Mrs. Porter Calling

Title:  Mrs. Porter Calling

Author:  AJ Pearce

Publication Information:  Scribner. 2023. 320 pages.

ISBN:  1668007711 / 978-1668007716

Rating:   ★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Margaret and I had been tap-dancing in the garden for nearly twenty minutes, and I was beginning to feel the strain."

Favorite Quote:  "We can only do our best .. and leave it at work when we go home."

Mrs. Porter Calling is the third book in the series, The Emmy Lake Chronicles. The series chronicles the story of a young woman - one who wants to be a journalist and a war correspondent - in World War II London. The books find a balance of the grim story of war and of the feel good story of a group of friends who are like family and the joy and comfort they find in each other even in dark time.

Dear Mrs. Bird brings Emmy, with her dreams of being a journalist, to a job at a magazine as a typist for a women's advice column. Emmy manages to find a way to put her own spin on her job. Yours Cheerfully takes an even more serious tone as it explores the role of women in the wartime effort and the gender discrimination and expectations they face. it explores the challenges they face and the resilience of these women to create change.

This book brings the story back to that of the magazine at which Emmy works. The magazine is changing ownership, and with that comes change. Journalistic integrity and the whole premise of the magazine and its audience is at risk.

Emmy and her friends are in a race against time to save the magazine and its mission. "You can have all the fancy vision in the world, but it's the readers who matter. Muck them about and there won't be a Woman's Friend."

Although each of these books can stand alone, reading the series as a series provides necessary background and shows the progression of the characters. Without having read the first two books, I am not sure I would have "gotten" all the characters or relationships.

Of the three books, this one is the least about the wartime London setting. In fact, I feel that the book could have been set anywhere in time and place. This book is about business world and about the people passionate about an institution trying to save it from those who seek change for the sake of change and who would destroy something special in the process. Given the 1940s London setting, this book and the conflict also becomes about the British class structure.

Given the tone and tenor of all three books, I suspect going in how the book will end. It delivers that sweet story, but I would have appreciated something unexpected and unpredictable.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Titanic Survivors Books Club

Title:  The Titanic Survivors Books Club

Author:  Timothy Schaffert

Publication Information:  Doubleday. 2024. 320 pages.

ISBN:  0385549156 / 978-0385549158

Rating:   ★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGally free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "I spotted my name, again and again, on the lists of the dead."

Favorite Quote:  "You can let it all go, everything in your past, and it won't hurt a soul. You're not saving anyone by punishing yourself."

I am intrigued by the premise of the book. Survivors of a disaster such as the Titanic group together. I expect the book to be about the disaster, about survival, and about the repercussions - the multitude of emotions that would assuredly accompany such trauma. The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor is such a story. Based on archival documents, it tells more of a story of survival and its aftermath.

Of course, I am always intrigued by a book about a book club - The Accidental Book Club by Jennifer Scott, The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe, and The Rejected Writers' Book Club by Suzanne Kerman. I look forward to seeing perhaps what the book club reads, why, and what they discuss.

The premise of this book starts off even stronger. One of the main characters Yorick keeps seeing his name on the list of those lost at sea. I cannot imagine seeing your name on a list such as that. The start establishes interest in the character, and I look forward to discovering how the book builds upon the premise.

Unfortunately, for me, the book does not follow through on any of the premises I pick up the book for. Are the survivors truly survivors? The story explains that most, if not all, are those who were to be on the ship but were not indeed on the voyage. Does that make them survivors? In a way, yes. By mistake, accident, or choice, they managed to not be on board. However, because they were not on board, the book does not build upon the ramifications that would have.

The "book" part of book also seems incidental to the story being told in this book. A secret society book club sounds intriguing. This book, however, ends up focused on three individuals within the larger book club and the dynamic between the three.

The story does not become about Yorick's dealing with the fact that his name is on the list of those lost.

In actuality, the book becomes about a triangle that develops between these three individuals - Yorick, Zinnia, and Haze. It becomes about romantic feelings, love reciprocated and unrequited love. This plot path is unexpected and unfortunately not a welcome one for me. It also makes this book a very slow read, as it is character driven not really plot driven.

The book is completely not what I expect based on the descriptions, and I walk away, disappointed.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard

Title:  The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard

Author:  Natasha Lester

Publication Information:  Forever. 2024. 464 pages.

ISBN:  1538706954 / 978-1538706954

Rating:   ★★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "In the same way that the Electric Circus nightclub in Manhattan is all about sensual overwhelm, so too is the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, Hawk thinks as he strides in the gallery beside four other men."

