Asia Books

I am delighted that these diaries have at last been published and thus made easily accessible to the scholarly world and all interested readers. They transport us back to a little-known time and place, China just after the turn of the 20th century.

Volume One includes great detail of the acrimonious diplomatic negotiations after the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 which led to the signing of the final protocol between the powers and China on September 7, 1901. Volume Two of the two-volume set includes Satow's observations on and of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) and much about the development of railways, the Imperial Maritime Customs Service run by Sir Robert Hart (the Inspector General) and so on.

There is much more to come from the Satow Papers (PRO 30/33 1-23) in the National Archives of the UK at Kew, West London but these diaries have never been published before and will repay careful study.

Ian Ruxton, editor of Sir Ernest Satow's Private Letters to W.G. Aston and F.V. Dickins: The Correspondence of a Pioneer Japanologist from 1870 to 1918 (Paperback), also available on amazon. (For a full list of my books related to Satow and others, click on my name under the title at the top of the page.)

Ian Ruxton has come upon a rich vein of East Asian history, in the form of writings of British diplomat Sir Ernest Satow (1843-1929), and is exploiting it methodically and with due care. I had previously come across Ruxton's "The Diaries and Letters of Sir Ernest Mason Satow" and am very pleased he has now given us Satow's Peking diaries from 1900-1906, in two volumes, complete with an excellent introduction by J.F.Hoare.

That these diaries have had to wait one hundred years for this sort of attention is regrettable, but then they date from a period of Chinese history that itself has been relatively neglected by Western scholars. Given China's relentless rise today as a political, economic and military power, it is all the more necessary that the historical air be cleared, and this is one work that will contribute to that end, all the more so in that they are available in paperback and so should be accessible to students.

The particular value of this work arises from the great astuteness of Satow and the immediacy with which he presents a period that was among the most dramatic in Europe's engagement with the Middle Kingdom (remember this is the time of the Boxer Rebellion). Like it or not, the reader observes first-hand just how voracious European nations were in getting their share of the Chinese pie. Not that the diaries are only about China. Satow perforce keeps a wary eye on all international doings and has much to say on Japan in particular, which he knew so well. Students of the Russo-Japanese War will find here much of interest.

In short, this is history in the making. The history we normally read is frozen in time, the possibility among all others that finally prevailed. Diaries such as these remind us of the open-endedness of each day and each decision, and hence of the imposing responsibility of the diplomat. Satow was a remarkable diplomat and deserves our praise for recording so much of interest and preserving it so carefully for posterity. Likewise, author Ruxton deserves our praise and gratitude for making these diaries available to a wider readership. This may not be one for your Aunty Molly's Christmas stocking, but it is an academic book of much value.

Ian Ruxton, having published the Japan diaries of Ernest Mason Satow, continues his scholarly work with his two-volume collection of Satow's diaries as British envoy to China. Volume 1 begins with Satow's leaving Japan in May 1900 and continues through 1903. While Satow never became the scholar of China that he was of Japan, his keen mind offers acute observations of both the international political situation of the time (e.g. Satow's pre-arrival ruminations on reports of the Boxer Rebellion) and of daily life in early 20th century China.

In going through Volume One of Ernest Satow's Diaries when he was a British Envoy in Peking, I was struck by how progressive Satow was in opposing his former chief in Tokyo, Sir Harry Parkes who believed that force was the best way of dealing with the "Orientals." Satow also favored a polite and less blustering response in punishing China for the Imperial support of the Boxer rebellion. The author, Ian Ruxton, does a excellent job at providing the needed details for understanding this rare and progressive figure; one that most of today's politicians could learn from, no doubt. Also we get a rare glimpse of how his colleagues jockeyed for power in the court of Peking, and how Satow was involved with the Russian-Japanese war. Keeping in mind that this was a incredible time of change, industrialization,and a time in which borders were changed, and new countries and new forms of government were established, we can see that this was a time for great diplomacy! This book has, in short, shown what a great figure Ernest Satow was and how complex the issues truly were.

