Wang Books

The edition of Edward II I read was the New Mermaid Series one, which had a very good and informative introduction, and has the spelling modernized. The spelling modernization extends to place names as well as general terms. I am not sure how I feel about spelling modernization, as it is nice to see how the work was originally spelled, but it made the work very easy to read. The play itself is amazing, very engaging even though it is a history, and is mostly based on things that actually happened. The language is not as flowery as Shakespeare, but is lovely nonetheless. Some of the characters of the play are very fickle, and seem to suddenly change as you read the text of the play. (Queen Isabella goes from devoted and self-sacrificing wife to cunning adulteress.) It makes more sense on stage, and after seeing this play, it was easier to see how good it is.

Marlowe's final play is also his masterpiece. To be sure, the dramatic events in this play really did happen, but Marlowe shows himself at his best when he paints the picture. At first, Marlowe masterfully allows us to detest Edward for undoing all the fine work of his father Edward Longshanks. We also are able to feel sorry for Mortimer and Isabella. (the eventual villains). Isabella feels neglected and Mortimer can not stand to see the fine work of Edward Longshanks undone. Later, we come to have some respect for Edward II when he shows himself to have some of his father's fine qualities and he crushes the first rebellion against him with courage and intelligence. When the second uprising successful, we no longer are lead into any feelings of admiration for Mortimer and Isabella. Once they have power they are more vile and disgusting than Edward II ever was. By Act 5.1, Marlowe gives Edward II moving soliloquies and does not allow our new won pity to slack for a moment. The final scene of this play when Edward II's 17 year old son Edward III flips the tables, crushes his corrupt mother, has Mortimer put to death, and offers prayers to his murdered father is a scene that is almost unsurpassed in literature. To be sure, this did actually happen, but Marlowe not only tells us what happened, but colors it with his superb mastery of the language.

Edward the second, or to give it its full title, 'The troublesome reign and Lamentable death of Edward, the second king of England, with the tragical fall of proud Mortimer', is famous for being an Elizabethan 'Gay play', but this is only one of the subjects contained within the play. Politics, cruelty and the Feudal System are all important themes in this, one of the great masterstrokes of Elizabethan literature. The play itself is a history play, set in the 14th century featuring Edward and his previously basished lover, Gaveston, who returns after the death of Edward's father. This return enrages the barons, who were sworn to Edward's father that Gaveston would never return. This is the catalyst for a plot that races around like a cheetah on speed, culminating in one of the most excruciating deaths ever portrayed on stage. "Shakespeare? Who? Marlowe was far better!"

Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564¯1593) has faded into the background over the centuries, little remembered by the common man, unlike his contemporary William Shakespeare. But, in his own time, Marlowe was known as one of the greatest of playwrights.

This play tells the story of King Edward II, who ruled England from 1307 to 1327. Edward shocked medieval England with his openly bi-sexual relationship with Piers Gaveston, and his barons rose up against him in a series of wars, finally culminating in Edward's death. (Rumor having it that he was horribly murdered by having a red-hot iron thrust up through his rectum!)

Now, this play is not entirely historically accurate. The theatre of the day did not specialize in accurate historical portrayal, but strove to entertain. However, that said, this play does do an excellent job of telling the story of Edward and his reign, in an entertaining and informative manner in a mere 25 scenes.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting read, and I couldn't help but wonder why I have not heard of it being played today. It is still very entertaining, and you would think that modern play producers would want to put it on. This is an interesting play, one that I do not hesitate to recommend.

(By the way, just in case you didn't realize, this Edward was the effeminate son of Edward I, Longshanks, in Mel Gibson's movie Braveheart. That portrayal of Edward was well done by actor Peter Hanly, but was even less accurate than this play. I suspect that the character Phillip was based on Piers Gaveston. Longshanks did indeed hate Gaveston, but certainly never threw him out of a window!)

+++++

(Note that this review is for Dover Classics "Edward II" published by Theatre Communications Group in 1999.)

This play in five acts or twenty-five scenes, written by Christopher Marlowe (1564 to 1593, born the same year as Shakespeare) is a history play that chronicles the reign of Edward the Second. The actual name that Marlowe gave his play was "The troublesome reign and lamentable death of Edward, the second King of England, with the tragical fall of Mortimer." (Mortimer is Edward's nemesis in the play.)

The precise date of this play is not accurately known, but it is generally thought to have been written circa 1590.

Marlowe condenses, omits, elaborates, and rearranges actual historical events in order to gain dramatic effectiveness, and to bring out Edward's character and the results of his weakness. So the action in the play covers a historical period of just over twenty years (near the end of the fourteenth century) even though such a period of time is not suggested by the play itself.

