Why China has No Civil Society

Pi Yijun

     Inkstone, July 9, 2019

This article addresses morality for the average shu shu.  Confucianism teaches that rather than changing society, an individual should focus on his own life and family.  Pi Yijun ties this to the agendas of authoritarian governors, from emperors to you-know-who.  

     "Believers focus on their own well-being, not social justice."  This reflects the obsession with material possessions, money, and success.  When the focus is on yourself and your own well-being, success is equated with goodness.  There's no need to worry about others; as long as you're successful and safe, that's not your problem.  

     

Leftover in China

Roseann Lake

     My Chinese friend, one of the 剩女，asked me to bring her a copy of this book since I would be home for the summer.  I ordered it on Amazon and read it before delivering.  

     Ms. Lake offers a window into the world of the 剩女 by sharing the stories of her Chinese friends, especially Christy, Ivy, Zhang Mei, and June.  Christy is a successful, extroverted businesswoman and Beijing local.  Ivy is an intelligent, beautiful mistress.  Zhang Mei is a young, cute Chinese teacher from Harbin.  June is a Yale graduate brave enough to fight her employer for unpaid overtime.

     Most of my Chinese friends are probably like Zhang Mei:  young, working relatively low-paying jobs, with out-of-town hu kou.  It was odd to read the book and realize how similar my life was to the author's:  living in China, making Chinese friends, learning about their lives.  Maybe that's why I wasn't overly impressed by the book:  because it's familiar, it's my life, it wasn't shocking to me.  Yet it was a good reminder of what my Chinese friends face, the weight of the culture and families pushing them down.  I hope it will give me more grace and patience for them.

     One of the things I really appreciated about the book was the use of Chinese characters when appropriate, not just pinyin.  There was also a lot of helpful research and history, numbers and a broader picture to help me contextualize and understand my experiences.  It's also easy-to-read, my beloved accessible non-fiction written by a journalist with a sense of humor.  

The Edge Effect

Shankar Vedantam
Hidden Brain NPR Podcast
Transcript

   The edge effect occurs when two ecosystems meet.  There, "the most new life-forms are created."  This podcast applies the ecological edge effect to human interactions.  Hypothesis:  When people deeply engage with those who have a different culture, they become more creative.
     Richard Freeman did a study in which he found scientists who collaborated with scientists outside their culture wrote higher-quality scientific papers, as evidenced by the number of citations. 
     Yo-Yo Ma created the Silk Road Ensemble, which brings together musicians of different cultures.  They create music mixing instruments from these diverse cultures, including traditional instruments.
     Adam Galinski is an American Jewish social psychologist, married to the daughter of Filipino immigrants.  He conducted a study with students who had dated both someone of their own culture and someone of a different culture.  They asked one group to reflect on the intercultural dating experience, and the other to reflect on the cross-cultural dating experience, then gave them a creativity test.  Those who reflected on the cross-cultural experience were more creative. 
     The results of this study were confirmed by a different study by Adam's friend, Dan Wang, who conducted a study on J-1 visa holders.  A J-1 visa allows the holder to temporarily work in the US, usually between three months and two years.  Those who had frequent contact with American friends after returning to their home country were more likely to become entrepreneurs or introduce new practices within their company. 
     Adam also applied this theory to fashion designers, finding that the amount of time a designer lived abroad predicted their fashion line creativity.

Is War Between China and the US Inevitable?

by Graham Allison

TED Talk Podcast

     The first historian, Thucydides, described the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.  Sparta was a current power, Athens began to rise, and the fear of Athens led to war.  In history, when a current power was threatened by a rising power, 12 of 16 major cases led to war.  Graham Allison calls this pattern "Thucydides' Trap."  The real kicker is that, in most cases, the two powers don't want war.  A third party provokes them....the classic example being World War I, in which the world was enveloped by war because of the assassination of a single Austro-Hungarian.

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady

I was in the library, looking for Amy Tan books, when my mother pulled a book off the shelf.  "The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady."  Having been radioactive for a few days myself, I couldn't not read it.  I didn't even bother to check the summary...until I checked for my mother to make sure it wasn't trash.
     This book has pretty mature themes, especially sexual abuse, but all graphic content has a clear purpose.  Sexual abuse is a difficult topic for many people, rarely discussed by many families.  As the book points out, most people envision sexual predators as strangers, when it's actually often a trusted adult.
     Each chapter is narrated in the third person omniscient following a different character.  The book is full of memorable, well-developed characters.