This latest instalment from the studious mind and prolific pen of Ian Ruxton, brings Sir Ernest Satow, British Diplomat and sometime Minister in a number of important Far East postings, to life ( yet again ) in a way which the unprivileged observer from the great man's own time could never be privy to - but, courtesy of Mr Ruxton's diligence and application, we most certainly are. These (later) extracts from Sir Ernest Satow's diary mainly centering on his later Chinese postings, are a fascinating combination of both the musings on proposed and pivotal official policy and decisions, and their effects during and after the fact - and the more mundane matters such as 'met with..' 'had dinner...' 'cab to...' 'dinner at hotel..' and so on. Sometimes the mostly secretly held opinions recorded in the diaries gradually changed, such as was the case with Satow's opinion on the extreme use of force by British and allied forces during the Boxer Rebellion, which he initally agreed with at the time and in early retrospect; but much later, after settling in to his new and albeit initially vague tenure, ( was he really the Minister or was he an overseeing High Commissioner? ), came to the conclusion that the allies and their gunboats blasting away was entirely the wrong stategy to have adopted. Via assimilation of both the original recorded musings of Satow, and his digital reanimation courtesy of the highly accomplished specialist biographer Ian Ruxton, ( who is also a graduate in both Law and Modern Languages ) I feel as if I or any other reader could easily be on par with the brightest Oxbridge graduates who come out with honours degrees in Oriental Studies. Another great work of preservation and presentation by the aforesaid scribe. Well done.

Paul Lees has a new book published more recently titled "Globetrotter Dive Guide: Thailand". I have not read either so I can't say definitively that this is an updated version, but it is by the same author. Search in Amazon for ISBN number 1859747043.

Hope this helps.

I just came back from a livaboard dive trip to southern Thailand. The boat I was on had a copy of this book and almost every place I went was well described. I'm ording a copy for myself to better document my past dives, and plan my future ones. I really appreciated having the book with me. The only thing missing was a map of each dive site.

This is the best book about dive sites in Thailand on the market right now. However, it is quite old already because now that new dive sites have been discovered and some old dive sites have been reserved. Still, 90% of this book works just fine!

As a novice diver, I found this guide amazingly easy to read. Sites are rated on a 5 star system for both diving and snorkeling separately. Information on approach and typical conditions are given. Typical things that will be seen are also given. Icons for quick reference on each site such as approach by boat or shore, skill level, and other information make finding suitable dive sites a cinch.

For the diver or tourist who is contemplating a visit to Thailands reefs this book is an absolute gem. Ideal for divers and snorkellers of all standards, it is well presented and extremely informative. The number and quality of the sites reviewed is very good and it must be noted that the information concerning other divers needs ie. accomodation, equipment hire, dive companies, photography and medical arrangements is equally commendable. A reference book that I can guarantee will be well thumbed for a good few years.

This book serves as an excellent guide to those wanting to dive around the many wonderful sites in the Philippines. I just wish the author included a more in-depth write-up on Apo Reef.

Very good. I bought the book after my first dive trip to the Phillipines and found the information regarding those sites to be very accurate. I am now using it to plan my second trip.

On the basis of the information in this book we planned our dive trip to Bohol. It turned out that everything written was accurate and reliable, and we had a great trip. Like the rest of the series, nicely laid out with excellent photos.

This book is an excellent guide to select the best diving spots in the Philippines. The book has great photos and give you detailed descriptions about the best places to dive. The informations match the described spots exactly (like the sites around the island of Cebu). Additional information about the marine environment is helpful. This book is a MUST for everyone interested in diving the Philippines.

The book is a great reference for people who are planning to or thinking about diving in the Philippines. It provides a good description of what to expect with regard to general dive locales, as well as specific dives.

The book works, and works well because of several reasons.

First, it provides (still valid) contact information on dive operators and lodging providers in the different areas, as well as providing general ideas on price range for these operations.

Second, the book gives a good briefing and summary of the different dive locales in the Philippines, providing pros and cons, as well as tips that are useful to the would-be traveller.

Third, the book provides a near-comprehensive listing of specific dive sites in the different locales. While the underwater environment changes, it does so slowly, and practically all assessments and descriptions still hold. It provides info on what to expect in terms of depths, surface conditions, currents, as well as what to see. It also provides a quick rating in the form of stars, as to how good the sites are. These are highly accurate, although some have been under-rated, in my opinion.

Fourth, the photography is great. The book has been designed well, and is quite engaging. Full-color photographs are peppered throughout the book.