Marlowe effectively succeeds in giving a true, as well as a powerful picture of the character and fate of Edward the Second. This play masterfully shows the delineation of character, the construction of plot, and the freedom and variety of the mostly blank verse.

Readers of Shakespeare's plays (especially "Henry the Eighth" and "Richard the Second") should find it quite easy to read this relatively succinct play. Even those not familiar with Shakespeare's plays or even Elizabethan drama should have little difficulty with this play. Footnotes are minimal.

Unfortunately, this play has been labeled a "Gay Play." This is not quite accurate. Edward was bisexual because he had a queen who he had a son with (the future Edward the Third) and, as well, had a male partner (named Piers Gaveston). Gaveston too was bisexual since he was not only attracted to Edward but also to Edward's niece! Edward's queen is heterosexual because she is later attracted to Mortimer after Edward starts ignoring her.

Sexual orientation is actually a small part of this play. The play is about a king who loses control of his kingdom. Edward's brother says this early on to Edward: "My Lord, I see your love to Gaveston / Will be the ruin of the realm and you."

Finally, the last scene of the play is truly magnificent as Edward's son, now King, gets revenge for his father's murder.

In conclusion, this is a great play that can be enjoyed by those who are heterosexual (like myself), bisexual, or homosexual. Also, in my opinion, this history play closely rivals Shakespeare's history plays.

(this book first published 1999; play written circa 1590; 95 pages)

+++++

Holt describes the dark period leading up to the civil war brilliantly, with new ideas instead of the normal canned answers. He uses support from the great thinkers and leaders of the time including president Abraham Lincoln. Holt continues his famed career of historical insights with this amazingly insightful story of one of the most important topics in our nations history.

In The Fate of Their Country, Professor Holt skillfully and helpfully clarifies the vexed question of slavery extension, a controversy that played an important role in dividing North and South and setting the stage for war.

This is a relatively short book, and for a reason: Professor Holt wishes to acquaint a larger audience with some of the important issues that he has covered at greater length in some of his other work. Hence this accessible introduction.

What I find so interesting about the book is that it shows rather convincingly that debates over slavery extension were often not about slavery per se. The question of extending slavery into the territories became an issue of Southern honor: whether or not Southerners actually wanted to bring slaves into, say, New Mexico Territory (none were there by 1860), the issue became a matter of principle between sections of the country that had been so often at odds in the past.

The insistence upon slavery's extension into the territories was often a matter of saving face for the South rather than (necessarily) a matter of actually desiring to bring slaves there, particularly since neither North nor South seriously expected slavery to take root in most of the places over which they argued at such length.

Moreover, the subject of slavery extension came to symbolize all the differences between North and South, including controversies over the tariff, a homestead bill, internal improvement legislation, and the like.

Professor Holt is certainly not saying that slavery played no role whatever in the coming of the Civil War. But the issue has often been misunderstood, and it is Holt's aim to provide the reader with the evidence and the historical background he needs to understand the context in which slavery extension was debated. He concludes that irresponsible politicians, for their own narrow partisan advantage, all too often exploited the issue for demagogic purposes, with (ultimately) tragic consequences. A superb book.

I have been visiting Civil War battlefields for over 20 years. The more I learned about the war, the more I wondered how it had ever happened. Michael Holt's book discusses the issues that rocked the country during the 1850's. But it also discusses how these issues affected the thinking of ordinary people in the North and the South. It helped me understand why the events from John Brown's raid to the firing on Ft. Sumter aroused such anger in the country.

Michael F. Holt makes a great argument on past historical events leading up to the Civil War. He states clearly in the preface that he is writing this book to reach a wider audience. (And from the other reviews I can see he did!)

It is a resource book containing thoughts he previously used in his books on the Whigs and the 1850's, but if you're an American History teacher or professor this book could be used in the classroom. It is a great addition to my library and would easily work in an academic setting to hit on all the major "coming of events" before the War.

The only probably I have with this book is that Mr. Holt portrays John C. Calhoun as a radical. While me might have been in the 1830's by the Mexican War and the Compromise of 1850 Calhoun predicted the future of our Contry and in his address to Congress in 1850 urged for compromise over disunion.

I still would recommend this book to anyone who wanted some straight answers to the Antibellum period of United States history.

This short book by Michael Holt is the story of politics in America leading up to the Civil War. On the one hand, Holt makes a convincing argument that political leaders between 1820 and 1860 often acted out of raw political ambition rather than what was best for the country. In calculating the risk of taking certain actions Democrats, Whigs, and nascent Republicans took into account how their decisions would most affect their own political fortunes.