Favorite Quote:  "Loving someone and making them feel loved are two different things. It's easy to just love, but it takes effort to make another person believe in that love."

Three women: Mizza, Astrid, and Blythe. Three time periods: 1917, 1970, and the present. Three places - Paris, New York, and the French countryside. Three stories but one theme that is clearly explained in the author's note:

• "Find a famous woman - and find a stream of falsehoods and cruelties in her wake."
• "How and why are women constantly reshaped by the media into something they aren't? And why can women only be the inspiration in the creative process, rather than the creator? Those questions drove the writing of this book."
• "I don't think anyone has to look too far to think of a woman who's been remolded by the media, by gossip, and by spite into something less than she actually was. It's been happening for centuries, and it happens still. I hope historical novelists in one hundred years time aren't still writing notes like this."

Women, the role of women, the standards applied to women in a patriarchy, and the pressures on women have been and continue to be a universal conversation.

This book presents these themes through the intertwined stories of these three generations. Research shows that Mizza was an actual, historical figure, but the other two are fiction. Mizza Bricard is said to have been the Christian Dior's muse! The book sets the story in the high pressure and high stakes arena of couture fashion, which is art but also business.

To some extent, Astrid and Blythe's stories are about breaking away from the past and creating a name for themselves. For Blythe, it is also about the childhood trauma of her mother's disappearance and abandonment. Given the time in history, Mizza's story is also one of war, survival, and resistance. To a greater extent, the central theme is about a woman surviving and thriving in a male-dominated industry. 

Given the three timelines, it takes a while to settle into the story and keep straight which characters belong in which timelines especially as the older characters carry forward into the subsequent generation. However, the three main characters are each unique and each the anchor to their own story. 

The lifestyle of the rich is not relatable, and I can certainly do without the scenes of sexual encounters. I find the insight into the fashion industry really interesting, and, as a woman, the three main characters and their struggles are relatable, making this a memorable read.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Lotus Shoes

Title:  The Lotus Shoes

Author:  Jane Yang

Publication Information:  Park Row. 2025. 368 pages.

ISBN:  0778310671 / 978-0778310679

Rating:   ★★★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "I sat shivering on a low stool in our farmhouse kitchen."

Favorite Quote:  "We cannot let them win ... They own our bodies but they will never have our souls. Those are ours, always."

***** BLOG TOUR *****

Review

From Shanxi in 19th century China, this book brings the story of slavery, child labor, the limited options for women, the even more limited options for the poor, and foot binding. As a very young child, Little Flower is sold into slavery. She is to be muizai. The word itself means "little sister". However, the reality is far from that meaning. A muizai is taken into a rich household to be a personal assistant for a child of that family. The arrangement is to last their entire lives although some may be liberated by being allowed to marry at a certain age. In certain households, it was looked upon as a form of charity for the muizai would provided a better life than the one she comes from. However, that was not often the reality. As the book description states, "A muizai is a mistress’s shadow. You are there to do her bidding…"

Little Flower is brought into a household to be the muizai for Linjing. The book follows these two children as they grow up and into their adult lives. Through their eyes and through this household, we see the culture and customs of 19th century China and particularly of the role of women.

Little Flower is sold to provide a better life for her brother. She has bound feet, which was an expression of her mother's love as it may have offered her a chance at a better marriage and a better life. She has also been taught and is talented at embroidery, which is deemed an art of the rich. This too is in effort to lead her too a better life. In the Fong's household, she is at times cared for but has no freedom and no self-determination. Her hopes - her bound feet, the promise of a possible marriage, and her embroidery - are gradually taken away. "Yet experience had taught me that promises from the genteel class were not to be relied upon if my safety clashed with their self-interest." Yet, she perseveres through every turn. "To live as well as I could within the confines of slavery would be my best revenge."

Linjing is the daughter of the first wife. She is a favorite of her father's. However, she is a girl. Her mother sets expectations of perfection, and Linjing suffers in comparison to Little Flower. Unfortunately, that kind of love leads Linjing to retaliate against the one person in her control - Little Flower. "You ... are lowborn. I'm a lady. These facts are as solid as the ground we stand on." This leads to disastrous outcomes many times in their lives.