The text is getting old, but that doesn't change the fact that it holds its promise well of talking about the dive sites in the Philippines.

I can understand why no one has come up with anything to replace this book. It would be a tough to top or even match. Mr. Jackson has done a really great job of this one.

After diving the Philippine Archipelago, I can only understand and appreciate the book more and more.

taj d.

a philippine divemaster

I was referred to this book by an American Artist whom had lived in Japan for almost 50 years. As a Chinese, I thought I know Chinese history, but after reading through JD's detail account of events with vivid description of the personalities, I can visualize the historical moments through the paper. It is so well written that I have to read very slowly to digest it. Combining this with other readings during the same period, including Ray Huang's lesser known Yellow River Blue Mountain (his autobiography), I am beginning to see history in perspective!

John Davies has crafted a superb tale of his years in Asia and Moscow. He was a classic Old China Hand, raised by missionary parents in China, a fluent speaker of the language, and a natural to serve in the State Department and as Army liaison during World War II. The book combines period documents with later reflections, dazzling readers with thrilling adventures and portentous encounters with the era's major figures: Generalissimo and Madame Chiang, Stilwell, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Roosevelt, Marshall. The 1948-9 Nationalist debacle sparked an anticommunist hunt for scapegoats blamed for "losing" China (it was never ours to lose), tragically depriving the US of wise counsel from Davies, John Service, Oliver Clubb, John Vincent and others. As J.K. Fairbank noted, neither before nor since has America had such gifted country experts to advise on foreign policy. Davies's view of a defense-minded Soviet Union again was more realistic than the official line which helped provoke the Cold War. His globetrotting is a little hard to follow, and fuller coverage of post-1945 events would be welcome, but these are quibbles. See L. Van Slyke ed, "The China White Paper." E. Sevareid, "Not so Wild a Dream" augments Davies's modest paragraph on their celebrated parachute jump and escape from Burma. E.J. Kahn, "The China Hands" details wartime conflicts and postwar persecutions, while J.S. Service, "Lost Chance in China" contains prophetic field reports by Davies's most astute colleague.

If you wish to understand Sino-American relations in the 20th Century, this book by our most brilliant (and persecuted) Political Officer in the State Department, must be your starting point. It is more than educational. His digressions - descriptions of the voyages of Cheng Ho during the Ming Dynasty; Mukden during the early years of the Japanese occupation of Manchuria; the celebration in Moscow after V-E day; etc., etc. - reveal a literary gift of the highest magnitude. Truly, one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, it irks me that so few people have read it.

While I had previously read Seagrave's Soong Dynasty and Tuchman's Stilwell, it was the bibliographical notes of Ambassador Lilley's China Hands that got me turned on to this book. I ordered it from an Amazon seller and I wasn't disappointed.

Mr. Davies offers vivid, evocative descriptions of events and people he encountered in China from his birth in Sichuan in 1908 until the Communist takeover in 1949. Apparently a religious record keeper, Davies is able to rely on his contemporaneous diary entries and letters to produce colorful details that would have been impossible to to recall 30 or 40 years after the fact. Davies does an exceptional job of mixing macroscopic historical events with his own microscopic personal narrative to create a flowing portrait of early 20th century China.

Though very much loyal member of Stilwell's China detail, Davies offers even-handed analysis of the events that eventually led to the fall of the Nationalist regime in China. Instead of putting the blame for the "loss" of China on any individual, Davies seems to point at the prevalence of sentimentalism over China in the minds of American foreign policy actors as leading to the mishandling of China during the 1940s.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in China, Asian studies, or WWII history.

As above, a wonderful description of Chinese history in the 20th century by someone who was there. From the manchu's through early revolution to Chiang and the Communist struggle; one insight follows another.

This is a great book to read if you are planning to visit China, It is easy to read with beatiful pictures, a review about modern Chinese society, the good side and the dark side when the Dragon is rising.

Dragon Rising: An Inside Look at China Today comes from a Beijing-based journalist who examines the major issues around China's transition to a global power. His experiences with a wide range of Chinese residents, from urban to rural - and his observations of the different paths the Chinese are choosing on the road to modernity - lends to a blend of powerful images and social observation key to any understanding of Chinese culture. Both general-interest libraries and high school to college-level holdings strong in intercultural understanding will want to consider this introductory review.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

My father will be traveling to China in May for a 3-week trip, to learn more about this fascinating country. I can think of no better book, to prepare him for his travel to Beijing, Shanghai, and the Yangtze River. So, I will be sending him this book immediately.