While principle sometimes played a part, this can be seen in Calhoun's staunch support for slavery no matter what and Republican's anti-Southern stance in 1858 and 1680, in too many instances all that mattered was how issues can be leveraged to gain the most support for you in the next election.

This is not a new idea in Civil War histories, but Holt makes an impressive case for it in just over 100 pages. The other theses of the book, the danger of sectionalism and the need to compromise, are also portrayed well. However, it is the danger of putting one's personal interests above the national that is the main lesson of this book. I don't believe another civil war is in any way imminent, but it would be wonderful if today's politicians would relearn that lesson. This book would be a great place for them to start.

The future of the human race and its probes into genetics is considered in The Impact Of The Gene, a title that deftly blends the history of genetic research with an informative discussion of future trends of geneticbased technologies. From the initial establishment of genetics as a science by a 19th century friar to latest advancements by genetics which have affected everyday life, The Impact Of The Gene makes some pointed observations about genetics and its influence on our world.

In the mid-19th century a friar discovered the basic laws of heredity: Tudge examines the influence of Mendel's ideas from the 1850s to modern times, considering the evolution of genetics as a science, and including questions of ethics and human paths of development. A fascinating blend of biography and science.

I so much enjoyed this book that I thought I'd drop a quick review to inspire other readers...
This is probably not the best way to take one's first step into genetics, as far as the biological and technical nuts and bolts of the subject are concerned. Yet, if I were a professor, I'd make this a required reading to all students of genetics in order for them to be further introduced to the historical and ethical sides of the matter...
Starting with Mendel's biography and scientific breakthroughs, Tudge offers a guided tour through the early, pioneering days of modern biology, explains the very basics of Mendelian and molecular genetics, then swiftly moves on to discuss several important aspects, consequences and moral and practical responsibilities derived from our present advanced and advancing knowledge of biological heredity.
I think readers with no firm foundation of genetics and evolutionary theory wouldn't grasp the basics so easily from the quick overview by the author, agile and clear though it is. Any other biology textbook will obviously fill such a bill much better...
But the book's absolute forte lies both in the introductory historical perspective and in the following essays on wildlife conservation, evolutionary psychology, genetic bio-engineering and philosophy of science (better still, philosophy after the science!).
Tudge has drawn his own conclusions, and one may or may not agree with him in some respects, especially in his last chapter... But he treats many issues in a clear, informed and scientifically sensible way, and those are exactly the issues all too often hyped up or simplistically downplayed by the media and by columnists who babble on and on, all too often unaware of what exactly they're talking about, and thus unable to convey any meaningful insights to their audiences but doubts, diffidence or, even worse, passive indifference before something apparently, but mistakenly, beyond their grasp.
The principles that lie at the basis of some modern or future biotechnologies are very much understandable instead, and should belong to everyone who wants to form an educated opinion about what's going on...
A book for the novice to learn a little bit more, and for everyone to ponder. Even the ones who think they already know better...

The FIRST THIRD is a history of Gregory Mendel.
He was doomed to lead his life as a substitute teacher at half pay
in a high school because he was right and his examiner was wrong.
It often said that Darwin should have read Mendel's paper because it
solves a problem that Darwin identified with his own theory
-- that the blending of parental characteristics destroys
the variation that selection needs to work its magic.
(Nonsense! It should have been the other way around.
Mendel should have read Darwin's work and known about Darwin's problem.
As someone being ignored by the world, Mendel had oceans of time
whereas Darwin found himself at the focus of a revolution.
The essense of the issue is physical and mathematical.
Mendel was trained in physics and math while Darwin
was a naturalist, with the many eclectic, nonanalytic
demands of that profession.)

The MIDDLE THIRD of the book summarizes landmark experiments
in genetics from Mendel's time to the present.
For us nonbiology majors, the pace gets much tougher here
but these are very good explanations, and I plan
to reread this part of the book again (and again). For example,
he explains how everyone thought that genes would have to be proteins.
How could DNA, so boring chemically, provide the code for proteins
that seem so infinitely various?

The the book's title and its chapter headings in
the LAST THIRD raise our expectations. For example,

"Could we breed more intelligent people if we really wanted to?
The answer is surely yes, but (a) ... it's not easy.., and (b)
although we might readily raise the average IQ of the population,
it is not obvious that we could improve the top end.
That is, we might produce more people able to get A's at Princeton,
but [not] produce anyone significantly smarter than, say,
[quantum mechanics discoverer] Niels Bohr."