Spriggs Family

• Suzi:  13-year-old daughter, popular, talented goalie
• Otis:  16-year-old son, obsessed with science.  Builds a model breeder reactor in the shed behind the family home.  Becomes friends with Rusty.
• Ava:  18-year-old daughter, beautiful, obsessed with Elvis, has Asperger's Syndrome
• Vic:  Father, obsessed with following storms and developing hurricanes, working on a portfolio assessment project as part of his job at the university
• Caroline:  Mother, puts all of her energy into Ava, formerly fashionable but now sloppy
• Wilson:  Doctor who poisoned 800 pregnant women as part of a Cold War medical study

Coffey Family

• Buff:  Youth minister at Genesis Church
• Paula:  wife, former Playboy bunny, ignores her husband's sexual addiction
• Rusty:  Teenage daughter, wears black, does drugs, shoplifts, good-for-nothing boyfriend Royce who mysteriously disappears
• Angel:  4-year-old daughter

Also in the Neighborhood:

• Marylou:  Old woman, also known as Nance Archer.  Her daughter, Helen, died of cancer at age eight.
• Gigi:  Blonde, Southern, divorced, flirty, heavy drinker
• Travis:  Gigi's son, undiagnosed disorder, becomes Ava's boyfriend

TED Talks Daily

What Soccer Can Teach Us About Freedom--Marc Bamuthi Joseph
     Joseph connects soccer to dancing and politics, attempting to use it as a tool for education.

Why I Study the Most Dangerous Animal On Earth--Fredros Okumu
     A description of the study of mosquitoes and methods to suppress and control populations, especially in Africa.

The Single Biggest Reason Start-Ups Succeed--Bill Gross
     Timing.  He gave the example of a Hulu-like start-up that failed because, when it was launched, the technology allowing people to access entertainment hadn't developed well enough to make it convenient.  A positive example is Airbnb.  Because of the economic downturn, people were willing to rent out parts of their houses; at other times, they might not have been so interested.  Having a good team and being able to roll with the punches was second; the idea itself was, surprisingly, only third.

I Don't Want Children--Stop Telling Me I'll Change My Mind--Christen Reighter
     A description of the immense difficulties she encountered in seeking a tubal ligation.  She had to go to multiple medical providers, encountering sexism such as providers referring to her as a "little girl" and refusing to allow the procedure.  She made a lot of points that conservatives would agree with, including the future possibility of adoption.

Podcasts

I don't have access to a lending library, so I've discovered a new source of information:  Podcasts.  Here are a few TED talks:

From Death Row to Law Graduate--Peter Ouko

Peter Ouko was wrongfully imprisoned for a murder he didn't commit.  He decided "not to play the victim," and took advantage of an opportunity to go to England and earn a law degree from a maximum security prison.  He then returned to argue his own case, resulting in a presidential pardon.  He now works with the African Prisons Project to give other inmates the tools to obtain justice.

How to Fix a Broken Heart--Guy Winch

I think my main takeaway was that, even though we often don't take it seriously, the pain of a break-up can be similar to going through grieving.  The human brain's instincts become the enemy.  The first problem is that people continually look for a reason for the break-up.  They become obsessed, refusing to accept a simple explanation.  The process in the human brain is similar to overcoming an addiction to a drug.  Every time they think about the person, they think they're "getting over it," but they're really just getting another hit.  They idealize the person, forgetting the negative memories and characteristics.  He makes his clients make a list of these things, the reasons the relationship didn't work out, then keep it on their phone.

