book reviews
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Review: Out of Mao’s Shadow
I read this book for the first time in 2008, just before the start of the 2008 summer Olympics and then again in November 2009. China has been touted as the next super power. After reading this book, I don’t see how this will happen without political change. A country that treats its citizens so poorly will never truly be great. I have read many books about China and have found “Out of Mao’s Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China” to be one of the most insightful. I was drawn into the lives of each person Mr. Pan wrote about and always wanted to know more.
Pan opens with the funeral of Zhao Ziyang the only communist party member to try to stop the Tiananmen Massacre of June 4, 1989. Zhao Ziyang urged Deng Xiaoping not to send troops against the students. For his efforts and stand, Zhao remained under house arrest for the rest of his life. The communist party did its best to hide his death and funeral arrangements from the people.
We get an idea of how Mao operated through the efforts of documentary film maker Hu Jie who brought to life communist party member Lin Zhao who spoke out during the Hundred Flowers movement and was arrested during the Anti Rightist Campaign. The audacity of Mao to think that he was beyond criticism is unbelievable to most of us in the United States. Mao issued the invitation to people to participate in the Hundred Flowers movement, which basically asked people to tell the government what they thought about it. Mao got angry when people actually did what he asked them to do so he arrested them all in the Anti Rightist campaign. Move on to the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution where the communist party basically turned its back on the people that brought its members into power and who the party had pledged to help by making their lives better. Now instead of warlords and landlords the poor have to deal with corrupt party officials such as Zhang Xide who behaves worse than a Roman tax collector in his efforts to extract as much as possible from the people under his control.
I wanted to stand and cheer for the brave individuals willing to take a stand to try to improve the government. From Doctor Jiang Yanyong, who exposed the SARS cover-up and the newspaper editor, Cheng Yizhong, who did not want to publish lies about SARS and who continually pushed the envelope when it came to what he allowed his paper to print, to the civil rights lawyers working within a corrupt system to try to get justice for their clients. Some of these lawyers, such as Gao Zhisheng who was arrested and tortured in 2007 and who was arrested again in February 2009, have paid a price much higher than any United States citizen would consider. Incidentally, Gao has not been seen since his second arrest, his family has escaped to the US and does not know where he is or whether he is even alive. To receive an even greater challenge, go to the website http://www.freegao.com .
After reading this book for the second time, I remain convinced that although China will probably continue to experience great economic growth it will never be truly great.
{extended}Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Review: Fields of the Fatherless
Fields of the Fatherless
by Tom Davis
by Tom Davis is one of those books that will change your life if you let it. Your eyes will be opened to the plight of orphans, widows, the poor and the stranger and to what God says to Christians about providing for them. God will place these on your heart in such a way that you will find it hard to forget. Not only does Mr. Davis explain in detail about these “fatherless”, he also shows how important the least of these are to the heart of God. You will realize that God blesses those who bless them. Mr. Davis addresses fear that robs us of the joy to be found in showing compassion to the fatherless. It is this fear that will prevent us from growing, changing and experiencing the joy and blessings God has for us. You will be encouraged to do something, not just hope that “someone else” will do it.
If you allow this book to touch you, Mr. Davis has also provided a “Guide To Walking in the Fields of the Fatherless”. The Guide gives specific ways to become involved in helping the fatherless. I encourage every Christian to read this life-changing book. Do not miss the blessings you will receive by caring for those who cannot care for themselves. I know I have been personally encouraged to start a ministry to orphans in my church. I hope that others will be encouraged in the same way.
{extended}Friday, May 08, 2009
Review: China Doll
China Doll
By: Talia Carner
I initially wanted to read the book China Doll because it is a fiction story about Chinese orphans. Like many who read this book I have children adopted from China, 2 girls and 1 boy and yes, you can adopt boys from China, they do not abandon only girls. I found the book to be a slow start; however, I did enjoy the read. A reader must remember that this is fiction and it is not likely that anyone would have a baby simply thrust into their arms in China and it would definitely not happen to a pop star surrounded by media, bodyguards and police etc without the person abandoning the child being caught by someone. There are orphanages in China that are the “model” orphanages mentioned in the story and there are also some that are terrible. There is a documentary called the “dying rooms” that details some of the worst.
The characters are semi believable and my reading of the book I think I understood that the term “China Doll” was not meant to apply to Lulu but to Nola. As another reviewer pointed out, this is a racial slur although on my last trip to China this past March I did see a shop in Guangzhou with the name China Doll. Maybe it is only a racial slur in the US, I don’t know. Ironically, this shop was one I visited on a previous trip and it had changed its name from Double Happiness (the name of Nola’s tour) to China Doll.