Wow! Tell us how that might come about!
After an introduction like this, I expected something beyond yet another
rehash of the horror of the eugenic attempts of the last century,
but it simply isn't here. It's a nice book,
but it doesn't reach far towards the promise of its title.

Colin Tudge is anxious to set the record straight. Despite a throng of recent critics attempting to discredit Gregor Mendel's role as the founder of modern genetic sciences, Tudge provides a wealth of supportive data to reinforce Mendel's reputation. Although some critics have disparaged Mendel's lack of scholastic acceditations, Tudge urges a comprehensive view. He stresses we should look at Mendel's environment, personal background and, most importantly his scientific methods. Tudge simply sweeps away the criticisms [with the sole exception of R.A. Fisher] as unthinking iconoclasm.

After a defence of Mendel and his contribution to biology, Tudge reviews what genes are and how they function. This in-depth overview is one of the best summations of genetic processes in print. This chapter alone is worth purchasing the book. Tudge traces the roles of DNA, RNA, the amino acids and proteins. He shows how even minuscule changes in any step in the sequence can lead to ineffective proteins. Such changes can be implemented in the development of the organism [or merely part of it] rendering it unfit to survive in its existing environment. Such change can also make the individual more fit if that environment is undergoing change. He reviews the history of discoveries concerning chromosomes, DNA [first called nuclein], enzymes and proteins. He reminds us that many of these finds were made while Mendel's work had sunk from sight. Tudge's list of the researchers involved and the dates of their discoveries is revealing for those not well-grounded in the history of biology. He shows how the many threads were brought together many years later.

Tudge addresses how the genetic ratios imply regular laws of inheritance. Tudge stresses the revolutionary aspect of this discovery and how it changed science's view of life. He notes how Mendelian genetics seemed to refute Darwin for some years. When these apparent discrepancies were later reconciled and molecular genetics arose as the science binding the two theories, limitless opportunities arose. Revelation of the DNA structure showed how genes could be identified and later used to understand their relation to the whole organism.

Tudge follows through with what has been achieved in genetic research and speculates on what the future might hold. He pulls no punches in his speculations and readers will be confronted with myriad possibilities. These shouldn't be discounted nor blithely cast aside as distasteful. His proposals are realistic and based on strong science.

This book should stand as Tudge's finest effort. He's written many books on science, with some focus on human evolution. Standing as a pinnacle among his publications, readers are urged to take up this volume intending to give it a careful read. His Epilogue carefully reviews the many ethical questions that arise from the new power that genetics has placed in our hands. He reminds us of the pitfalls that have been encountered in the past and to prepare for these in decision-making. Public policies, which ultimately rest in your hands, he reminds us, must be formulated on a basis of clear understanding of what is involved.
This book provides an excellent starting point for building that knowledge base. He warns us against letting events overtake us. Read him to stay abreast of what is transpiring.

This is an excellent book that covers all aspects of web development. To often are programmers unconcerned with the aesthetics representing the code they create. However it does not matter how functional your site is if the user cannot enjoy it, understand it and navigate it. That is where this book fits in. It is the perfect medium between the programming world and the design world. If read cover to cover this book can give even the most inexperienced reader the skills needed for professional web development. It is well organized and laid out in a manor perfect for the classroom environment. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in web development.

The book is well written and concise with many wonderful examples to support the text. The combination of both web design and web programming into a single resource is inspired.

I have been teaching Web related courses for several years now. When I received a note from the publisher's representative annoucing the textbook, my first reaction was "Another Beauty From Paul Wang" and I was right! I have copies of all books written by Paul Wang including the best-seller, five-stars book (ANSI C on UNIX). Finally, there is a book that I really can use in teaching courses on both Web Design and Web Programming. Most existing books either discuss Web Design or Web Programming but not both. I have adopted the book and I will be using it to teach my Computer Science students as well as my MBA students. The book is well-written, comprehensive, and probably is the first book that is written by people on both sides of the aisle: Arts and Computer Science. I have always believed that most computer science folks lack the artistic side of Web publishing and many people in the arts field lack the technical side of it. I believe the two authors (a well-known and famous computer scientist and author Paul Wang and a leading expert on Visual Communication Design Sanda Katila) have done an excellent job and provided us with a wonderful textbook that addresses the subject of Web development in an integrated manner. This textbook can be used by almost anyone who is interested in Web development. It is easy to read and follow and it is very interesting. Yet it is challenging and very informative. I highly recommend this book and give it a Five-Stars rating without hesitation.

