Hawai'i One Summer is a slim collection of luminous essays reflecting diversal topics ranging from surfing to house chores. Indeed, this is the least read book by Hong-Kingston. Her prose is clear and evocative. It is very different from the radical Woman Warrior. It evokes a zen quality, like sipping a soulful cup of ginseng tea.

HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER is probably Kingston's least-read work, but I think it's the piece which captures this writer's clear and graceful prose style the best. Her essays range from surfing to dishwashing. Who'd ever guess that someone could write a substantial essay on a mundane activity like dishwashing? Well, Maxine Hong Kingston achieved this task. HAWAI'I ONE SUMMER would probably be good to use in an expository writing course.

A memoir of Maxine Hong Kingston's memorable years in Hawai'i, when she went from Viet Nam protests and virtual street existence to pedagogies and mythologies of empowerment that took on national and global impact. This, I find, an insightful, wry, even caustic book on the local literature movements in Hawai'i, always fresh and insightful even when New Yorkerish.

Thich Nhat Hanh has updated the traditional Buddhist precepts in this book. His version goes beyond "do not kill," for example, to be mindful of that we might be killing inadvertently. He makes us aware of the broadness of the precepts and thus encourages us to be more mindful. If we are not mindful, we break the precepts. Therefore, he calls them Mindfulness Trainings. Thay's approach frames the precepts in a way that is helpful in our daily life. He makes them relevant.

In a world of deceit, excess, killing, lying and stealing, the present moment works with faith FOR A FUTURE TO BE POSSIBLE by enlightenment from the Buddha, the practice of love and understanding, and ever bigger and greater numbers of communities seeking wisdom, harmony and awareness. Art and meditation send energy into cell nutrition and nervous system health. Mindfulness teaches respect for all life, generosity, responsibility, careful speech and healthy diet for concentration and insight. Nobel Prize winner Thich Nhat Hanh's book is a beautifully reader-friendly steppingstone to THE GOOD HEART by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, AWAKENING THE BUDDHIST HEART by Lama Surya Das, and LOVINGKINDNESS by Sharon Salzberg.

This is a dreamlike memoir that evokes the state of being a stranger in a strange land. What I especially like is that there is nothing sentimental about the book, but there is humor as well as pathos.

When I read The Woman Warrior, I was amazed by the quality of the detail with which Maxine Hong Kingston describes life in San Francisco's China Town during the 1940's. As she tells the story of her life, she simultaneously integrates old myths into her story. The story is truly moving. It is very easy to read, and gives the reader a flavor of Chinese culture. Definately one of the better books that I read last year.

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston is a powerful piece of autobiography from a female and spiritual point of view. Kingston's family originally came from China and later emigrated to the U.S. The book is seen as influential because it confronts many aspects of women's lives, which are repeated in different cultures and places, especially the male-female relationship and attitudes to that relationship within the community.
In the autobiography The Woman Warrior, Maxine Kingston struggles with her identity, which reflects her points of view toward gender differences. Maxine Kingston wants to show the audience that she is a woman warrior. She described her personality, her mind, and her gender by 'talk stories'. Kingston is a symbol of feminism because she stands up for
her woman beliefs. She demonstrates how she feels about the world's outlook on woman throughout the book.
From the very beginning of her life story Kingston reveals her childhood as a female. She shows the reader her mothers feelings about her Aunt who killed herself in the well
because her pregnancy by adultery. She states how her father would not admit to having a sister because of the humiliation she caused them. This story is very intense and detailed,
which starts the book off with the introduction of how women were portrayed in China.
Maxine's mother tells her this story because she wants her daughter to be the perfect female for their family. "Don't let your father know I told you. He denies her. You wouldn't like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful." This is frightening for Kingston because she feels that women are being watched to make sure they are behaving the right way for society dominated by prominently one sex.
Kingston shows us how she overcomes this womanly figure by turning into a warrior. She presented the belief that despite gender differences, as long as one is tenacious and determined, one can suffice in the admiration of others by his or her heroic scenes. She spoke this idea through her story about becoming a warrior and displacing the emperor of China with someone who could 'understand the hunger and the cries of the poor'. Her gender was proven to herself that she could be whoever she wants whether society agrees with her or not.
Kingston's book describes a diverse aspect of the behaviors of immigrants from her home village. Kingston perpetrated one of the most disturbing scenes about a man emotionally and physically abandoning a woman who's dependent on him. Her aunt, Moon Orchard, came all the way from their home village in China to the United States only to find out her husband had married someone who is much younger and prettier and started a brand
new life. After the cruel good-bye by her husband, Moon Orchard's serious depressing state of mind sent her to the Mental Institution where she found salvation.
Maxine Kingston's life tells her readers that people need to be proud of their gender whether male or female and as individuals we do not need to live up to anyone's expectations. We represent ourselves with unique characteristics.

