The Library in January: CHINA

by Debbie Adler

Happy Lunar New Year! The Year of the Wood Snake begins on January 29, 2025 and is a time for growth, creativity, and introspection. Let’s harness the energy of the Wood Snake by spending more time in the library!

Special thanks to library patron Janice Williams for researching the book display topic and bibliography for January: CHINA.

Why do Chinese novels stand out in the literary world? Chinese novels are often celebrated for their rich storytelling, intricate and complex character development, and deep cultural insights. By embedding their culture, beliefs, and historical contexts into their narratives, Chinese authors not only showcase the beauty and complexity of their heritage but also invite readers to reflect on universal themes of love, conflict, and morality.

January’s book display features Lisa See, who is acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling. Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls chronicles the lives of two sisters who come to Los Angeles in arranged marriages and face, among other things, the pressures put on Chinese-Americans during the anti-Communist mania of the 1950s. The sequel, Dreams of Joy, focuses on Pearl’s daughter Joy who travels to Shanghai to find her birth father, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime and the Great Leap Forward.

Lisa See’s latest novel, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, became a Goodreads nominee for Best Historical Fiction. Set in 15th-century China under the Ming Dynasty, the novel is inspired by the true story of a woman physician who struggled to break free from traditions imposed by her arranged marriage in order to help women with their illnesses.

More to explore:

Melissa Fu’s Peach Blossom Spring, a beautifully rendered novel about war, migration, and the power of telling our stories, Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home.

Eve Chung’s Daughters of Shandong, a propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China. This is Eve Chung’s debut novel based on her family story.

James Zimmerman’s The Peking Express, the thrilling true story of train-robbing revolutionaries and passengers who got more than they paid for in this Murder on the Orient Express style adventure, set in China’s Republican Era.

Helen Zia’s The Last Boat out of Shanghai, the dramatic real life stories of four young people caught up in the mass exodus from Shanghai in the wake of China’s 1949 Communist revolution.  The lives of these men and women are marvelously portrayed, revealing the dignity and triumph of personal survival.

Happy New Year and happy reading from the library volunteers!

Pictured is Liz Caldwell, library volunteer extraordinaire!