This is an excellent book that covers all aspects of web development. To often are programmers unconcerned with the aesthetics representing the code they create. However it does not matter how functional your site is if the user cannot enjoy it, understand it and navigate it. That is where this book fits in. It is the perfect medium between the programming world and the design world. If read cover to cover this book can give even the most inexperienced reader the skills needed for professional web development. It is well organized and laid out in a manor perfect for the classroom environment. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in web development.

To see the book cover, detailed table of contents, and
a rich set of supplemental materials please visit the
book site: sofpower.com/wdp

What a great book, full of wisdom and valuable ideas. It's an enjoyable book to read and Mr. Wang provides countless examples that will help you become an effective networker. If you want to improve your skills and confidence, then read this book!

I am looking forward to reading his future titles.

Chien Wang is the real deal. As someone who coaches professionals and consultants on how to find clients, I recommend this book on a regular basis. Wang helps people overcome the common excuses and mistakes about networking, like " I don't have time," "I don't have the money," "I don't drink," "I'm too shy," and "I never get any business from networking."

I had the pleasure of meeting Chen Wang in Los Angeles after reading his book and he is as energetic as anyone I have met. Wang is a "connector" who puts people together and gets them involved in business activities that are beneficial and fun. His book is full of good ideas for widening one's circle of contacts and should be read by anyone in business. Nice job!

Networking can be a lot of fun if done right and Chien Wang's "It's Who Knows You" will show you how to have fun, meet great people, build relationships and grow your business. If you follow the steps he lay's out you will be surrounded with a huge Network of friends who "Know You" and that's the ultimate goal. Chien Wang isn't some professor who decided to write a networking book based on theory. Chien Wang is an Entrepreneur who has built several successful businesses by actually doing it. He has been a member of 20+ various Networking communities and still is a member of many to this day. There isn't an organization that Chien Wang hasn't visited and within the Networking community in Southern California "Chien Wang" has become a household name. The steps he lay's out in his book are based on his own experiences in finding what works and what doesn't. As he fine tuned his Networking skills, he established a Network of several thousand professionals. He was receiving so many party invites, breakfast invites, lunch invites, dinner invites, after dinner invites that before he knew it, he became the undisputed #1 Professional Asian Networker on the West Coast. Next he was being invited as a Speaker at Events and then he wrote the 2nd edition of this book, after which he was asked to speak at even more events. If you are going to throw a party or hold a networking event, Chien Wang was the first person you called because if he was your friend, he could promote your event using his several thousand strong mailing list. And if you follow his steps and learn from his experiences and use what he has learned. You too will have a Network that will propel you to the top of everyone's "Who to Know" list. Before you know it, you will be "The One" everyone wants to meet, you will be "The One" being invited to breakfast, lunch, dinner and all the Parties. Because..."It's Who Knows You"
(Note: I met Chien at a Networking Event in Early 2007 and read his first book "Its Who Knows You" (this is the 2nd Edition). Since then we have crossed paths at many Networking Events and even ended up doing business together (he mentions it in the book). So my views are based on the content of the book as well as having the good fortune of knowing Chien personally and actually seeing him put his advice into action at Networking Events)

I've experienced firsthand the whirlwind networker that is Chien Wang, and I will tell you that he practices everything he preaches. His book is loaded with personal experiences, advice, and how-to steps on exactly what to do to move your networking to another level. This is not theory; it's how-to-get-it-done in a way most have never considered before. Chien gets to the good stuff early and often. For young people, it's a great starter book; for those of us more seasoned, it's the book we wished we would have read twenty years ago. I got more than my money's worth, and I'm glad I picked it up.

Traven's Jungle series is the gripping saga of the Mexican struggle for hope and dignity.

Read this in a British translation many years ago. After all these years it remains for me the most memorable of the "jungle" novels by Traven. Of course, all of them are exceptional, and all should be read. This novel has the ring of truth, a truth that indicts the comfortable and complacent, a truth from which most of us would like to avert our gaze, but truth nonetheless. This is Traven at his most powerful.

This is a spellbinding and disturbing story about the abuse suffered by the indians of southern Mexico at the hands of the large logging companies as well as the more "elite" classes. The translation is flawed, however. For example "jefecito" is translated as "little chief" which, while being literally correct is not what is meant which is "dear chief", a term of respect given by the "inferior" indian to his boss.

This superb novel is one of several "jungle books" by the author that describes exploitation and debt slavery among the impoverished Indians of Southern Mexico in the early 20th Century.

