Three tales of two countries

Here are my latest book recommendations for Northwest Asian Weekly:

The Man Who Dammed the Yangtze
By Alex Kuo
Haven Books, 2011

In the Chinese city of Changchun, there lives a woman named Ge. In the city of Oshkosh, Wis., there lives a Chinese-American man named G.

These two individuals have never met, nor have they even heard of each other. But unbeknownst to both, they are living parallel lives. Both are finite-numbers mathematicians teaching at universities. After a demonstration goes wrong on each of their respective campuses, Ge and G become disillusioned with teaching and they each leave the profession to work in the dam-building industry — Ge at the Three Gorges Dam in China, G for the Westinghouse company in Pittsburgh. Once settled in their new careers, the parallel continues as both struggle to balance their personal views and values with the corporate politics that come with dam building.

“Yangtze” alternates between Ge and G’s perspectives as they go about their lives, allowing readers to see just how similar their situations are. In addition to their experiences, we also see how the history of China’s Three Gorges Dam parallels with the United States’ Grand Coulee Dam.

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Three tales of folk and fantasy

Here are my latest book recommendations for the Northwest Asian Weekly:

Forgotten Country
By Catherine Chung
Riverhead Books, 2012

Ever since the Japanese occupation in Korea, each generation in Janie’s family has lost a daughter. Because of this, Janie is charged, at a very young age, to protect and keep her sister Hannah safe.

When Hannah suddenly cuts all ties from the family, Janie must find her sister and work to bring her back into the fold. But things are not that simple. Over the years, Janie has heard stories and vague references to certain events in her family’s history. Twenty years later, she still doesn’t know the reason why her family moved to America so abruptly. And as she works to find Hannah, Janie slowly begins to learn more about her family and their secrets.

Throughout “Forgotten Country,” Chung weaves in Korean folktales and stories, which parallel Janie’s journey throughout the book.

Janie’s feelings toward Hannah are interesting. While she always feels protective of her younger sister, Janie also feels resentment as the burden of her sister’s wellbeing grows heavier and heavier. When Hannah leaves, Janie’s feelings only become more conflicted.

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3 stories on friendship — Some relationships strengthen and some don’t

Here are my latest book recommendations for Northwest Asian Weekly:

Pearl of China
By Anchee Min
Bloomsbury, 2010

In the southern Chinese town of Chin-kiang during the late 19th century, two young girls meet. The first girl is Willow, the only child of a destitute family. The second girl is Pearl, the daughter of American missionaries working to spread the word of God throughout China. Pearl will later become Nobel Prize-winning writer and activist Pearl S. Buck, but for now, she is a pale-skinned, blue-eyed child who goes around wearing a black knitted cap to disguise her blonde hair.

The two girls initially dislike each other, but eventually become best friends. “Pearl” follows their decades-long friendship, which survives multiple husbands, a civil war, the Cultural Revolution, and more.

Willow and Pearl’s loyalty to each other is nothing short of admirable. The two are the embodiment of the acronym “BFF.” I was particularly touched by Willow’s refusal to denounce Pearl after Mao’s regime deems her an imperialist. She risks her husband’s job, as well as her life and even spends years in prison, but Willow refuses to turn against her friend. We can only hope to develop such relationships throughout the course of our lives.

Although the story is told from Willow’s perspective, readers gain insight into what life might have been like for a young white girl who grew up among Chinese peasants, spoke like a native, and was skeptical of the God her father preached about every day. This role reversal is a refreshing change among the countless novels following non-white characters and their lives as the minority in their world.

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Love, it’s complicated

Here are my latest book recommendations for the Northwest Asian Weekly:

Tiger’s Destiny
By Colleen Houck
Splinter, 2012

It’s three quests down and one to go for Kelsey Hayes, Ren, and Kishan, as they continue to work to break the curse that forces the two brothers to live part of their days as tigers.