I found the political intrigue to be fascinating as much of what goes on is to “save face” on the part of China. I think that the author did a good job of depicting what might actually happen politically in the even that a scenario such as the one in the book actually occurred. In light of our current economical conditions in the United States, it is interesting to think of what may go on when it comes time to pay the piper so to speak as China is one of the countries the United States is now in debt to.
I found the book got better and moved faster after about page 100. The details of Nola’s journey out of China and the payoffs to make it happen were not only full of suspense but very believable in my opinion. Again, this is fiction and accordingly, the author is allowed to have things happen that would not otherwise happen, such as Nola being able to obtain a Visa for a child who has questionable adoption documents.
China Doll does much to make us think about children who may never have a voice unless we speak for them. These children may be next door or they may be on the other side of the world. In all, I enjoyed the book and will most likely keep it in my library.
{extended}Sunday, December 21, 2008
Review: Where Are You Now?
Where Are You Now?
By: Mary Higgins Clark
I have been a huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark for many years. I am never disappointed with any of her books and this was no exception. The idea for the book came from a newspaper article the author read, which makes the story even more interesting to me.
In the opening chapters, the book presents us with several different characters all with interesting lives and stories. I was hooked from the beginning. The main plot surrounds the disappearance of Charles ‘Mack’ MacKenzie Jr. at the age of 21 when he apparently walked away from what appeared to be a perfect life. Mack calls his mother every Mother’s Day with a short message telling her he is fine. Now his sister Carolyn is trying to find him. With any MHC book I always try to figure out “who done it” and I am almost never able to. As with most of her books, there were several characters that were suspect and I was guessing until the last chapters of this book. Since the final chapters are not very long that was almost till the end. MHC leaves no loose ends in the conclusion of Where Are You Now with all being tied up neatly in the epilogue. I also appreciate how MHC keeps all of her books free of profanity and obscenity, which never add anything to the story for me. My only issue with this book was the fact that I never felt a true connection between Carolyn and her supposed romantic interest. There was no spark between them and there needed to be. Other than that, this was a very believable story and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good clean suspense story!
{extended}Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Review: Oracle Bones
Oracle Bones
By: Peter Hessler
I read Peter Hessler’s first book,
River Town, and enjoyed it so much that I immediately brought his second book, Oracle Bones. While I enjoyed the many separate stories interspersed throughout the book, it also caused a disjointed feeling at times and made the book somewhat difficult to read and follow.
The main topic of the book and its loosely connecting feature is the study of oracle bones. These pieces of bone and shell contain some of China’s earliest written language. Peter Hessler also examines the lives and work of several individuals who studied the oracle bones. He goes back and forth between archeology; the Cultural Revolution and how it affected the oracle bone scholars; the life of Polat, a Uighur middleman in Yabaolu, who eventually travels to the United States and seeks political asylum and the lives of four of his former students. In reading I received wide insight into the lives of individuals during the Cultural Revolution as well as the lives of modern young adults in the People’s Republic of China.
Peter Hessler was witness to China during several key international incidents that involved the United States and/or China. The first being the accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium by the United States and the second being the United States spy plain that was forced to land on Hainan Island. He was also witness to the reaction of people in China to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. I got a real sense of how modern adults in the People’s Republic of China view the United States through the way they reacted to these three incidents and the questions and comments they had for the author knowing he was from the United States.
I feel these reactions are a key to a better understanding of current relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of the People’s Republic of China and how its people view the United States.
{extended}Monday, November 03, 2008
Review: Left to Tell
Left to Tell
By: Immaculee Ilibagiza
I picked up Immaculee Ilibagiza’s memoir of survival without knowing anything about the book. The title drew me and I began to read. I learned what it was like to grow up as a minority Tutsi in Rwanda and the struggle just to obtain things that I take for granted such as a higher education.