The story centers on Celso, an illiterate young Indian trying to earn enough money to buy a wife. Celso works two years on a ranch, only to lose most of his savings in a quasi-legal swindle. He then undertakes a dangerous trip into the jungle, and contracts to work in a jungle logging camp - called a Monteria. After two years of ceaseless labor on the Monteria he tries to return home with his savings to marry. Once again he is cheated, this time by an under-handed conspiracy involving agents, contractors, and the law. Celso then tries to adjust to his situation as he joins the forced march of fellow pseudo-slaves deep into the jungle to their new Monteria. Readers quickly identify with Celso as he attempts to control his life despite an unfair system that repeatedly cheats and abuses people like him.

Author B. Traven (1890-1969) wrote with great sympathy for the impoverished Indians of Mexico, as well as other exploited workers. Traven held leftist/anarchist views, and as usual, exposes the dark sides of human nature, racial bigotry, and capitalist exploitation.

This is the third in a series of books written by Traven. They are usually called the Jungle Novels. In the first book; Government, there is a detailed explanation of the social and economic structure under the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. We see how Indian peon work on farms as serfs, always in dept to the large land owners. In some ways the first book reminded me of the books of Victor Hugo where he combines social science with novel.

In the second book; The Carreta, a young man makes his living traveling the roads of Mexico with an ox drawn cart full of goods owned by his master.

This third novel in the series is actually better than the first two in some ways. In the first novel, Traven gives a tremedous amount of social commentary, which is good, but the characters lack the cohesion and depth of a novel. In the second novel, a romance between Andres and a young runaway Indian girl becomes a marriage, but they experience one challenge after another in a system that is rigged against them.

In this third novel, Celso, a young Indian man who has assumed his father's debts and has gone to work in the mahogony plantations of Southern Mexico, must survive under the cruelest and most brutal of conditions. Celso is a more heroic character than characters in the first two novels. He is heroic in assuming his father's debts. He has a critical consciousness that allows him to make judgements about the system in which he is trapped. He begins to try to figure a way out of the system instead of resigning his fate to daily back breaking toil and death. The reader dearly wants him to escape. Therefore the reader becomes more emotionally involved in his struggel to escape from the man-destroying experiences of the Monteria, the mahogany plantations. Celso has a sense of justice and injustice that allows him to look beyond his personal circumstance and at the circumstances that entrap his people.

I bought this book (and books II and III) in college and have since begun studying anew. The book presents 15 characters a chapter then actually puts them into sentences which are fleshed out with pin yin words for characters yet to be introduced. The structure is great. I supplement book I with the Tuttle vol 1 flashcards and pull out the flashcards which correspond with each Read Chinese chapter. So far they match 99% of the time. I tried to replace this book (it's pretty old) with something newer which only uses simplified characters but was unable to find another beginning character book which is as easy to use and effective. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Read Chinese Book One is a great place to begin to learn Chinese characters. You must have a basic understanding of the Yale style of romanization and pronounciation of Chinese prior to beginning, but you can learn the grammar and the sentence structure from the introduction. I enjoyed using Read Chinese Book One the first time I read it over fifteen years ago, and I still use it as a refresher course when I want to brush up on my ability to read the Chinese Language.

This is the first book in Wang's series of readers. It teaches 300 frequently used characters in various combinations and reinforces them through repetition. By the end of this book, you will actually remember all the characters (unlike the Practical Chinese Reader series) and you will be able to continue to the more advanced books in the series. There is also a supplementary reader published by Yale titled "The Lady in the Painting" (ISBN: 0887100430). This is a full 90-page story which uses the 300 characters from this book. The other two books in this series also have corresponding readers. If you start here, you will have an excellent foundation in written Chinese with the option of progressing to higher levels of proficiency.

Note: This book uses traditional characters and Yale romanization. Yale romanization is very easy to read if you can already read Pinyin.

I agree with the previous opinions, this is a good and useful book, easy to follow the texts and it is a very well-built book with the mixed use of Chinese characters and pinyin. Even though it uses the traditional characters, it also shows the simplified ones when they are different, and at the end of the lessons there are some sentences with simplified characters also. For me it was a bit confusing that the author uses Yale romanization because I have studied international Pinyin, but after the first shock I could read the Yale romanization easily. Maybe it is easier for native-English speakers.

I just received the book, but in a glance I could know it is written by a master! It really has a phantastic method for the beginners: step by step it mixes " english-helping-words" (pyin yin) with the chinese characters! And slowly, as the new lessons come, it uses less and less pyin yin help. It works
wonderfuly! I am not so "beginner", for I could read the Lady in the Painting, but wanted to reinforce my chinese and pretend to buy the 2nd an 3rd books.Great!