China in Ten Words

by Yu Hua

When I first came to China, I read a book called Dreaming in Chinese.  It was the recollections of a foreign woman who lived in both Beijing and Shanghai, explaining how her study of language helped her better understand Chinese culture.  I read it at a good time--being in China gave me a real idea of what she described, but it was also able to teach me some useful things about culture, not to mention helpful words and grammar points.  Last week, I found the Chinese equivalent.
     China in Ten Words ties the author's experiences growing up during the Cultural Revolution to the China of today.  Yu Hua is a masterful author, carefully choosing metaphors and stories to share.  In many cases, he just tells stories, allowing the events to speak for themselves.  He has more commentary on modern China.
     During a book club discussion, people talked about how the theme of the book seemed to be that there is hope, that humans can be good even in the face of awful events, like during the Cultural Revolution.  I prefer to look to the author's explanation in the introduction.  He gave the story of how he was in charge of vaccinating factory workers and children.  The needles were cleaned, but needed to be re-used, making them barbed.  Each vaccination resulted in the loss of a small piece of flesh.  He didn't really think much of it with the factory workers, but after seeing the children, who weren't afraid to express their pain, he realized how painful it actually was.  He then meticulously sharpened the needles.  He regretted that he had vaccinated them without feeling the needle himself.  He then explains that in the book, he describes a lot of pain, and he describes it without superiority or detachment.  China's pain is his pain.
     The first chapter hooked me.  I was startled to see that he started with a story about Tiananmen, partly because I'd been sent this book, over WeChat, by a Chinese friend.  I was on my guard, since the choice to start with Tiananmen betrays a certain viewpoint.  The word for the chapter was "RenMin," "The People."  Yet he won me over with the last story.  He described a scene, a few days before Tiananmen, that he said was more about the people than Tiananmen.  The people gathered in intersections, thousands of people, blocking tanks.  He was biking, and he was hit first not by sound, not by sight, but by a wave of heat from the bodies.  The people were joined together, singing the anthem.  It was a beautiful picture of the Chinese people, strong and standing.
     A lot of Americans don't understand why I'd want to come to China.  They think all Chinese people are hard-core Communists, but I've yet to meet a party member in China, and with maybe two exceptions, even someone mildly interested in discussing politics.  The people are not the government.
     This book was much more historical than I expected.  I thought it would be interesting to have a young Chinese person today choose ten words.  I think I know one of them--yali, pressure.  There is so much pressure--friends with jobs are forced to work unpaid overtime.  Last night, my roommate got home at 9 pm.  I assume she had an 11-hr work day.  There's pressure from society and family to marry.  There's academic pressure for students.
     A recent political development has been Xi Jinping's seizure of power.  I asked a university student about it, and she seemed unconcerned.  "It doesn't matter, since we can't vote.  If he can make China stronger, good for him."  I've been reading an interesting article about this event.
     

Tea and the Yangtze

River Town:  Two Years on the Yangtze

By Peter Hessler

     This descriptive non-fiction book is based on Hessler's experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sichuan.

     Hessler reflects on the land, history, government, and people of China.  During the first year, he learns to speak Chinese by hiring colleagues at the college to tutor him.  He uses this to converse with others and learn their stories and opinions, such as the family of entrepreneurs that owns the noodle shop where he goes for lunch each day, or a Chinese priest persecuted by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.
     Hessler and his fellow volunteer, Adam, are the only 外国人 (Wàiguó rén--foreigners) in the remote city of Fuling.  They attract quite a bit of attention wherever they go, with people often shouting at them.  At first, this is overwhelming, but by the end of the book, they have learned how to work the crowds, joking about themselves as "foreign devils." Often, a member of the crowd ends up as a spokesperson, asking questions that the 外国人 answers for the benefit of everyone present.  
     Hessler is in China for several historic events, including the return of Hong Kong and the death of Deng Xiaoping.  He also takes a trip on the Yangtze before the completion of the Three Gorges Dam.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

By Lisa See

The key to the book:  p.355

                 "What about social issues?"  Sean asks me.  "Could tea be seen as a symbol of worth:  a commodity that represents change in value for women, and for China, on the world stage?"

