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Editorial Content for A Hundred Flowers

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Alexis Burling

In February of 1957, Chairman Mao Zedong made what most political theorists considered an unthinkable move. In what was later termed the Hundred Flowers Campaign, he called for a relaxation of constraints upon Chinese intellectuals, inviting an open and ongoing critique of the Communist party. Inevitably, the policy backfired after the CCP buckled under the weight of heavy criticism, and thousands upon thousands of people were imprisoned and sent to penal colonies or executed for their “crime” of speaking out against the government. Read More

Teaser

 

At the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1957, Kai Ying struggles to hold her family together after her husband is sent to a labor camp as punishment for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party. When her young son breaks his leg, she must come to terms with the shattering reminder of her husband's absence. Meanwhile, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is failing.

Promo

At the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1957, Kai Ying struggles to hold her family together after her husband is sent to a labor camp as punishment for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party. When her young son breaks his leg, she must come to terms with the shattering reminder of her husband's absence. Meanwhile, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is failing.

About the Book

A powerful new novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
 
China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying’s husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for “reeducation.”
 
A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles 30 feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg.
 
As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband’s absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

Editorial Content for What Happened to My Sister

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Terry Miller Shannon

Everyone in Hendersonville, North Carolina, knows that nine-year-old Carrie Parker is a murderer, having shot and killed her vicious stepfather in order to save her mother's life. She is shunned in her town for being at the very least peculiar, but more likely crazy. Carrie wants more than anything for her mother to love her, and so she tries very hard not to get on Momma's nerves. She knows Momma hates it when she watches her, so she tries to only look at her secretly. Read More

Teaser

 

In this follow-up to ME & EMMA, nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother have fled their small North Carolina town for a fresh start, when they meet another mother-daughter pair, Honor and Cricket, with a troubled past of their own. Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, especially when they discover a surprising secret that could change both of their lives forever.

Promo

In this follow-up to ME & EMMA, nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother have fled their small North Carolina town for a fresh start, when they meet another mother-daughter pair, Honor and Cricket, with a troubled past of their own. Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, especially when they discover a surprising secret that could change both of their lives forever.

About the Book

From the author of ME & EMMA comes a dazzling novel of two unforgettable families bound together by their deepest secrets and haunted pasts --- perfect for fans of THE SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES and THE BOOK OF BRIGHT IDEAS.

Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbulent past behind them. Violence has shattered their family and left Libby nearly unable to cope. And while Carrie once took comfort in her beloved sister, Emma, her mother has now forbidden even the mention of her name.
 
When Carrie meets Ruth, Honor and Cricket Chaplin, these three generations of warmhearted women seem to have the loving home Carrie has always dreamed of. But as Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, neither can escape the pull of their families’ secrets --- and uncovering the truth will transform the Chaplins and the Parkers forever.
 
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