Following up his well-researched and detailed 600-page "The Chinese" with "Dragon Rising," Becker has given the "China" shelf in the bookstore a book, which it dearly needed. Instead of reading about the Ming Dynasty or Chairman Mao, business travelers and adventure travelers needed a book, which could be easily read in a day, covering the different regions of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Yunnan Province, etc.), an explanation of Deng's reforms which were responsible for the China economic miracle, and some hard-hitting truth-telling about the human and environmental impact of China's rush to modernism.

On this point, anyone who has read Becker's "The Chinese" will not be surprised by his honest assessment of this human impact on the Chinese. In the chapter on Beijing, he recounts the developments that led to the Tiananmen Square protests; in the Shanghai chapter, he documents the misery of construction workers building this city of the future and the prostitutes who inhabit it; and in the Pearl River Delta, he puts a face to the cheap labor and goods being sent from China to the rest of the world: the young and petite factory girls recruited from the countryside who live their regulated lives in factory dormitories.

Becker's reportage combines a sense of wonderment and awe about China's rise with a Dickensian sensibility. Becker is terrific at distilling confusing political developments into a language the average reader can understand. But, he is at best when his journalistic instinct kicks in: traveling the country to interview farmers, entrepreneurs, beggars, prostitutes, local party leaders, labor activists, and prostitutes. In a way, the book is a series of fascinating anecdotes strung from one chapter to another.

Finally, I should mention that this is a National Geographic book, so the pictures are tremendously beautiful, even when they focus on the poverty or environmental disasters of the countryside. More of the China books would be much better, if they contained more contemporary pictures!

All in all, this is a well-rounded, very readable book.

China's future impact on world affairs, economies, and raw-material/energy demand is frequently pondered, but with little detail. Becker's "Dragon Rising" brings clear detail and reality to recent accomplishments by China. In addition, the reader also learns interesting tidbits such as China lost Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Tiananmen Square was modeled after Moscow's Red Square, and Deng Xiaoping was the de facto Chinese leader who led China out of Mao's mess and into the modern world (despite being deposed twice, and sentenced to death once for non-conformist actions).

Example of Chinese Urban Renovation: China spent $30 billion from '92 to '99 to rebuild Shanghai's infrastructure. This supported construction of 8,000 high-rises in 15 years (each taller than any building in the area prior to 1980), new steel and car plants, an automated stock exchange, a new airport, and a Maglev train to/from the airport (top speed 269 mph). The bad news is that Shanghai has sunk 8 feet since '21, its population density now exceeds 5,800/square mile (much greater than New York, London, or Paris), many of the new buildings are of poor quality and will require significant repairs in ten years, prices have skyrocketed to as high as $1,250/square foot, many of the buildings are vacant, and the disparity between rich and poor has never been greater.

China has also build underground cities and factories in preparation for nuclear war.

Transitioning the Economy: China had about 300,000 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with jobs and food originally guaranteed for life; however, with their overheads (about one administrator for every three workers) they were slow-moving, and productivity was poor. Deng began transitioning by changing their focus from military products to civilian, and by the late 1990s, two-thirds were operating in the red.

Glove Company Example: The firm began as a part-time husband/wife activity aimed at adding to their farm income. Success led to adding onto their house, buying a few Japanese machines, and hiring some workers. More success and reinvestment brought new machines made in China (some with computers), and a capacity of a million/year. Large orders were shared with others in the area.

Sales activities took place not only via mobile phones, but at a local market (in this case about a mile long with five floors and 40,000 vendors) - buyers liked it because of the ease in filling a shipping container, even with small purchases from individual vendors. Dongyang focuses on socks (about 9 billion pair/year), and attracts 100,000 buyers at its sock fair.

MBAs are not needed - the average number of employees is 18, and 70% of owners have at best a middle-school education. Profits are reinvested, or put into real-estate or even purchasing jet planes; China has private savings of over $1.4 trillion. Employees work 10-12 hours/day, often for less than minimum wage (many workers are illegal migrants from rural areas - China severely restricts movement to avoid peasants overwhelming cities). The government is trying to crack down on pay violations; other problems include a damaged environment, high-cost healthcare that often is of poor quality, and lack of worker safety standards.