This is the autobiography of a Vietnamese Buddhist nun who spent her life trying to help people whose lives were devastated by the wars. Because of her close association with Thich Nhat Hanh, it is to some degree an informal history of his activities as well. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is her frustration with the American peace movement. Her life (and his) are both quite inspiring, so this is a challenging and uplifting book. I would happily reccomend this book to anyone interested in Vietnamese Buddhism, the war and the peace movements, or Vietnam in general.

This book presents a side of the Vietnam War that few know about. Most people have seen the horrifying films of the Buddhist monks burning themselves alive in protest to the war. This is but one of the powerful stories that this book tells in depth. It is filled with incredible stories of devotion, resilience, and love.

I totally disagree with the "library journal" review. Not only was this book inspiring, heartwarming, and unique, it told a tale of a woman who defied so many odds by transforming her suffering into the desire to help others move forward into peace. I have read many books by Buddhist scholars before, but none as simple and biographical as this. It was heartbreaking at times; hearing about killings, learning about lost loved ones, learning true love, all of this is conveyed in such a way that you feel you're actually there.

There is no broken English in this book, I don't know what the review is talking about. There's only one typo that I found in the entire book, and it was typing error, not a grammatical one. This book should be on your priority list: if you give it a try, you'll find that you want to keep it in your collection forever. It's a priceless concentration of thoughts that move and inspire you, both to touch suffering and not to despair when faced with challenges.

The Lover is DROP DEAD GORGEAUS. This novel is an emotional masterpiece that is a true story. The North China Lover is another book by Marguerite Duras and is also based on that ravishing affair. There was a dazzling motion picture of this novel that is masterful and I have never seen a film in my life that adapted a novel so well because in the exact same words and what the characters did were just outstanding on the silver screen. In the film the characters were the young Marguerite profoundly played by Jane March (who looks exactly like Marguerite Duras) and the man from cholon china passionately played by Tony Leung. The Lover is the best book ever, The best film ever, and the best soundtrack ever by Gabriel Yared which is beautiful and is outstanding for the book and the movie. This SUPERIOR MASTERPIECE by Marguerite Duras is about the intense,the passionate,the unforgettable, the haunting,and deeply forbidden affair between a poor fifteen year old french girl with serious problems back at her home in Sadec Vietnam and a wealthy engaged older chinese man in prewar Indochina. Duras' writing is so deep she paints the pictures of the intense, perfectly (and passionately) explicit and torridly scandelous experiances of the real lovers that are like nothing you've ever seen or experienced. This is a stunningly touching achievement that captures and embraces the incredible essence in sexual awakening,human love, and the deepest passion we all have inside. The Lover is like our deepest most intense fantasy put into words and it makes you feel much better because this happened. Anyone who is looking for a deeply erotic, melodramatic,amazing,sensously mesmerizing, and gripping story of mature love and sensual desire combined with continuously over the top erotica it will surely blow you away. I completely reccomend this breathtaking masterpiece.

A curiosity of between a fiction and a true story makes me read this book. I really like "the Lover", it's one of my favorite book to recommand others, even though I don't like much Duras.

The writing is so short, like pieces of puzzle, there is no order to explain. Duras wrote what she felt, thought spontaneously in a paragragh after another. This book is descriptive and the flow of feelings is so delicate. Especially, the reflections about the life that Duras explained in this story, are truly profound and even sorrowful for me.

There is no tension, no exposed conflict, the story moves so still like the calm ocean. The tranquility in rich thoughtful description, that's why I like this novel.

