April 2010: Shanghai Girls

Our book selection for April 2010 is Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.
The next Book Club meeting will be on Saturday, April 10th at 6:30 pm. Please check the Yahoo group for location and directions.
This book is available at the public library.
Here are some reviews:
"Shanghai Girls" is a well-woven narrative that flows well and Lisa See credibly evokes the bond between two sisters, whose love for one another is strong, yet also fraught by rivalries. This is not just a story about siblings for it is also about the clash between East and West as the sisters struggle to find their footing in a new world, even as the bonds of their old world remain strong. Lisa See is truly a gifted author for being able to portray both the old world of 17th and 19th century China [as seen in Peony and Snow Flower] and the new as seen in "Shanghai Girls". Final verdict: a compelling read." - Amazon.com

"Lisa’s See’s new novel, Shanghai Girls, provides a rich experience for its readers – taking them from the splendor, highlife, glamour and poverty of 1937 Shanghai to the struggles of Chinese immigrants to survive a virtual internment on Angel Island, off the coast of San Francisco, to the almost impossible challenges of trying to build a life in Los Angeles Chinatown in the context of an America that does not want them and treats them cruelly. But despite its rich background, Shanghai Girls is ultimately the story of two sisters – Pearl and May – who desperately strive to help each other survive and at the same time replay in their minds and actions old rivalries, jealousies, and hurts. "-Goodreads

I enjoyed it, I hope you do too. See you soon.

March 2010: The Middle Heart

Our book selection for March 2010 is The Middle Heart Bette Bao Lord
The next Book Club meeting will be on Saturday, March 13th at 6:30 pm. Please check the Yahoo group for location and directions.
This book is available at the public library.

Here are some reviews:

"In 1932, three youngsters from different social strata vow to remain
forever "blood brothers of the Middle Heart." Steel Hope, scion of the noble
but impoverished House of Li; Mountain Pine, his lame "bookmate" (study
companion) and servant; and Firecracker, the daughter of a gravekeeper, are
to endure and share lives of turmoil and pain, loyalty and love." Publishers Weekly

"Their paths diverge as China descends into chaos and war. Firecrackers becomes Summer Wishes, an opera singer who learns to hide her fears and perform with bombs falling close by; Steel Hope is an engineer and bureaucrat who joins the communist underground to fight the Japanese and puts loyalty to the revolution above all else; Mountain Pine becomes a writer and a hermit, but learns he can't run away from his feelings. War, revolution, the vagaries of Communist rule, and family loyalties test the friendship of the three, and their final reunion is bittersweet. Lord brings her knowledge of China and her gift of storytelling to this tale of friendship and love set against the backdrop of modern history." School Library Journal

Hope to see you Saturday!

Catching up- December, January and February 2010

Yes, yes I know, I said I was going to keep this current but I guess some catching up will have to do.

December was our "vacation" month and all we did was party. The ornament exchange luncheon was a hit as always.





In January we read a very interesting and thought provoking book, Lucky Girl by Mei-Ling Hopgood. The book is about the author's experiences as an adoptee suddenly confronted by the reality of her biological family's reemergence into her life. A new member recently joined our book club and she is both an adoptee and an adoptive mother. It was exciting and very insightful to hear her perspectives on the issue of birth parents. "R" we are really happy you joined our club.


In February, we read two books trying to look at two different points of view: the adult adoptees and birth mothers from Korea.

• I Wish for You a Beautiful Life: Letters from the Korean Birth Mothers of Ae Ran Won to Their Children by Sara Dorow, is a collection of letters written by birth mothers to their children while they are at Ae Ran Won a support center in Korea for birth mothers. I found it interesting to read the reviews of this book (check the link) as it varies considerably depending on the readers situation (adoptees, birth mother's and adoptive parents). And as our group discussed it, we also had mixed feelings about the letters

• After the Morning Calm: Reflections of Korean Adoptees by Nancy Fox, is a collection of essays written by Korean adoptees living in the United States or Europe.
  
  "These voices tell their individual stories in prose and verse, offering personal insights into the issues of being trans-racial adoptees, of going through the pains of adoption and coming to terms with one’s identity, being accepted and succeeding in the larger community and giving back, and finally finding his or her own place in the world." Korean Quarterly.
  

Overall, we had a wonderful start for 2010 and there is a lot more to come!

The calendar for 2010 has been updated and we have received many book suggestions for future readings.