How does this all add up? A Mattel Barbie doll retails for $10 in the U.S., with $1 going for management and shippers in Hong Kong, 65 cents for raw materials, and 35 cents for other factory costs (including labor and equipment). Sophisticated parts are often made outside China and simply assembled; look for this to change soon.

Why do peasants want to move to the cities? Their income has stagnated at low levels (average land farmed is 1.5 acres; title to the land still resides with the government). Regardless, this creates considerable pressure for the government to further increase trade so that they can move off the farm and the land can be consolidated for production efficiencies.

Bottom Line: Becker does not hide the fact that China has a long way to go as far as human rights are concerned. However, it is also clear that the Chinese government is maneuvering carefully, trying to avoid unmeetable expectations and the problems caused by instant transition (eg. Russia, East Germany). Regardless, China's future military, political, economic, and resource impact on the world will be very significant and occur much faster than we probably would have imagined.

Dragon Rising is a very well written book giving the reader an excellent overview of modern China. Its clear from the very beginning (via the introduction) that the author is not a "China cheerleader" and can ask the difficult questions. I think this book balances all the China hype we see and read about it in the economic media with the reality of the the many pressing economic and social problems that are becoming more acute.

This book is very interesting and easy to read and intersperses anecdotes, with history, and facts, as well as colorful photos -all without getting bogged down in minutiae. Probably the best book available for anyone interested in an overview of modern China. I would recommend it for anyone doing business with China or traveling to China, and interested in an overview of modern Chinese society. Not for academic types or someone interested in Chinese history.

This book was written one year before the French Revolution, in 1788, in Beijing, China by a riches-to -rags nobleman called Cao Xue Quin. It is viewed by many as the greatest classical Chinese romantic novel ever written.

I read the original Chinese version of this book when I was in high school, many years ago. At that time, my impression was that it was a Chinese Romeo and Juliet type tragic love story, in which the main characters Bao-yu and his cousin Dai-yu (Black Jade) suffered the fate of unfulfilled love, and no ever after. There was more to it than that, but I could not figure out what.

Recently, I re-read the book (the current trans- lated version). This time it sounded like the Adven- tures of Tom Jones, in which the teen-aged playboy Bao-yu was dallying in the ranks of the female members of his household (his cousins and maids), longing after many but only truly loving Dai-yu.

It was also a bit similar to Upstairs Downstairs -- a big noble clan with all its ladies, young misses and maids, and their lives of adventures and tears. But something was still missing. There was a theme, a message, which draws me and others to this great work of literature.

I finally figured it out: Almost all the WOMEN in this book were described as elegant, sophisticated, intelligent, graceful, excellent decision makers, and above all, beautiful. Most MEN, however, were described as fools, red-necks, unfaithful, heart-breakers, nogooders, users of prostitutes and abusers of power!

What I am looking at is a book (or one-MAN crusade) of Early Feminism. It is all the more remarkable because in feudal China, women did not have equal status. "marrying for love" seldom existed. It was more like "married by parental arrangement". Poor girls were sold as maids into rich households, or worse, they were sold as second wives or concubines.

The confirmation of my theory came from the author Cao himself. In his introductory book review, he said, "Thus begins this book ... I have hidden the real events and substituted them with fiction ... There were real persons in the inner-chambers, and their stories must be told ..." (Modern translation: I have real women in my household).

This message would make this a truly revolutionary work, not only in feudal China, but even to-day.

Should have first read the book review by the author.

I really enjoyed this book, a part of my self-directed curriculum to understand China (all of which, by the way, has been incredible). Not only are the characterizations excellent and the period wonderfully evoked (at least to my knowledge), but there's all sorts of great maid sex and other bawdy hilarious stuff. The only question I have now is why does it seem like Volumes 2-4 are not available... although vol. 5 is? Maybe I'm overlooking something obvious, as persons with Chinese maid sex on the brain are wont to do.

I read the other reviews on this page, and I thought I should add something: this novel is unbelievably beautifully written, and the English translation is absolutely superb.

You cannot find any better example of novel-writing skill in any language.

