Today I finished this difficult, yet critical novel set during WWII and recent times. White Chrysanthemum (Putnam, 2018) by Mary Lynn Bracht tells the story of Emi and Hana, two Korean sisters who grew up on Jeju Island, just south of Korea. Their mother and their mother's mother … [Read more...]
An evening with Spencer Wise
Months ago some friends in Hong Kong were tweeting with Spencer Wise about his forthcoming debut novel, The Emperor of Shoes (Hanover Square Press, 2018) and I not-so-graciously chimed in and tweeted that I needed to read his book, too. Set in the southern Chinese city of Foshan … [Read more...]
Second year of Chinese lessons, then and and now
My older son just finished his second year of college Chinese and was showing his young siblings his textbook because they, too, are learning Mandarin, but at a slower pace. The little ones could understand come characters here and there, which was rewarding after several years … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men
Over the last couple of months, I've come across Mara Hvistendahl's 2011 book, Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men (Public Affairs), while reading other books about feminism in China. So when I was in New York in March, I … [Read more...]
The case for learning Mandarin
Every year in early May my husband flies off to Omaha to listen to Warren Buffett speak to his shareholders. It's been a tradition in our family for more years than I can count. When he returned last weekend, he told me there were more Chinese attendees than ever and that Warren … [Read more...]
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