"But we lived in a hierarchy that favored men. Women, be it peasant or lady, first wife or mentor wives, were pitches against each other, fighting among themselves for scraps of power and security." Through the women surrounding these girls, the book brings in the role of women through so many different facets:

• Little Flower's mother makes the decision to sell her because she sees no other option.
• Linjing's mother is the first wife of the Fong household. However, her inability to produce a male heir and the decisions she makes in that quest determine the direction of her life.
• An aunt choose a celibate life to escape a marriage.
• A matriarch dispenses cruelty in every direction.
• A second wife who delivers a son finds her position elevated.
• A missionary attempts to help but demonstrates a lack of understanding of the culture and an inability understanding first and then attempt to change.

The book is tragic, and, at times, graphic in its descriptions of slavery and torture (reader beware!). Both the girls - Little Flower and Linjing - are compelling characters, and I find myself reading furiously to see how things turn out for them.

That being said, I am not sure how I feel about the ending. Given the entire book and the time and place, I am not sure that what happens in this book would actually have happened. It's hard to discuss without a spoiler! While the rest of the book is emotional and compelling, the ending seems abrupt and not entirely believable. It undermines the rest of the book, but nevertheless, a powerful debut novel. I look forward to seeing what Jane Yang writes next.

About the Book

A muizai is a mistress’s shadow. You are there to do her bidding…

19th Century China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that her golden lilies will someday lead her out of a life of slavery.

Not only does Little Flower have bound feet—uncommon for a muizai—but she is gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with women of fortune. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to prevent Little Flower from escaping. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s talents catch the eye of a nobleman, threatening not only her improved status, but her life—the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?

Richly atmospheric and profoundly moving, The Lotus Shoes is an empowering tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph.

About the Author

Jane Yang was born in the Chinese enclave of Saigon and raised in Australia where she grew up on a diet of superstition and family stories from Old China. Despite establishing a scientific career, first as a pharmacist and later in clinical research, she is still sometimes torn between modern, rational thinking and the pull of old beliefs in tales that have been passed down the family. Jane’s family tales are an inspiration for her writing. She writes stories about women in pre-Communist China, exploring power and class struggles, and sometimes with a dash of suspense, spirits and hauntings.

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang. Copyright © 2025 by Jane Yang. Published by Park Row Books.

One
Little Flower

I sat shivering on a low stool in our farmhouse kitchen. The frosty air stung my cheeks and chilled my hands and feet until they hurt. To warm up, I rubbed my arms and legs. Though it never snowed in southern China, this winter in the sixth year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign felt brutally cold. Normally, I would still be curled beneath our patched quilt, but my aa noeng had woken me at first light.

“We are going on an adventure today,” she announced, turning to me with a basin of boiling water. For the first time in months, her thin, pale face broke into a smile. But it wasn’t a proper sparkling smile, like the ones she used to shower on me before my aa de died. This smile looked stiff, and her eyes remained dull.

“I’m taking you to Canton City,” she continued. “Farmer Tang will give us a ride on his cart.” She poured cold water into the basin. I squealed, clapping with delight. I had never been to Canton City, but I had heard all about it from traveling storytellers. Peddlers prowled the streets, selling sugared plums, sweet buns and roasted chestnuts. My belly grumbled at the thought of them, reminding me that I had not eaten since yesterday’s bowl of watery congee. The storytellers also boasted of traveling acrobats, men who swallowed live snakes, and puppet shows.

“Is Little Brother coming too?” I asked.

“He is too young,” she said. “I’ve sent him to our neighbor for the day. This is a mother-and-daughter trip.”

“Why are we going?” “Little girls should not ask questions,” she chided. “Good girls keep quiet, follow rules and obey grown-ups.” Her tone was mild, but her face sagged with misery, frightening me into silence.

She knelt in front of me, cradling my golden lilies in her palms. “Do you remember why I started binding your feet when you were only four?” she asked.

“Because…because…” I shook my head. With a heavy sigh she explained, “Other six-year-old girls in our village wouldn’t start foot-binding until now. Some farming families might even wait until their daughter is seven or eight, if they’re desperate for an extra worker around the house. But that is risky. Do you know why?”

I shook my head again. “The bones might already be too stiff to be shaped. I love you so much that I bound your feet two years ago, as though you’re a little lady, to make sure you get perfect golden lilies so you can be like Consort Yao Niang. Do you remember her story?”

“I do!” Eager to impress her, I merrily recited the bedtime tale she had often told me. “Once upon a time, before the Manchu invaded and when China was cut up into lots of little kingdoms, like a patchwork quilt, there lived an emperor called Li Yu. He loved to see new things. One day he asked his many, many wives to surprise him with a new dance. Everyone tried but no one was good enough except Yao Niang. She wrapped her feet into crescents and danced on her toes!”