    This was a well-researched book, but it's impossible for it to have a truly authentic indigenous voice.  It was a hard transition to read this after a non-fiction memoir with an incredibly strong voice.  The narrator often jumps right to the details that will seem the most strange to the reader.  The effect is that we have the eyes of an outsider, noticing the aspects of the culture that seem most unusual to us first.  For example, on page 4:  "I'm just a girl. Unimportant, as I've been told many times."  Right away, I can tell that this story will has a feminist bias/agenda, which probably wouldn't be part of an indigenous person's reason for writing.  Yes, this was a part of the culture, but show, don't tell!
    This tendency was apparent in the plot, as well.  This book follows an Akha girl's life as she lives according to the traditional ways, acting as her mother's apprentice to learn to be a midwife.  She begins to reject the traditions when her best friend's sister, Deh-ja, has twins.  Since only animals have multiple offspring, the twins are "human rejects" that must be killed.  Twin infanticide is a serious issue and should be addressed; however, as Sean eventually points out on the airplane, this is the first fact many people learn about a culture which traditionally practiced infanticide.  It is a focus of the first part of the plot, while I doubt it would be the focus of an indigenous person telling memories of their childhood.  The narrator mentions this twin birth is rare, the first time anyone remembers it has happened in their village.  This book begins with the words, "No coincidence, no story," but this is so coincidental that it's cliche.  It also doesn't help the voice that we meet the narrator as she rejects the traditions.
     While reading, I could accept the narrator's attendance at a trade school, and even her work at a hotel, but acceptance into an exclusive college tea program in which 2,000 people applied and only 120 are accepted?  And then successfully starting her own business? As an ethnic minority, this is a stunning example of overcoming discrimination.   Then she marries a wealthy man...This book eventually explains the narrator's opportunities as the result of the intervention of a successful businessman, Mr. Huang, whom she met in her village.  He helps her because her A-ma (mother) saved his son's life when he was dying of cancer.  I'm glad they eventually attributed part of her success to guanxi, connections, but it's a big coincidence...
     The life of Li-yan's daughter, Haley, is traced through documents like school assignments, inserted into Li-yan's story.  Her experiences, especially the transcript of a conversation she and other adopted Chinese girls have with a psychologist, has a strong and believable voice.
      I've been negative about this book, but it's mostly because I wanted to put my finger on why it didn't seem authentic.  This book may not be a classic, but it does not lack substance and is by no means low-quality.  The author's purpose goes beyond simple entertainment.  As the opening quote of this post demonstrates, there is depth and unity.  As a work of fiction, I think this book does an excellent job of sharing the Akha culture with compassion and understanding, something that textbooks and informational summaries struggle to do.  I learned a lot, and I wish I could make this book available to students in a future classroom.  Unfortunately, one of the scenes with her first husband is not appropriate for children.

Unseen Companion

by Denise Gosliner Orenstein

     About a quarter of the way into the book, I saw that it had been written by a professor, which made a lot of sense.  This book is "high quality literary material," with symbolism and creative descriptions galore.  One motif is space, often connected to the theme of loneliness, which is perfect for the historical setting in 1969.  Volcanoes and eruptions are also used to symbolize the reason that a Native student, Dove, attacks his teacher in class one day.  His foil, Edgar's friend John Moran, commits suicide.

     The four narrators have distinctive, strong voices.  Lorraine Hobbs, the most prevalent narrator, is a teenaged girl excessively concerned with her appearance.  Her blue collar, irrepressible mother talks her into cooking for the local prison, then the Bethel receiving home.  As a dynamic character, her experiences bonding with the receiving home children and searching for Dove Alexie teach her to care more about others and less about herself.
     Annette Weinland is the 18-year-old daughter of a demanding minister who sees nothing but the faults and shortcomings of other people.  Annette cooks, runs the household, and raises her four younger brothers after their mother leaves the family.  She also volunteers at the local prison, where Dove Alexie is illegally incarcerated.  Edgar Kwagley is a Yup'ik boy who loses his way at Mt. Edgecombe High School and becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Thelma Cooke, a 14-year-old girl at Mt. Edgecombe, longs for her young sister Rosie at the receiving home.  She is raped by her guidance counselor, becomes depressed, and refuses to get out of bed, but when she hears about how Dove stood up to the teacher, she slowly begins to heal.

white girl

by Sylvia Olsen

     Josie Jessop's life takes a 90-degree turn when her mother marries Martin, an Indian (his term for himself), and they move to the reservation.  Rose befriends Josie, but the pair have their own difficulties learning to accept one another as members of different cultures.  Josie eventually comes to love her new father and brother, Luke, who helps her when she faces serious bullying from Christy and Mary Ann.  She even finds a boyfriend, Zeb.  

    One day, Martin cleans out the room in the basement that has been closed ever since his seventeen-year-old sister committed suicide there.  Zeb tells Josie that Indians have a higher rate of suicide than anyone in the country.

     For me, one of the best parts of the book was the section where Josie reflected on her experiences and realized that even though she thought she was unprejudiced, she still had prejudiced ways of thinking.  Only by experience could she really become unprejudiced.

