These were a couple of quick trips and easy reads. The Year of the Dog, by Grace Lin, is a great book for children, or as a family read aloud. It is about a young American girl of Chinese descent. It is a good dose of perspective for those of us who have been born […]
Novel Destinations: China with “Wild Swans”
Wild Swans, by Jung Chang, is a non-fiction work about three generations of Chinese women, beginning in the early 20th century. Jung’s grandmother had bound feet, was sold as a concubine, and lived through the Kuomintang Revolution, The Cultural Revolution and The Great leap Forward. (None of them were as grand as they sound!) Her […]
Novel Destination: CHINA! via “Iron & Silk”
In the book, Iron & Silk, Mark Salzman relates his experiences while teaching English to Chinese medical students during 1982-1984. It is a non-fiction work, an easy read, and very enlightening. (And there’s a movie!) I enjoyed the time I spent with Mark in China, especially meeting the people he met. There were his master […]
Novel Destination: Russia
I’m baaack! Remember the Novel Destinations book list for adults? It is very important that we keep our minds stimulated while in the midst of teaching ABCs, potty training, diapers, cooking, cleaning . . . When I was a young mother, I did not realize how important my own education was until I found myself […]