok, I must be honest, Zhu Hong (translator) was my Professor for my Chinese Womens Literature class and I might not have read this book otherwise. That being said, as individual and beautiful as the human mind, Memoir of Misfortune truly is a work of art. The book is written as an interior monologue by Su XiaoKang as he attempts to deal with the traumatic aftermath of a car accident in New York state. Blaming himself for the accident and the pain and suffering he has caused his wife, Xiao Kang expands the scope of his questioning to his involvement in the events leading up to Tiananmen Square and his whole life in general. This book is a testament to one mans spirit that struggles to move on from one hardship to another.



2. This book I found shortly before undergoing an operation and during a year of suffering many severe health difficulties. I was so struck by the way the author relates his wife's tragic accident, his feelings for his wife and I suppose was most involved with the testimonial he makes concerning his involvement in the circumstances leading to her accident. I wish my husband would read this memoir, it is so tender. I think the author is searingly honest in his account of these years. The text is healing, we learn from tragedy. It causes me to relate to how I am finding my previous life struggles to be reordered against the background of the loss of health. He yearns to live back in the ordinary that was his life before his wife was so hurt, to have known it for the gift it was. This book is a quiet call to the living. I hope it will be read and appreciated for the beautiful book it is.



3. The author of this book, Su Xiaokang, was a principle author of a six-part TV series in China in late 1980s, River Elegy, which "galvanized" the country due to its sweeping "indictment" of Chinese beliefs and values. The TV series won endorsement of then Communist Party Secretary, Zhao Ziyang. The ensuing intellectual debate was covered by prominent Chinese news media at that time.

   The author had been living in Princeton after 1991, among a small circle of exiled Chinese "elites" (some of whom had been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace or Literature). The author's observations of the lives of these exiles, who could barely speak English, are candid, succinct and insightful.

   The book is best in its chronicle of the exiles' lives, especially the tragedy of his own family, which is touching and personal. However, the author's reflections on life in China and America often suffer from sweeping generalizations (like his earlier TV series in China) with dubious connection to realities. Some of his observations on events outside of his immediate environment are factually wrong. For example, in discussing Chinese on the Net, Su mentioned (page 272): "During the bloodthirsty spring of Beijing 1989, several students in the California area who had never personally met managed to launch a Chinese news website." In fact, the Chinese News Digest (CND) was not founded by "several students from California"; websites (as we know today) did not come into existence until the 1990s.

   For people who would want to explore modern Chinese intellectual history, this book might be helpful. But it is hard to use due to absence of an index, and the book's disorganized narrative style.

No comments about Grace Sufficient: The Story of Helen Kim, 1964 Edition.

3 comments about Thorny Road to Dignity: Surviving Mao: A Chinese Psychiatrist Embraces a Miracle in America.

1. Confronting cruel mob mentality and irrationality of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the author's ability not only to survive but to escape and thrive shines through the drama. Although we worked together, the author so focused on the professional issues at hand that there were only whispers of his past.
   
   Skillfully woven among the details are messages of meaning at other levels, such as human rights, power of government, impacts of culture on individual behavior, individual strength, and hope for the future.



2. Dr. Zhong Liu has written an odyssey of his life's struggles and triumphs from China to the United States. Suffering indignities under the Mao regime, Dr. Liu relates a story of survival and determination in a China that was not always kind to him. Exiled to the countryside to live among the peasants, he seemed to make something positive come out of every hardship. Self-taught in many languages including English, an inspirational teacher, a caring husband and a goal setter beyond imagination, Dr. Liu relentlessly pursued what appears to be unachievable goals to the ordinary person.
   
   Dr. Liu writes in an easy-to-understand narrative of his life in China and his subsequent cultural shock in coming to America.
   
   What is most moving in this book is Dr. Liu's love of America; we "natural-borns" can take a lesson from this doctor who embraced our country with such devotion and gratitude.
   
   An inspiring read.
   
   Janet Parker, Medical Librarian, Ventura County Medical Center



3. Ironically I finished reading Dr. Liu's memoir on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre. This story is one of struggle that most of us in the U.S. cannot begin to comprehend. One can only be amazed at his strength, focus, positive attitude and devotion to his family.
   He provides analysis of the culture rather than taking an attitude of revenge. Hs joy and gratitude are pure and simply overtake you as you follow his journey to the U.S. His humility in his accomplishments is sincere. You can't help but feel inspired after reading this book.

No comments about Shifu, Soul of Chinese Anarchism.