     I believe this is an outstanding book because it is realistic.  Olsen bluntly yet sensitively addresses important issues in the context of both society and interpersonal relationships.  I'd hesitate to use the book with grade schoolers due to certain scenes with Zeb.  There is nothing excessively graphic, but it would not be age-appropriate.  I think older or more mature high schoolers would benefit from it.

three black swans

by Caroline B. Cooney

I loved Code Orange.  This book, in my opinion, didn't meet that standard.  I will admit that I generally prefer action to exploration of feelings.  The introduction was everything I hoped for, but the following events didn't keep the reader in suspense.  Also, I thought the fact that one twin is usually smaller than the other is common knowledge, even for sixteen-year-olds.  The exploration of feelings about adoption had its place, but became redundant at times.  

A concise version of the book:

• Missy suspects her cousin Claire is actually her identical twin.
• Missy convinces Claire to appear on her school TV as part of a "hoax" introducing her twin.
• The video goes viral, and Genevieve discovers that she also looks like the girls.
• The triplets' birth mother is Genevieve's mother, Allegra.  She and Genevieve's father, Ned, gave Genevieve little attention since they didn't really want to have children.  Instead, Genevieve received love from her beloved grandmother "GeeGee," whom she was named after.
• The triplets meet one another and will doubtless see each other in the future.  Genevieve decides to stay with her parents, despite their many imperfections.

     An interesting aspect of the book is Allegra's observation that no one would have judged her for having an abortion, yet everyone will judge her for giving up two children for adoption.  The book describes how she didn't even look at the third baby who was born and never visited Missy in the NICU, even though she was near death.  Combined with the description of Allegra and Ned's materialistic lifestyle and unloving parenting, the couple is painted as generally unlikable.  How would most media portray a woman with "unwanted" children?

The High King

by Lloyd Alexander

     Arawn steals Dyrnwyn from Gwydion by appearing as Taran, calling our for help in the midst of a battle, Gwydion sets off with the companions to regain the powerful sword, despite an ominous prophecy from Hen Wen.  Gwydion, Taran, Coll, and Gurgi enter the hall of King Smoit, only to discover that it has been captured by Magg.  He throws them in a store room with Smoit as captives.  Fflewddur, Eilonwy, Rhun, and their unwilling assistants, Glew (the former giant) and Gwystyl (one of the Fair Folk on his way to report to King Eiddileg) launch a rescue operation, which goes awry but is saved by Prince Rhun.  Unfortunately, he dies in the process of saving everyone.  

     Nevertheless, Gwydion and Taran rush to rally Prydain for the final face-off against Arawn Death-Lord.  Taran is assigned to recruit the Commot folk.  He engages in battle with a band of raiders and defeats them, but then discovers that they burned Merin and killed the villagers, including Annlaw Clay-Shaper.  

     At Caer Dathyl, the companions meet the Chief Bard, Taliesin, who shows them the Hall of Lore.  King Pryderi arrives with his army, but rather than joining the coalition, he turns traitor and prepares for battle.  The coalition is winning until Pryderi's army is reinforced by the arrival of the deathless Cauldron-Born.  King Math dies as Caer Dathyl falls; even so, hope is not lost.  The coalition must race to attack Annuvin before the Cauldron-Born return.  Gwydion, now the High King, takes the main force to the ships that the Sons of Don used to sail from the Summer Country.  Taran leads a smaller force to attempt to hinder the Cauldron-Born as they travel by land.

     As Taran's force delays the Cauldron-Born, Coll dies in battle.  Along the way, they are aided by the bears and wolves, as well as a group of Fair Folk led by Doli.  When they come upon a group of Huntsmen one night, Doli proposes that they cut down trees, pile them on a frozen lake that feeds a waterfall, and burn them to release the water on the ravine of Huntsmen.

     During the final battle for Annuvin, Taran discovers Dyrnwyn atop Mount Dragon as he takes on the Cauldron-Born.  When he thrusts Dyrnwyn into one of them, they are all killed.

     After the companions return to Caer Dallben, Gwydion informs them that all the Sons of Don must now depart from Prydain, along with all magic.  Taran decides to stay and help rebuild Prydain.  He will have the help of the secret knowledge once stolen by Arawn, which was recovered by Gurgi. During the night, Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch appear to him as three beautiful women to give him their weaving, which is the unfinished tapestry of his life. Eilonwy mourns the fact she must leave only because she is an enchantress, Dallben informs her she can stay if she uses her ring to wish away her powers, which she cheerfully does.

