Finally decided

I went to the Malden Library in search of my next book after Woman Warrior. I was sad to find that most of the readings I wanted were not there, meaning I had to order them from another library or purchase them. Seeing that I needed to start reading right away since any book from my choice is about three hundred pages, I just decided to take what was there. So I ended up with Trip Master Monkey: His Fake Book. I started right away. The beginning was slow, though the plot seemed promising. This is after all a fiction book. Though I really hated that Kingston decides to put points in it from Woman Warrior, and makes it completely the opposite as to what she wrote before. For example, in the first book, she would write about being Chnese and some things that just happen in the family, things that I understood because my parents do them as well. In this book though, not only does Kingston insaults and mocks them, she falls into stereotyping Asian Americans. The worst part is that the main character is Asian American and fits the stereotypical description. THat was a major let down. After that point, the book continued downhill. I hated that Kingston is so unformal in this book. Swears are littered everywhere and once again, Asian words written in english doesnt make sense, unless I try to figure it out, which is sad because those who don't speak Chinese will never get it because there is not English translation for it. As of now, I can honestly say I hate the book and I would not have continued to read if I didn't have to read for the assignment, or better yet because it is too late now for me to start over in a three hundred somthing pages book that is to be finished reading in less than a week along with my regular studies. Oh well.

This book is so confusing. Maybe because the main character is a poet and many things seem to confuse me about poetry. Though I am surprised to find many quotes from other books that I have read. So far, there are defenetly not as many notes that I took for this book compared to the last. It is just not as interesting. Besides that, I hate that Kingston creates a story inside a story which confuses the heck out of me. Either she doesn't explain well, or I just don't get any clues what so ever. I am largely disappointed on this book.

But there is still hope. It is the monday before the research is due, which is Friday, and I am a little over half finished. This seems to be where the interesting part just starts. Hopefully it will get better, but either way, just because it took so long before I actually got interested in it, I would still say that this book is a disappointment. Another sad part about this is that so far, I have not found anything that can connect to the other book besides Chinese culture. I cannot find the "deeper meaning" or the "true character" of anything. It does not speak to me, it does not seem to mean anything, just somthing I have to read is what I feel like right now. Sad.

Woman Warrior

A picture I found of Kingston portrayed as the story-tale woman warrior, Fa Mu Lan.


Happy New Year guys! I am about a day late, but I am glad to say I am finally finished with The Woman Warrior. I admit, I slacked again during the beginning of the vacation, but it is vacation after all. Overall, I think I would have liked the book more if I did not rush to finish it and also because sometimes I feel that I was trying to analyze a passage that might not be all that important. All in all, it was a good, book, thought slow at times. It has its funny moments and others that touch deeply and go hand in hand with Chinese culture. I did enjoy the book, but I also wished at times it was a faster read. Hopefully if I am lucky I would be able to finish a good amount of the second book before school starts again. I am questioning on the amount of books I am suppose to read. It says two books worth, and since my author is a memoir writer, do I just read two books? I have tried to look for other writings such as essays or articles, but there are very little and I am also unsure of some. Kingston does have a blog, but the last time I checked, there were only two posts. So I am a little confused on where to go next after the other book. Any suggestions?



About the book:
I do feel a little stupid, I reread the title after finishing the book and realized in smaller print under the main title, there was a line that says "Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts." which I now find very funny. For most of the second half of the book, Kingston used the noun ghosts to refer to any race other than Chinese. Kingston merges and argues for herself growing up as a female in an Asian American family which see women as subordinate to males. I feel that her most important and overarching argument is to establish a place for Asian American females growing up. At the very last moment, Kingston pinpoints a lot of problems that she has with there mother. The culture and beliefs of her Asian parents contrasts so much with that of American culture, that Kingston at first, does not know how to adapt to how to react towards it. Eventually the anger builds, and Kingston discovers on her own, the true meaning of become and Asian American. She is constantly defending the acts of women. At times I feel that Kingston is actually blaming her parents, or Chinese culture in general, for her childhood sufferings and misunderstandings. The book started with Kingston as a young girl just starting menstruation, and goes through her teen life, the part of discovery, and she continues to show herself lost and confused as an Asian and also as an American.

The next book:
I am still debating between reading China Men which is almost a sequel to The Woman Warrior, or Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book. As of now, the second book sounds more interesting because after reading Woman Warrior, I do not want a book that has the same feel towards it considering that both of the choices I have now are three hundred pages plus. Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book seems a lot more interesting, not a memoir though comopared to China Men, which is a memoir. But I do believe we are allowed to read fiction and I thought about comparing her roles of women and men, since in Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book, the main character is a male Asian American facing stereotypes. What do you guys think?