Immaculee survived the Rwandan genocide by taking refuge in the home of a neighbor and Hutu pastor. She and seven other women hid in a tiny bathroom with the door covered by a large wardrobe. While outside the house their friends and family were murdered, including all of Immaculee’s immediate family except her older brother who was studying in another country when the genocide began. The details of this were more horrific than anything I could imagine. How would you feel to hear killers talking outside the room where you were hiding as they described murdering your brother. This is just one of the things Immaculee endured. Then to read about her struggle to forgive the killers and how she was eventually able to overcome and to forgive even when confronted face to face with a killer is to be in awe of her faith. This struggle to forgive would have ended in failure if she had not been filled with God’s love. Immaculee Ilibagiza is the Corrie ten Boom of the Rwandan Holocaust. I could not read this book and not be forced to look inside myself and strive to put aside petty issues that cause ill will and discontent with my life and with others. This book is absolutely life changing. Read it and you will not look at life the same.
This is a book that I will keep and read over and over. It is a reminder to me of my blessings and a caution to be more aware of what is going on in other countries so that to the best of my ability I can speak out for others who are not able to speak.
{extended}Thursday, October 02, 2008
Review: It’s All Too Much
It’s All Too Much
By Peter Walsh
Peter Walsh, star of TLC’s Clean Sweep, is part organizational pro and part psychologist. I have been a fan of Clean Sweep for a long time and enjoy the way Peter works with people to help them clean out the clutter.
I have to admit that I have long used the ‘excuse’ of “it’s too important to let go” in my life in order to hold on to things that I believe have sentimental value. In my efforts to control the clutter I have piled up, I fell into the trap of thinking that if I could buy one more storage system, get a bigger house or purchase one more organizational book that I would be able to get it all under control. Peter points out that container companies and storage facilities are doing a booming business because they don’t do anything to truly get to the root of our problem with clutter, they just give us another place to put it and soon we need another organizational system or another mini storage unit. This is where I was when I started reading this book.
Now, let me be the first to say that I will most likely never get rid of some of my sentimental clutter. However, as Peter points out, if it is that important to you it should not be sitting somewhere stored and covered in dust. If you believe it has sentimental value then display it proudly. If you find you can not do this then it probably is not all that important to you and it can go. You will learn about other excuses people use to hang on to clutter, discover how bad your clutter problem is by taking a simple quiz and discover strategies for cleaning the clutter from every room of your home.
I believe that this book was a true turning point for me in my ongoing battle with clutter. I am slowly going through our house and cleaning out things that are not used, wanted or needed. We are in the process of adopting our third child and the room that will be his bedroom at one time looked like a prime candidate for Clean Sweep and now is well on it’s way to being organized.
I count my journey to de-clutter to be a success so far.
{extended}Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Review: Silent Tears
Silent Tears
by Kay Bratt
As an adoptive parent of two children from China, I was extremely interested in reading this book. I found it was not always an easy read, especially for someone close to the subject. I appreciated that someone not at all connected with adoption decided to spend much of her time giving to children who had no voice. At times, you see that the stress took a toll on Ms. Bratt both mentally and physically. Silent Tears is Kaye Bratt’s journal of the time she spent in China from spring 2003 to summer of 2007. She states that what she wishes to accomplish in writing this book is to tell the story of the children she worked with in the Social Welfare Institute (“SWI”). I believe that she does tell the story of the children she came into contact with. In doing this, she forces us to look at our own lives and what we can do to make a difference where we are.
The only problem I had in reading this book was the absence of the footnotes that should have been included but apparently were not. Hopefully this mistake can be corrected in a later printing and I will purchase the book again to have those footnotes.
The journal style of this book makes reading difficult at times. However, this style of writing allows the reader to glimpse the soul of the writer. Here you will find a very insightful, often raw and disturbing look at what takes place in many SWIs throughout China on a daily basis. Many readers will not be comfortable with the personal views of the author or with the reality of what goes on in a SWI. I found it to be very candid and not at all self-serving to the writer and certainly not to the SWI where she volunteered. You also get a look at what daily life in China is like for someone from the United States. You learn what someone can accomplish with patience and perseverance, traits that are themselves often foreign to those of us living in the United States the land of immediate gratification.
I think that often those of us who are adoptive parents may want to paint a rosy picture of the life their children led prior to joining their new families. You do not want to think of your child living in the conditions that are as difficult as the ones described by the author. Reading this will certainly take the rosy picture away and leave you faced with the grim reality of what an orphanage is truly like for many children. True, there are some orphanages that are not at all like the one described here, however; sadly those are in the minority, regardless of what country you are talking about.
I recommend this book for anyone adopting a child from an orphanage, and especially for those adopting a child from China.
{extended}Carmi’s book reviews
Carmi now has an official job around here.
Being the avid reader she is, Carmi will post reviews of books that she has recently finished. Book topics may vary but will certainly include topics related to China.
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