Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

Title: The Woman Warrior
Author: Maxine Hong Kingston
Year of Publication: 1975
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 209

First Line: "'You must not tell anyone,' my mother said, 'what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born.'"

Summary: Maxine Hong Kingston reveals aspects of her life and Chinese culture and history through her rich prose.


Review:  Kingston tells her stories in a unique prose style reminiscent of intimate story telling.  I read this book at the recommendation of my boyfriend.  Though, because of a lack of background, I did not quite get the full meaning of everything Kingston wrote about, I enjoyed what I did understand and came away with a new and more in-depth perspective of Chinese-American and Chinese culture.  This memoir might not be suitable for younger readers because of the depth and some content but is an enjoyable read for the summer.


Disliked: I didn't feel there was enough connection through each section to make it feel like a whole piece.

Liked:  Kingston's candid and ruthless perspective offers great insight.

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars


Author's Website: None

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