I've read all parts of The Story of the Stone. It starts and ends in a mystical fashion; coming full circle in a traditional ying/yang way. Wonderful five volume story about two wealthy families closely connected to the throne. Although there's not much known about the true author, I suspect that it was written by a maid. There is incredible detail from the perspective of the servents working for their sometimes nutty employers. The family actually built a garden at one point in honor of a visit from a daughter who had been chosen to be a royal concubine. If you want to immerse yourself in the ups and downs, daily life, (warts and all) of 1750's Chinese culture don't miss The Story of the Stone et al.

The book gives us a complete picture of the feudal societ of China.It exposes the rot of the late Qing Dynasty of China.What makes people moved most is the tragic love story between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu.Its exquisite style of writing and variegated description do great credit to its success.Some forfather has said that it was an encyclopaedia of the feudal society of China,and I do agree with it.I think that the most valuable point of this book,is that it denounces the cruel percecution which has been done to women by the feudalism--the feudal system,and it embodies the author's thoughts that women should be respecte and be equal to men.In that society,these are rare and valuable.

This book is short and sweet. Ruth's writing style has a natural flow and she displays a keen sense of humor that kept me laughing throughout. If you are interested in an authentic account of the exchange student life, a quick and smooth read, or just a good laugh, this book comes highly recommended.

Ruth Pennington Paget's "Eating Soup with Chopsticks" is a sentimental and sweet tale about one momentous exchange summer in Japan. Then-teenage Ruth is full of profound observations about life and shows a maturity beyond her years. These memoirs will help you see the world through "green" lenses! Pack your mental bags and head on a trip to Japan!

If you added what you know now to a diary you wrote 20 years ago without changing the original script, it would read like "Eating Soup With Chopsticks." This charming memoir of a life-defining experience captures the innocence and youthful enthusiasm of an adventurous spirit learning to see the world. The lessons of language, history, and cultural perspective are more important than ever as we evolve toward a global society.

At the age of sixteen, Ruth Paget traveled to Japan as an exchange student. Although she had traveled internationally before, she had never had such an intense immersion into a foreign culture. And Japan was very very foreign. "Eating Soup with Chopsticks" shows the remarkable poise with which this sixteen-year-old faced what many people would consider a challenge. In her search to understand her host family and culture, she jumped in with both feet. She did so by immediately identifying what she and her hosts had in common, which was a sense of respect that quickly developed into a sense of affection. It shows the growth that can occur when you appreciate and accept differences between people.

Ms. Paget's account of her summer abroad lovingly recounts scenes of daily life in Japan, and amuses with anecdotes of a Midwestern girl's first encounters with raw fish and wasabi. But the overriding lesson of this book is that wonderful things happen when you take off your blue glasses - and open yourself up to discovery. It should be required reading for every American teenager.

Through her new book, Ruth Pennington Paget takes us on a summer-long journey into a new culture (Japan) through the eyes of an adventurous and curious teenager. Twenty years after her exchange to Japan, the author recounts her time abroad and her vivid memories of the many experiences she encountered. The book is not a travel book as much as a book about dealing with differences, communication and human connection.

It teaches us that at the heart of understanding a different culture, we learn most about our own self and come to understand better our own values.

This book is a fun read!

The setting is in the Pusan area of South Korea two years after the start of the Korean War. Sookan and her family were residents of Seoul, but some of them fled southward amidst the falling bombs and destruction when the war started. Her brothers and father did not come with them, so Sookan believes that they are in the South Korean army.
Sookan and a few of her family members have now established themselves at a refugee camp and Sookan is working with her classmates and teachers to build a school so that they can continue to learn. Scrounging what they can, they are able to restart the school and Sookan is eager to begin learning again.
The times are of course hard, but they manage to make a life for themselves. Sookan also meets a boy her age named Junho and they develop a relationship considered scandalous in the rigid Korean society. Eventually, the truce is signed and Sookan and her family go back to Seoul and begin rebuilding their lives. They reunite with her brothers and learn that her father is dead.
Sookan is relentless in her studies and is able to pass an examination that allows her to go to the United States for more advanced education. Junho begins attending a University in Seoul and they meet once again. He is bound for the seminary, so although there are still deep feelings between them, they understand that the two of them are destined to go separate ways.
This is an excellent story about perseverance and the value of education for young people. It would have been easy for Sookan to have lost all faith in herself and her future during their flight from Seoul. Yet, the spark burned strongly in her and she was able to pursue her dream of an advanced education in the United States. I strongly recommend this book for group reading and evaluation.