This is a fantastic book. My daughter is 11 months and she absolutely loves finding the monkey at the bottom of the page. This book keeps her entertained for twenty minutes at a time - which is great for me!

My son LOVES this book. It's suitable for a 10month old, but the rounds monkeys are made of cardboard and got destroyed pretty quickly from being gnawed on. At 13 months, he knows the book by name, and I have to read it ten times a day. It's only 5 pages so not too annoying for me. :)

My 15 month old nephew loves this book. While his coordination is not so good yet that he can drop the little pog-like monkey disc in the slot at the bottom AND be able to watch it tumble, he "helps" me drop the monkey in and watches. My stepmother says her friend bought one for her two year old granddaughter and the kindergarten-aged brother loved it too. He read it to his sister and they both enjoyed it. Also, the book comes with two monkey discs so I suggest stashing one in a drawer and only leaving the kids with one at a time.

My 18 month old granddaughter LOVES this book. Matter of fact, it's a replacement for the original! Good for her coordination as there is a round 'chip' with the monkey on it that she has to put in a thin slot at the top of the page and then open a flap to get it out. Loves it!

My 14-month old loves to read this book b/c it is interactive. It comes with two little monkeys on cardboard discs. You drop the 'monkey' in a top slot and you can watch the monkey tumble down to the bottom of each page. While my little one doesn't really pay attention to the words he loves to lift the flap to find where the monkey tumbled to. It is a unique and fun concept. I'm looking for more like it.

This is the most gentle children's story you may ever read. I have loved this book since my parents first read it to me and my daughter loves it now, too. Our copy is in fairly good condition and considered a family treasure. I wish I could find another copy "just in case!" I sincerely hope this book gets re-published. It is a gem.

I recieved this book as a gift when I was a child, and it's been a favorite ever since. The photographs and the story are beautiful-a true classic.

My husband and I both had this I had this book when we were children and loved it. I would like it for my daughter but can't find it anywhere for much under $100. If anyone reads this and knows where I can find a reasonably priced copy, would you let me know?

I also read this book and loved it when a child. The copy I have is torn and well-used and still my children love it. Please post to the board if anyone finds a reasonably priced source. P.S. Does anyone know which island Susie lives?

This is a very kind book. The story and the pictures are very good. My son's teacher read it to him and now he wants to have it and to give it as a present to all his friends. I wish I was able to buy it for a reasonable price. Maybe a publisher will consider reprinting this book.

While admitting that this is really a good book, one point has to be given that - what the author described might be too optimistic, and reality is more heavy.

I mean, those who read only this book without reading more might get a partial impression. For example, I remember the author said, political prisoners are seldom killed. But 1. they really are, without even a symbolistic trial - this happened sooner after 1949, and the victims are Mr Chiang Kai-shek's party members and government workers. 2. Political prisoners are killed at selected time when needed in order to serve some special purpose (mainly as warnings to others) - this happened frequently after 1966.

I in no way doubt the reality of the author's description, but think as a foreigner his experience might be special(though more understandable by western readers). And also, the time he experienced is special - a time people died primarily from starvation, which is a pity but far less cruel, comparing to being killed purely because of opinion, and even showing attitude.

After Mr. Bao left, China society became increasingly turbulent. If he stayed there until then, I guess he wont get the mood to "thank" Mao.

Scott.

This book was first written in English I think, by the foreign journalist who interviewed Pasqualini (they spoke in French I guess, Pasqualini's mother tong; but Pasqualini spoke English also). Then it was possibly translated in French only afterwards ? Anyway, the book is available for reading in French for free right in Beijing, in the nice library of the nice new French cultural centre, opened in 2005, freely opened to everybody, including Chinese citizens, in the South-West corner of the Workers' stadium (well, you have to pay a subscription, except if you read the book in staying in the library, where there are good armchairs; and of course you have to read French). Maybe there is also a copy in English available in the excellent and famous private library & bar called The Bookworm, in Beijing, not far from the French Cultural Centre ? Otherwise, except under this French diplomatic shield, I guess that the book is forbidden in all the libraries in China, in the language departments of universities for example ? and has never been translated in Chinese as well ?
In fact the author is named only by his French name in the book in French, Jean Pasqualini (from his Corsican father's name). I guess that if he had had a Caucasian face, and not a Chinese mother, he would have never spent all these years in a Chinese prison and would have been just expelled or at least been better treated. The irony was that, even if he spoke perfect Mandarin when he went to prison, he couldn't read Chinese. At least a benefit of his prison years was that he learned how to read Chinese. What is fascinating in this book is to discover the meticulous and permanent ideological work on all these prisoners, and on Pasqualini in particular. I was expecting mainly stories of harsh life, beatings, physical torture, etc. but no, the key issue for Pasqualini was to play the permanent ideological game, or some kind of mental torture in fact, where you really have to accept to be brainwashed, at least act as if you were, otherwise you can't survive. Or course there were immense sufferings, but the irony is that they seem mainly coming from planned hunger in the prison, but that due to famine in China, prisoners seemed, even if half starving, almost better off than most peasants who happen to be described in the book (precisely in the book some high ranking guy at one stage visits the prison and complains about this situation, saying that prisoners are treated too well during the famine). When you read this book you understand much better what may have been the life during the culture revolution later on. For example, with what Pasqualini calls "l'épreuve" (ordeal ?), when tens or hundreds of people shout at you, again and again during days, during hours, when you have to publicly confess your (most of the time imaginary) horrible ideological crimes. Everybody interested in China should have read this book (as well as Harry Wu's book). A must read.