The Grave Robber's Apprentice

Allan Stratton

     To begin on a positive note, this photograph contains, in my humble opinion, the best part of the book.  Overall, I was not impressed with this book.  My main problem is that the narrator has an adult voice, telling a children's story.  Rather than being a part of a wild world of fantasy, the narrator is an adult telling an unrealistic story.  The world is not real to him; therefore, it isn't real for me as a reader.  Maybe it would come across differently for children; on the other hand, the intended audience is definitely older students.  On the inside cover, it says "ages 10 up."  There are many morbidly graphic events, like the Weevils taking the Necromancer to be dissected while alive.  

     There were a plethora of Shakespeare allusions and rather direct references, as well as some almost word-for-word biblical quotations.  These quotations were mainly used to parallel Peter the Hermit with God.  When Gabriela and Hans wake up, expecting to be frozen to death, Hans asks Peter if he is God.  On p. 247, Peter says to Hans, "I made you a promise: 'Wherever you are, fear not, for I am with you.'"  On p.248, Peter says of Hans, "Behold, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."  When Angela and her parents are to be burned at the stake, with Angela in the middle, it would not surprise me if this is an analogy to the crucifixion.  One could probably make a fair case for Hans being paralleled with Christ:  He sets out to fulfill the three prophecies, including "rising" out of a stone coffin.  While Biblical allusions are certainly not excluded to writing that approves of Christianity, I can understand it in the context of quality literature.  In the context of this story, the religious references just seem needless and disrespectful.  On the other hand, this could be an easy tool for teaching students to identify Biblical allusions.

    

Taran Wanderer

By Lloyd Alexander

     In my opinion, this is the best book of the series so far because, as the author promises, fantasy tells us much about our lives.  This may be the most obvious bildungsroman that I have read, in which Taran becomes Taran Wanderer instead of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper.
     Taran sets off with the loyal Gurgi to find his identity and parentage.  His first stop is the Marshes of Morva, where Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch send him off to find the Mirror of Llunet and discover his parentage.  His horse is stolen by a traveling band of Lord Goryon's men, but he wins her back by letting the proud lord claim he is too good to keep a pig-keeper's nag.  He travels on to Lord Gast's Hall, where he meets up with his old friend Fflewddur.  Gast claims to be extremely generous, but feeds him only a poor meal.  Taran helps King Smoit settle a feud over a cow between Gast and Goryon, saving Smoit's life in the process.  He suggests that a farmer, whose fields were destroyed by the feud, keep the prize cow.  She always has twins, so when they are born, the farmer will give one twin to each Lord.
     Llyan, Fflewddur's giant cat, finds a dying frog that happens to be their (formerly) dwarf friend Doli.  The group defeats Morda, the wizard who has turned Doli into a frog with his newly discovered power to kill the previously invulnerable Fair Folk.  Along the way, Taran discovers that this wizard also killed his beloved Princess Eilonwy's mother.
     Taran duels with Dorath, the leader of a band of thieves and mercenaries, and loses his sword.  The group meets a herdsman named Craddoc and stays with him at his rundown cottage high in the mountains.  He claims to be Taran's long lost father, so Taran stays to help him ready the land and cottage for winter.  Craddoc later falls down a rocky slope and dies, first revealing that he lied about Taran being his son.
     Taran decides against seeking the mirror, instead determining to make his own way rather than find his identity in his lineage.  He apprentices himself briefly to a blacksmith, weaver, and potter.  None of these trades, however, is his calling.  He defends a village against Dorath's band, with Gurgi riding a bull to help with the defense.  Annlaw, the wise potter, advises Taran to seek the Mirror of Llunet to be able to see himself for who he truly is.   He looks into the Mirror before it is destroyed by Dorath, whom he duels once again.  In the end, his former sword breaks on the sword that he forged himself with the blacksmith.