This was a wonderful book. Ms. Choi capatures the essence of Korean culture with the reality which all can say, "I know what you mean." I would recomend this book to everyone.

Echoes of the White Giraffe, by Sook Nyul Choi is a sequel to Year of Impossible Goodbyes. The theme of this book is about refugees and what their lives are like in a different place. This book focuses on the main character Sookan who is again separated from her father and brothers. The book mainly explains about Sookan's refugee life in Pusan and how she adapts and meets new people in a strange and foreign place. I personally liked the other book, Year of Impossible Goodbyes better because it was more adventurous and exciting but this book was pretty fun also. It talked a lot about her first romance and how she lived as a refugee for two years.

It is a touching novel like the ones before and after it. You have to read A Gathering of Pearls to complete the set. The title of the book matches very well with its story. The set of books let you relieve a war and its affect on one family and kid. I recommend it for a reading project or anything for history.

This book is the BEST I've ever read! Well this and the book before it, The Year of Impossible Goodbyes. When you read it, it's like your actually there.. feeling the same thing the main character (Sookan) is. You'll read about everything she wishes and her thoughts and the horrible things she goes through. You might find it hard to believe at how she finds the most simple things, and enjoy it. She does all she can to enjoy life. This is a book I have really really really really enjoyed..

And recommend it to everyone!

The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone, The: The Emerging 21st-
Century Power, Shashi Tharoor - We Indians are often so starved for some
metric -- any metric, really -- of validation that we blindly embrace
Indians of all stripes residing outside India. What else could explain
our head-long rush to claim Bobby Jindal as one of our own while
demonstrating obvious restraint for Mr. Shashi Tharoor? (For those
readers who may not know Mr. Jindal, he is the Indian-American
governor of the US state of Louisiana.) Unarguably, and just as
unfortunately, present the names of Mr. Jindal and Mr. Tharoor to any
Indian in the US and the chances are better than even that they have
pride in Mr. Jindal while drawing blanks when Mr. Tharoor's name is
mentioned. This is an egregious sin, for Mr. Tharoor revels in being an
Indian as much as Mr. Jindal repudiates it. This revelry in all things
Indian is evident in Mr. Tharoor's latest book.

He staunchly believes and defends the Indian notion of secularism, which
he maintains is not the absence of any religion, but the proliferation
of many religions, all equally protected under the constitution (a point
he makes in other books as well, most notably in India: from midnight
to the millennium). Going further, he makes the point that where
else can you find a political landscape so diverse that in the 2004
Indian elections, a Sikh (Manmohan Singh), representing a Congress party
headed by a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi), was sworn in as prime minister by
a Muslim president (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam)! It is certainly hard to argue
against that now, isn't it?

The book is great reading. Besides the weighty issues of politics,
religion, constitution, and culture, Mr. Tharoor also makes detours to
cover the light-hearted issues of ever-changing city names in India
(Bombay becomes Mumbai, etc.), and the desire to add extra consonants
and vowels in soap operas because the producers believe that this extra
letter will certainly and undoubtedly lend an air of success to the
endeavor! Oh, did I mention the fascination that Indians have with
cricket?

Any student of modern India -- be it in the political arena or cultural
one -- can ill afford to eschew the ruminations of Mr. Tharoor. My
advice: if you are Indian and really want to be proud of it, read Mr.
Tharoor and leave Mr. Jindal to his devices.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shashi Tharur's well-rounded analysis of various issues in Modern India. A must-read for non-resident as well as resident Indians !!!

I adore Tharoor's erudite and amusing writing. This book feels like home with its loving description of all that matters - cricket, family, community, cinema, history, religion and politics - in that order. The author's pet theme is the ostensibly unwieldy yet absurdly functional pluralism fed by a range of coalition memberships - geographies, cricket solidarities and common political antipathies.

I love that Tharoor describes his India as an individual experience rather than an objective concept. Tharoor subtly endorses the thumping progressive new Indians with his metaphor of an elephant who became a tiger - suggesting provocatively that the vulgarly ostentatious 'five star culture' is more authentic than the discreet opulence of the club culture. However, his intense nostalgia quite clear in the subtext of every syllable - the longing for the old names Madras and Bombay, the self-conscious diginity of Nehruvian democracy and the portrayal of St. Stephens as a modern Nalanda of sorts!