“What else?” she quizzed.

I frowned.

She prompted, “The emperor was so impressed that he promoted her to Royal Imperial Consort—”

“Oh!” With a bounce I finished her sentence, “So no other wife could boss Yao Niang around except the empress. All the ladies of the court copied her and soon rich girls across the country started to do the same. Now all re-respectable girls have bound feet. And the most loving mothers make sure their daughters have perfect four-inch golden lilies.”

I expected the rest of my speedy answer would earn praise, especially since I had only stumbled on two characters, but Aa Noeng’s lips trembled. I reached out to hug her, but she shook her head as she straightened her back and smoothed her faded tunic-blouse, ou.

“Even the poorest boy might hope to pass the imperial exams and become a mandarin if he is clever and studious,” she said, “but a girl’s only chance for a better life is through her golden lilies. This is my priceless gift to you. No matter what happens, I want you always to remember how much I love you. You’re my precious pearl. Do you understand?”

“I love you this much too!” I swung my arms behind my back until my palms touched. But she didn’t return my smile.

“Why is it important to have perfect four-inch golden lilies?” she asked.

“To get a good marriage,” I chirped. “Matchmakers and mothers-in-law like tiny feet. Golden lilies are proof of a girl’s goodness.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Only girls with immense endurance and discipline can get perfect golden lilies. This is what mothersin-law from nice families want for their sons.” She squeezed my hands and asked, “Do you want to marry into a nice family when you grow up?”

“Yes.”

“How do you get four-inch golden lilies?” she asked.

“I must sit very still when you clean my feet and change my bandages.”

“What else?”

“I mustn’t complain when you tighten the bindings.”

“That’s true,” she replied slowly. “But…” After a long pause she said, “You are a big girl now. It’s time you learned to take care of your golden lilies yourself.”

“I’m still little!” I protested, alarmed by her grave tone.

“Watch carefully,” she instructed. She unraveled the binding and eased my left foot into the basin of warm water. She massaged away the dead skin on the sole and between my toes. Next she trimmed my toenails and wrapped my foot in a towel before sprinkling alum onto it.

“Be sure to use a generous amount of alum,” she said. “It wards off sweat and itch.”

She wound a length of clean, dark blue cotton around and around my foot. The pressure increased with each layer until my foot throbbed and my eyes ached with unshed tears. I had to use all my willpower not to groan. She continued to wrap the bindings, much more tightly than usual. I tried to pull my foot away. She gripped it harder. “Stay still,” she ordered.

“Aa Noeng,” I cried. “It hurts too much.”

“Hush,” she said. “One day these golden lilies will bring you a good marriage. You will wear silk and live in a house with tiled floors. Best of all, you will never go hungry again.”

My whimpering faded as she continued to talk about the tasty food that would fill my belly when I become a bride in a wellto-do family. Finally, she eased my foot into my best pair of indigo cotton shoes. She pushed the basin toward me.

“Now you must do the same for your right foot,” she said. 

Buy Links

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-lotus-shoes-jane-yang?variant=42182206455842
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lotus-Shoes-Novel-Jane-Yang/dp/0778310671
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lotus-shoes-jane-yang/1145107408?ean=9780778310679
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lotus-shoes-original-jane-yang/21335528?ean=9780778310679 

Social Links

Author Linktree: https://linktr.ee/janeyangauthor
Twitter (X): https://x.com/JaneYangWriting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeyangwriting/

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Keeper of Hidden Books

Title:  The Keeper of Hidden Books

Author:  Madeline Martin

Publication Information:  Hanover Square Press. 2023. 416 pages.

ISBN:  1335005773 / 978-1335005779

Rating:   ★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Sofia Nowak sat back on her calves in the warm summer grass while her friend Janina clumsily wound a bandage around her head."

Favorite Quote:  "The world also needs to remember to never take for granted what has been gifted to us through the sacrifice of others: the right to an education and learning, the power and luxury of freedom, and the beauty to appreciate the routine of simple, everyday life."

Much has been written about the World Wars and books - individual and group efforts to preserve and protect books and the comfort and solace books provided to people in dire circumstances. Madeline Martin herself has written about the topic before. This story brings the history of World War II and books and those who found comfort in and sought to preserve books in Warsaw, Poland.

The history, the love of books, and the idea of a strong female protagonist all made me choose to read this book.