In the last three books in Houck’s Tiger Saga series, we have seen the trio battle deadly sea monkeys, a giant snake, a monstrous shark, and more. The final installment is no different. “Destiny” is filled with mythical creatures, evil beings, and even has a little bit of time travel thrown in as well.

As Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan work to break the curse, they also have to figure out a way to defeat Lokesh, the evil sorcerer who cursed the brothers in the first place three centuries ago. And if that weren’t enough, Kelsey also has to sort out how she feels about Ren and Kishan and finally make a choice between the two once and for all.

Even though Kelsey’s true feelings are obvious to the reader, and we know whom she’ll end up with, she is still torn. This admittedly drove me a bit crazy, but I do understand the reasons behind some of her choices. She’s been burned and hurt before and opts for the “safer” of the two brothers in order to protect herself.

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Short stories for a fast new year

Here are my latest book recommendations for Northwest Asian Weekly:

The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya
By Nagaru Tanigawa
Little, Brown and Company, 2012

The SOS Brigade is back. This time around, they’re up against a student council president bent on shutting down the literature club — and by extension the SOS Brigade as they have commandeered the club’s room for their own purposes.

This eighth installment of the Haruhi Suzumiya series is made up of two short stories chronicling the continued misadventures of our favorite brigade.

In “Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!,” the gang comes together to publish a literary newsletter to prove the legitimacy of the literature club and avoid displacing not just themselves but Yuki Nagato, the literature club’s sole member and the SOS Brigade’s resident alien-slash-bookworm.

In “Wandering Shadow,” a classmate asks the brigade to investigate a dog park that has her dog and the rest of the local dogs spooked.

In typical Haruhi fashion, the title character faces these challenges head on with her usual enthusiasm and fervor, while the rest of the brigade goes along with things to keep her happy, ensuring the world’s continued existence.

Having read the entire series so far, I have to say that I’ve really come to admire Haruhi’s can-do attitude and how failure is not an option. If Haruhi wants something, she goes for it, and possible goddess or not, that’s something all of us could use every now and then.

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Living life after loss

Here are my latest book recommendations for the Northwest Asian Weekly:

Isle of Dreams
By Keizo Hino
Dakley Archive Press, 2010

Shozo Sakai hasn’t seen much change in his life.

He’s worked at the same construction firm for years, he has no ambitions of moving up the corporate ladder or pursuing a specific career, and  he has lived in the same place for decades. Except for the occasional bouts of loneliness, even his wife’s death has done little to interrupt his day-to-day life.

In his spare time, Shozo likes to wander around Tokyo and admire the city’s great architecture. Eventually, the middle-aged widower discovers the Isle of Dreams. Contrary to its name, the isle is actually a piece of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay that the city uses to dump garbage. But for Shozo, the landfill is a place of wonder. He sees every piece of garbage as being filled with life and beauty. And through his visits to this garbage paradise, he meets Yoko Hayashi, a young woman who uses the site as a motorcycle obstacle course.

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Strength in Youth — NWAW’s monthly must-reads

Here are my latest book recommendations for Northwest Asian Weekly:

Saraswati’s Way
By Monika Schroder
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010

Akash, a 12-year-old boy living in a small village in the Indian desert, is not like the other kids.

First of all, he loves school and would rather spend his days in a classroom absorbing knowledge than playing cricket or other games with his peers. Second, he has a real knack for math and has reached a level beyond that of his teacher. Finally, Akash is so determined to find a good math tutor that he leaves his village and family for Delhi in hopes of a better education. This tutor will hopefully help him prepare for an upcoming exam which could lead to a scholarship for a good school.

“Saraswati’s Way” is the story of a young boy who just cannot catch a break but doesn’t let it get in the way of his dreams. Whether it’s dealing with his father’s death or figuring out how to survive in the city, Akash remains strong, never losing sight of his goal or his faith. He will often pray to Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of wisdom and knowledge, and Ganesha, the Hindu god of good luck and remover of obstacles, for their help.

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