The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston & Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
Both about Chinese women and their American daughters & granddaughters.
The Kingston I remember getting into more, because it takes a Chinese folk tale (the same story "Mulan" was based on) and maps it across the author's search for identity. Plus it has a lady defeating a nuisance ghost by *eating* it.
The Tan is better than you'd ever guess from the best-seller status or the horrible, tear-jerking movie.
Better than both of those, however, is Monkey, translated by Arthur Waley, written by Ch'Eng-En Wu. It's a central myth in the culture, and an indispensable story for monkey-lovers. Plus it's big fun. |