By the way the author's Chinese name BAO Ruo-Wang doesn't appear on the cover of the French edition of this book, only Jean PASQUALINI. One can easily understand the better marketing effect of a Chinese name for selling a book about the "Laogai" (name used for the past and present Chinese gulag). I don't know why they didn't use as well his Chinese name for the French edition in 1974 ?
The not-so-weird thing (in Maoist Paris in the 60's) is that it was an American journalist who, in Paris, was interested in Pasqualini's story in the first place, when Pasqualini was brought back by the French authorities from China in 1964 (at the reopening of French-Chinese diplomatic relations). He had been imprisoned since 1957 in Beijing on charge of having been a spy (what he was more or less for the US or UK military, at least before 1949). The US journalist who in fact wrote the book in interviewing Jean Pasqualini in Paris is Rudolph Chelminski (source Penguin's authors biographies: Rudolph Chelminski has written articles for dozens of national magazines, ranging from People and Time to The Atlantic Monthly, and his prior books include The French at Table. He holds a degree from Harvard and has studied at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques. Raised in Connecticut, he began living in Europe more than thirty years ago, when Life magazine dispatched him to Paris.)
Pasqualini himself says in the introduction that he was not good at writing. Of course a large part of, if not all, the merit of the story goes to Pasqualini.
Apparently the book is 'out of print' in English ? But according to amazon.fr, the book, even if published in 1974 in France is still available in French at its famous French publisher's, Gallimard. It is called "Prisonnier de Mao; Sept ans dans un camp de travail en Chine" by Jean Pasqualini and Rudolph Chelminski. The book was probably ostracized in the 60's and 70's by the French Maoist and pro-China intelligentsia, very influent in Paris (including well-known journalists, thinkers, politicians, praising Maoism and the great Culture Revolution), that's why the book is probably still available in Gallimard's warehouse... (not joking..., the famous French speaking Belgian sinologist and great writer, Pierre Rickmans, aka Simon Leys, who wrote against the Culture Revolution at the time, in the early 70's, had to leave Paris for Canberra to find peace if not save his life !)
Jean Pasqualini became a quiet Chinese teacher and translator, in France, after 1964. He died in 1997 at 71. "In 1992 he, along with Harry Wu and Jeff Fiedler, became a founding director of the Laogai Research Foundation. Illness incapacitated Mr. Pasqualini in many of the years since, but he did write a number of essays for Laogai Report, including "Beijing's Old Trick" for the February 1995 edition." [...]
Well, do read the book if you can find it. Amongst many other merits, the story is well told and well written; it's really like a good novel, and you won't leave the book until you finish it 2-3 hours later.

I've been doing China-related stuff for more than three decades. This book, which I've read three times, remains one of my favorites. No other book captures the ghastly and bizarre nature of Chinese Communism better. It's a breezy read and also touches not just on issues related to China but to all of mankind as well. Colleges and high schools should use it.

It's a crying shame that this book is not currently in print. It offers a fascinating inside look at the Chinese penal system during the trying times of the Great Leap Forward and Sino-Soviet split. Bao Ruo-Wang never loses his ironic detachment and eye for detail. Despite the grim subject matter, "Prisoner of Mao" is actually a very funny book. There's a laugh on every page!

Highly readable account of the author's seven years in the Chinese gulag ("reform through labor") beginning in 1957. Period included the "three years of suffering," when the disastrous results of the Great Leap Forward and poor harvests starved 30 million or more. Labor camp prisoners were used for experiments with anti-famine foods such as paper pulp and marsh plankton food substitutes. Bao Ruo-wang was half Corsican and he was freed in 1964 following French diplomatic recognition of China.