Yet, there is nothing fatalistic or too precious about Tharoor - he denounces superstition and horsocopes and doesn't mind writing that as a man he'd like to see women in elegant saris. It's the sort of nice nationalism that warms one without being too jarring or jingoistic.

I wanted to know a bit more about Indian culture and Indian history and I love this book. It's so well written. You must have some basic knolwedge of Indian history to understand it though. If you don't know who Nehru was and what the "partition" was you need to read some books before this one.
The book helped me to discover many facets of the Indian culture and society: the importance of secularism (and the current threats), the basic tenets of hinduism, the difference between north and south, the passion for cricket, the odd habit of changing cities' names, the use of the sari (or the lack of use), etc.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing more about India.

This book is a must read for Non Resident Indians. Mr. Tharoor has perfectly portrayed India in a way NRIs would manifest their experiences of their home country. Though the book is not targeted only for Indians, it has few historical & personal references that only a true Indian can understand.

The book starts with little bit of Indian history talking about "People who made my India" that includes noted Indians from all sects including politics, cricket & bollywood. The author also provides a glimpse of India's culture (spirituality, traditional family values) & tourism (experiences at Ajanta & Ellora caves, Ayurvedic resort in Kerala) followed by India's progress in this 21st century (call centers, cellphone surge). Since Mr. Tharoor has been associated with the United Nations, the facts about India's growth, outlined in the book, truly suggest that India is the 21st century's emerging power.

I really enjoyed the chapter on India's cricket legend, Sunil Gavaskar, who was my hero too when growing up. It is nostalgic the way Mr. Tharoor has written about the "little master".

This is a must read for all Indians living outside their own home country.

Easy reading, good personal story of Operation Babylift. I had previously read "War Cradle", a very wordy, messy retelling of the story. This one is much more elementary and not as detailed, but follows one boy through his life. Fascinating.

I also could not put this book down and had to read it straight through. Andrea Warren does a compelling and balanced job in telling Long's story. Not only do we gain real insight into how the war affected families and children in Vietnam, but we also learn the thoughts and hopes of children living in orphanages. As an adoptive mom, I found this to be a valuable book on many levels.

I read this straight through on an airplane and had to turn away from my seatmates so they wouldn't see me cry. As usual, Warren has written a compelling, evocative story about one child's experience, and in it has distilled an era and a place. The main character, Long, suffers through poverty and loss, then winds up in an orphanage where he vaccilates between grief over the loss of his own family and hope for a new mother. I got tears in my eyes as he said good-bye to his grandmother, who was his last surviving family member, and then again when he learned he had a new home in America. As a reader I felt his excitement and anxiety as the day approached when he would see his new family, and then his fear as the war moved from the countryside to the streets of his city. The drive to the bombed airport and the flight on the transport plane were terrifying, followed immediately by the joy as Long ran into the arms of his new mother. This story will stick with readers, both adults and children, leaving a personalized image of an otherwise hard-to-comprehend world event.

Once you start reading, you probably won't be able to put it down. This is an amazing story, with wonderful photographs. I cried twice and made my husband read it. He loved it too!
Teachers will find this useful in the classroom, for teaching about the war in Vietnam, and Long/Matt is a role model we'd be delighted to see any kid follow.

If you've loved Warren's earlier books about children surviving in difficult new circumstances (the two Orphan trains books, Surviving Hitler, and the one about the girl growing up on the prairie) you'll love this one, too. In this one, Long, the young hero, is half Vietnamese, half American. His survival depends on a pivotal airlift of Vietnamese orphans "tainted by the blood of the enemy" as the North Vietnamese are about to take over Saigon. But even before that the reader is caught up in the story of Long's mother and grandmother struggling to survive in a wartorn country.

The story works on one level for children and on another for adults -conveying how America's withdrawal from Vietnam affects the family of a boy whose young life is shaped by war. It has all the virtues of nonfiction wrapped up in a charming, moving, and compelling story. Adults and children may want to read this one together. It's a tribute to parenting, in whatever form it comes, and to the resilience of children.