Flame

By Hilari Bell

This is the first book in the Farsala/Sorahb trilogy.  The best feature of the book is that it combines the perspectives of two different sides during the war...even if they come together at the end.  Each chapter follows one of three characters:

• Soraya:  A spoiled deghass (female member of the upper class), she is sent into hiding because the temple priests have demanded that her father sacrifice her.  Her father, High Commander Merahb, negotiates to have her "sacrificed" by exposure, then has his men take her to a remote cabin to live with a peasant family.  While there, she befriends a Suud tribe and begins to learn to talk with the spirits of objects in nature, such as fire.
• Jiaan:  Soraya's half brother.  Against custom, he is allowed to serve as a page rather than a servant.  He is trusted with the task of taking Soraya to the cabin.  In the battle against the invading Hrum, he is surprisingly chosen as the standard bearer after almost stopping 21 Hrum who were meeting with a traitor.  He eventually realizes that the traitor was Kavi.
• Kavi:  A peasant who began as an apprentice to a metalworker.  He was forced to become a peddler when he tried to prevent a deghan from taking the best sword from the shop, ending in a cut that crippled his hand.  He begins the story selling fake gold.  Commander Merahb catches him and offers to allow him to supply Soraya instead of turning him over to the magistrates.  He is later captured by a Hrum band and bargains for his life by becoming a spy.  At the end of the book, he vows to prevent the Hrum from keeping his people as slaves.

Throughout the book, the chronicle of a legendary soldier, Rostam, is traced.  He falls in love and spends one night with a lady, Tahmina.  Her father picks a quarrel with him and he is forced to leave, though he leaves behind a gold amulet.  Her family moves to Kadesh and, to appease Tahmina's father, the child (Sorahb) is raised with the belief that his father was killed by warriors of Farsala.  Sorahb eventually duels his own father in battle for three days, but is eventually killed.  When Rostam tries unsuccessfully to save the life of his worthy opponent, he sees the amulet and grieves so deeply that the god Azura promises that when Farsala needs him, he will give back Sorahb's life.

Redeemed: An MPH Climax

The Conclusion to the Missing Series 

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This book made me wish I could better remember the details of previous books...it is helpful to the reader that it is narrated by someone else clueless about Jonah and Katherine's adventures, but maddening nevertheless when you know that the information is somewhere in your brain.
     Jordan has a chip on his shoulder when he suddenly needs to adjust to a new brother, and a twin at that...a twin whom everyone seems to respect.  When he tries to get in on the action, he ends up taking everyone to a futuristic lab, where they are met by Second, a projectionist who betrayed JB and is considered by Jonah and Katherine as their worst enemy.  They escape to a time hollow, but are followed by Second, who makes their teen-aged parents disappear.  Jordan, Katherine, and Jonah return to the lab, where they end up being interrogated by three Interchronological Rescue employees.  In an effort to be unpredictable, they go to the CEO of Interchronological Rescue, Curtis Rathbone.
     He gives them an Elucidator that sends them back to the night of the initial plane landing.  They see "Kevin" climbing the airport fence, then fall.  When they go to check on him, he steals the Elucidator and they see that it is a young Second. They are brought back to the lab by "Deep Voice," who is actually working with Doreen and "Tattoo Face" against Mr. Rathbone.  Second appears with Mr. Rathbone, un-aged to a baby, and he sends him and Jordan's siblings to separate time hollows.  When Second leads Jordan to ask to go someplace he can make a difference, he ends up in a time hollow with teenage Second.
     Since Second is injured, they go to a hospital, where Jordan is arrested for unauthorized time travel and finds himself face-to-face with JB, who "accidentally" drops an Elucidator on Jordan, allowing him to escape. After realizing the "Get me out of here!" command just led to spinning in place in the darkness of time, he decides to stick with what's working and asks the Elucidator to take him where he can make a difference for his family.  Once again, he ends up in a time hollow with Second.  More accurately, he is with a hologram of Second, which is then replaced by the teenage Kevin, fresh out of the hospital. After a short conversation, Jordan agrees to let Kevin give the Elucidator commands. Kevin un-ages during time travel, and they end up in Rathbone's office, which Jordan leaves after knocking Rathbone's Elucidator to the ground and grabbing back baby Kevin. Jordan returns with his family, who are immediately frozen. Rathbone puts together the broken Elucidator, only to rapidly age into dust. Jordan destroys the Elucidator with Kevin's secret before the time agents can be tempted by this "Pandora's Box."
     Angela and JB decide to get married and adopt baby Gary and Hodge.  Jordan's family takes in Kevin, and the kids even have a secret Elucidator given to them by JB "for emergencies" or times that they think it is necessary.

Legacy

James A. Michener

     Norman Starr is about to be tried because of his role in the Iran-Contra affair.  To prepare for trial, his lawyer friend, Zack McMaster, asks him to research his patriotic family history.  Each chapter focuses on a member of his family.  

