One of the most remarkable things about the famine which occurred in China between 1958 and 1962 was that for over twenty years, no one was sure whether it had even taken place.So begins Jasper Becker's Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine (The Free Press, 1996), the first … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Defiled on the Ayeyarwaddy
My holiday season has been nice and quiet, allowing me to plow through a few novels and memoirs since my kids went on break 10 days ago. One memoir I recently finished was Ma Thanegi's Defiled on the Ayeyarwaddy (ThingsAsian Press, 2010).The title refers to the defiles … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Apologies Forthcoming: Stories Not About Mao
I don't know what it is about the Cultural Revolution, but I'm somehow drawn to it, especially when it comes to literature.In my own writing, I've often explored the tolls it took on personal relationships. So last week I was quite excited to read Xujun Eberlein's collection … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Wordjazz for Stevie
Last week I read Jonathan Chamberlain's heart-wrenching memoir, Wordjazz for Stevie (Blacksmith Books, 2010), a beautiful tribute to his late daughter.From reading the back cover blurb, I knew that Stevie only lived for eight and a half short years. But I had no idea that … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Made for You and Me
In writing my memoir, the few independent editors I've used along the way have given me lots of excellent advice. The key, according to all of them, is to read, read, read. And they all gave me a reading list, some of which included overlapping titles.Now I have another to … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- …
- 51
- Next Page »