The point in history is the onset of the Nazi occupation of Warsaw and the creation of the ghettos to segregate communities. This is not an aspect of World War II history I have read much about. I would have loved to see this side of the story explored more. There is a hint, but it is not pursued. "The entire time I was reading it, I couldn't help but imagine having my own time machine... But I wouldn't go as far into the future as the Time Traveller, not would I go as far back. I would have gone just a few months. Maybe even a year, to see if the world could be altered with one small change."

The love of books - reading and writing them - rings through as you might expect. "Books are the perfect conduit to convey a message to the world. It could be an idea that blossoms into a way of life. It could be a new theory for mankind to explore. It could be a journey of life that few have trod. When you have something to tell, it will simply burst from you and you won't be able to stop it."

The main characters are two young women. Zofia and Janina two school girls who are best friends. Janina is Jewish; Zofia is not. It has never mattered before, but, to much of the world, now it does. They find themselves united in their love of books and libraries. They find themselves on opposite sides of the ghetto borders. Their "Anti-Hitler Book Club" progresses into a courageous effort to protect friends and books.

Because so many books have been written about this history, including books by the author, the book leads to an automatic comparison. This one unfortunately suffers by comparison. I find myself thinking again and again that I have already read this story. I have not, but this one does not stand out and stand apart from the others. This story in and of itself is not memorable, which is a shame because the history needs to be remembered.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

The Bookbinder

Title:  The Bookbinder

Author:  Pip Williams

Publication Information:  Ballantine Books. 2023. 448 pages.

ISBN:  0593600444 / 978-0593600443

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Scraps."

Favorite Quote:  "The words used to describe us define our value to society and determine our capacity to contribute. They also ... tell others how to feel about us, how to judge us."

As with Pip Williams prior book The Dictionary of Lost Words, I  choose to read this one because - well, books and the art of book binding! The title itself draws me in. The description draws me in further. Two sisters living on a houseboat. A young woman told that she may only bind books not read them. Two siblings - one special needs and one not - somewhat alone in the world. A college and education that is across the street but that may very well be a different world. A coming war. Refugees. A small community. And lots and lots of books!

This story resonates on so many levels.

Peggy and Maude are sisters. Maude has some special needs, and Peggy finds herself in the role of caretaker. However, what does that mean especially as they both become adults? What is Maude capable of? What is she allowed to be capable of? Is Maude's caretaking preventing Peggy from her own dreams or is it a crutch for Peggy to not push past her comfort zone?

Peggy is told that education is not for the likes of her; her role is to bind books not read them. Yet, she reads them. Any binding or folios deemed imperfect end up in her personal library. Against the rules but what harm does it do anyone. She dreams of the college across the street but never envisions that the dream has the possibility of reality.

Peggy and Maude have helpers along the way. Friends and mentors. Many of them are strong women who serve as examples of what is possible in their individual spheres and the gift of paying that forward as help to Peggy and Maude.

The war brings refugees to town which starts many heated conversations, both for and against. It is sad that these conversations are the same ones taking place in different contexts even today.

And, of course, the love of books. I love books that are love letters to the world of books and that speak what I feel about books. "When we bound these books, I thought, they were identical. But I realized they couldn't stay that way. As soon as someone cracks the spine, a book develops a character all its own. What impresses or concerns one reader is never the same as what impresses or concerns all others. So, each book, once read, I realized, will have told a slightly different story." So very true. Each one of us brings our wholes selves to every book that we read. As our perspectives differ, so does our individual read of any book. No two readers ever read exactly the same book.

This story, on all its levels, resonates with me as did The Dictionary of Lost Words. I look forward to seeing what Pip Williams writes next.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.

There are Rivers in the Sky

Title:  There are Rivers in the Sky

Author:  Elif Shafak

Publication Information:  Knopf. 2024. 464 pages.

ISBN:  0593801717 / 978-0593801710

Rating:   ★★★★★

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Later, when the storm has passed, everyone will talk about the destruction and left behind, though no one, not even the king himself, will remember that it all began with a single raindrop."

Favorite Quote:  "One must walk the Earth with wonder, or it is full of miracles yet to be witnessed."

Elif Shafak is an author who has long been on my list to read. She was born in France, grew up in Turkey, has studied and taught in the United Stated, and, since 2013, calls Britain home. She holds a PhD in political science, known for her outspoken political views. She writes as a journalist and has published fiction and nonfiction works. This is her latest release.