     Jared Starr signed the Declaration of Independence and died fighting against the rebels in the Whiskey Rebellion.  His son, Simon Starr, went to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he got to know Hamilton and James Madison.  He calls James Wilson the Father of the Constitution, and Gouverneur Morris the most influential writer in condensing the Convention's work.  

     Justice Edmund Starr. weighing over 300 pounds and depicted by newspapers as a sleepy walrus, presided over cases with John Marshall.  Since he didn't understand the complex details of the cases, Marshall would explain them, and he would support him.  One case, McCulloch v. Maryland, established the right of the federal government to do things not expressly written in the constitution, and forbid states to tax the federal government.  In his argument, Daniel Webster said, "The power to tax is the power to destroy."

     General Hugh Starr was at West Point while Civil War tensions were rising.  Northerners admired him when he freed his slaves, but in the end, he was loyal to Virginia and became General Lee's right hand man.  His daughter, Emily Starr, sacrificed marriage for the sake of fighting for women's suffrage through the 19th Amendment.  

     Richard Starr, hardened by the Great Depression, campaigned against Roosevelt's N.R.A., which he believed was unconstitutional.  

     Norman's father is a World War II veteran who lost a leg in combat.  His mother, Rachel Starr, fought to have the Supreme Court order state legislatures to reapportion seats since the current system discriminated against urban voters.

     Zack convinces Norman to take the Fifth, but then Rachel's father, an immigrant from Poland and Czechoslovakia, reminded him that as a member of the military, his actions would reflect upon the country and Constitution.

     Excerpts of this book may be useful in teaching a history class, but overall, it may be too heavy reading for most grade school students, and there are a few bad words.

La Casa en Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros 

    La Casa en Mango Street es la historia de una chicana, Esperanza, en un barrio latino.  Ella habla de las personas en su calle, como Mamacita, una mujer que no sale de la casa por miedo de no estar apta hablar en inglés. 

     Esperanza tiene memorias felices de su niñez, especialmente con su hermanita, Nenny.  Exploraban en una tienda con cosas rotas y viejas, sin luz para personas sin dinero.  Nenny descubrió una caja de música y ofreció comprarla, pero el hombre dijo que no era en venta.

     Esperanza ve y experimenta muchas cosas feas en su barrio.  Alicia es una muchacha que tiene que limpiar y cocinar para su padre, pero también quiere ir a la escuela.  Por eso, tiene que estudiar durante la noche y ve ratones. 

     Una amiga, Sally, tiene un padre que la maltrata.  Ella se casa muy joven y su esposo no la permite salir de la casa.  Una vez, fue a un carnaval con Sally, y Sally mintió a ella.  Sally no regresó para reunirse con ella, y un grupo de muchachos la violaron. 

     El fin es mi parte favorita.  Es muy triste, pero hay esperanza y determinación.  A un funeral, tres hermanas viejas saben que Esperanza quiere salir de Mango Street para siempre, pero le aconseja que ella deba regresar para los que no pueden salir.  Esperanza no quiere pertenecer a su calle, pero le da cuenta de que su barrio y historia es una parte de ella.

The Skeleton in the Closet

M.C. Beaton

As far as I can tell, the only difference between YA and (not "literary value/highly symbolic") Adult Literature is the presence of alcohol and romance.  The romance in this one isn't too graphic, but not child appropriate.  

     I enjoyed the fact the book is British, using words like "trainers" and British spellings.  I was very disappointed that the skeleton was not literal.  They kept doing home renovations, and I kept hoping....  Overall, I found the book a bit of a slow read, excessive time spent describing colours, clothes, and the weather, as well as timid protagonists.  My first thought was that the weather was symbolic, but as a book labeled as a mystery, I feel the book's entertainment qualities are as important as meaning.

     Fellworth Dolphin is a sheltered, duty-bound son.  By the time his parents die, he is middle-aged and feels that life has passed him by.  He can't drive, never went to college, and never visited nearby London.  When his family comes for the funeral, he tells his Aunt Agnes that he is engaged to Maggie Partlett, a fellow server with him at the Palace.  She poses as his fiancee at the funeral, and he tells her about the large inheritance his father left him in the bank, as well as a mysterious box of cash he found in the house.  Maggie moves into his house, and soon they are working together to investigate a train robbery in which his father was a suspect.  In the end, an expensive dress worn by Gloria Lewis, (former) Inspector Rudfern's daughter, leads them to get a full confession from her father.