"Water remembers. It is humans who forget." Through a drop of water, this book traverses centuries from ancient Mesopotamia to modern day London, from the Tigris River to the Thames, and from an emperor to a boy born into poverty and abuse, a girl born into illness and genocide, and a woman contemplating suicide.

The book begins with a brief glimpse of ancient Mesopotamia, where a cruel king builds an unbelievable library which is lost with his reign.

In the 1800s, Arthur is born on the side of the road, with no prospects beyond poverty and abuse but with a talent. Helpers and mentors enable him to grow into a life beyond any he could have imagined. It takes him from the sewers of London to the drawing rooms of London and eventually on a quest to Tigris River.

In the same location in 2014, we meet Narin. Through her eyes, we see the genocide of the Yazidi people along the banks of the Tigris River. We also see the love of family and the strength of traditions passed down generation to generation.

The present day of 2018 brings us back to London, the child of an immigrant family who is challenging the expectations of family. She is at a crossroads and considering some extreme alternatives.

The story of these seemingly disconnected people flows seamlessly together. The individual character develop and become real, but the real heart of the book, more than the plot, are the ideas that shine through these characters. The idea that a drop of water can unify us across time and place. The idea that talent and perseverance can overcome the hurdles of poverty. The idea that a mentor has the potential to change lives. The idea that a single action can have ripples across centuries. The damage of imperialism. The horror of religious intolerance and genocide. The plight of a child caught up in such a conflict. The love of family. The power of memory. The memory of the land. The immigrant experience. And so many more.

Through the entire book come life views and thoughts that I find myself furiously underlining passages. I put one passage under "favorite quote" above, but this book has so many I want to contemplate and remember. Here is a sample:

• "He did not see that the only way to become immortal is to be remembered after you have gone, and the only way to be remembered is to leave behind a good story."
• "We never want our parents weaknesses to be seen by others. Their failures are our own private affair, a secret we would rather keep to ourselves; when they become public, for everyone's consumption, we are no longer the children we once were."
• "If, as the poets say, the journey of life resembles the march of rivers to the sea, at times meandering, aimlessly, at times, purposeful and unswerving, the bend in the flow is where the story takes a sudden turn, winding away from its predicted course into a fresh and unexpected direction."
• "Being an outsider is all about survival, and no one survives by being unambitious; no one gets ahead by holding back."
• "The making of a new self requires the unmaking of an old one."
• "I want you to be very successful. Remember, people like us cannot afford to fail "People like us"… immigrants, exiles, refugees, newcomers, outsiders… Too many words for a shared, recognizable sentiment that, no matter how often described, remains largely undefined. Children of uprooted parents are born into the memory tribe. Both their present and their future are forever shaped by their ancestral past, regardless of whether they have any knowledge of it. If they flourish and prosper, their achievements will be attributed to a whole community; and, in the same way, their failures will be charged up to something bigger and older than themselves, be it family, religion, or ethnicity. While the journey of life may be full of reversals of fortune, children from displaced families can never allow themselves to fall below the level at which their parents started it out."
• "Anyone can wait for, for maintaining peace is a difficult thing."
• "The divisions that make up class are, intrude, the borders on a map. When you were born into wealth and privilege, you inherit a plan that outlines the paths ahead, indicating the shortcuts and highways available to reach your destination, informing you of the lush valleys where you may rest and the tricky terrain to avoid. If you enter the world without such a map, you are  bereft of proper guidance. You lose your way more easily, trying to pass through what you thought or orchards and gardens, only to discover they are marshlands and peat bogs."
• "Why are women left out of history? Why do we have to piece their stories back together from fragments - like broken shards of pottery?"
• "Home is where your absence is felt, the echo of your voice kept alive, no matter how long you have been away or how far you may have strayed, a place that still beats with the pulse of your heart."
• "Civilization is the name we give to what little we have salvaged from a loss that no one wants to remember. Triumphs are erected upon the jerry-built scaffolding of brutalities untold, heroic legends spun from the thread of aggressions and atrocities."
• "How strange it is to have carried your convictions like a set of keys, only to realize they will not open any doors."
• "How can anyone assume they will please the Creator by hurting his Creation?"

I will leave with a description of the impact of this book with words from the book itself. "Words are like birds… When you publish books, you are setting caged birds, free. They can go wherever they please. They can fly over the high walls and across vast senses, settling in the mansions of the gentry, in farmsteads and laborers cottages alike. You never know whom those words will reach, whose hearts will to come to their sweet songs." I am so glad this book reached me, and I finally read this author. I look forward to reading more.

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