I have read this book 126 times. Every time I read it I learn something new. A lot has been said about the power of its content, the story of passion and longing and the mysteries of love and death. But its true brilliance comes from its form, the WAY in which the story is told. A single image is unfolded and within it we find all the mysteries of life opening and closing, coming clear for a brief moment, then vanishing. I do not think any other book has the same form as this one. This is why it is brilliant. Duras created something utterly unique. All the 'rules' of structure are tossed away. Passages flow one into the next and the connection between them is both seamless and invisible. It may seem random, or intuitive, at first, but as you look deeper you will find there is a deliberate order whose subtlety is unsurpassed, a work of power.
Another interesting point for writers comes from comparing this book with Duras' earlier book, 'The North China Lover'. This other book tells the same story, without any of the depth or power of 'The Lover'. I believe it was a first draft, and 'The Lover' is what became of that first story after years and years of editing and distillation. The contrast between the two is a good lesson in how and why to edit what you write.

China Men, written by Maxine Hong Kingston, is a novel that addresses the meaning of being Chinese American. Each chapter and section of the book is a separate story concerning Chinese history written from many different perspectives. The stories include old Chinese folktales, families in China that send their men to America and Hawaii, Chinese from the mainland living in Hong Kong, first generation Chinese families in America, the children of those families, and so on. The connection between each chapter is hard to grasp, although it is important to realize that it is based on many generations and relatives of one family. The complexity of Kingston's writing style not only is impressive, but also makes China Men a good book to read more then once.

The book, China men, was an unveiling of the life-stories of Chinese men proceeding to the West in the early 20th century. It was a repulsive collision between the eastern worldviews with the West. The East's attempt to blend into the Western society was the main essence of the book. Maxine Hong Kingston revealed details of the men in her family who went to America, the so-called "Golden Mountain."

In the book China men, the book setting switched from time to time, and characters to characters. The book isn't in sequential order or chronological order; it was an attempt to seek order out of disorder. This type of arrangement enhances the reader's thinking to proceed to further complicate intellectual thoughts. The disconnected stories were very confusing but however, all the chapters that seem totally unrelated were interrelated in a sense.

At the beginning of the book, the author, Maxine Hong Kingston gives specific descriptions of various aspects of life in China. It was a symbolism of the eastern worldview. The cultural background is an important part of the life-journey. Each individual has an identity, and the cultural background is a part of a person's search of their true identity. Further more into the story Maxine emphasizes on the Chinese culture and traditions.

Later on in the book, Kingston continues to the call to adventure. This is a very important turning point of the book. Baba, the father, became bored of grading papers at school one night and went to attend a talk meeting with people from the village. People of the village were talking about stories on the "Golden Mountain" in the meeting. The more they talked, the more interested the people got. At the end, they all decided to go to the "Golden Mountain" and bring riches back to China. They viewed America as a land of gold, the country of opportunities. All the stories that the men brought back to China were exaggerations and it created a "Golden Illusion". It gave the Chinese the wrong sense of what America really is. It is very normal to be tricked by the mask. The wrong interpretations of America were in a way a mask that disguised America. It made the Chinese believe in something that was not true. Anyway, the Chinese gave into it and went to America. Maxine then further emphasizes on how the Chinese traveled half the planet to get to America. There were rough times. The Chinese went through lots of trouble to get to America.

The book progresses to a totally unrelated story. It began talking about characters called Ed, Woodrow, Roosevelt, and Worldster. I doubt the validity of this section of the book. In the book, these people were characterized as Americanized people. They were people that had American names. They drove cars, danced with American women, shop for hundred-dollar clothing, and flew an airplane. These are almost impossible things that could've happened for the early Chinese immigrants. I believe that this section of the book is strengthening the golden illusions of the Chinese. At the same time, it could also be providing a secondary illusion of America to the reader.

Throughout the book, Kingston gives stories of the men of her family that went to America. Kingston emphasizes on the awkward feeling of Kau Goong (Grandfather's) burial. After the burial ceremony, mother burned Kau Goong's clothes and shoes. She gave the pallbearers red paper with money inside it to the kids. It was meant to end the death and begin the luck again. This is a type of Chinese tradition that Chinese still follow nowadays. But this is a significant act. It is a symbolism of the death and rebirth experience. This could be suggesting that the Chinese Americans, had spiritually been rebirth to become Americans. Although they may carry hope all the way from China, but there are Americans. That is when they were eating in the restaurant and everyone was behaving in a way as if there was no funeral a moment ago, which is the American way. While in China, the people would be crying and making religious offerings to the person whom pasted away.

Is Kao Goong an American? What is his identity? The true identity of an individual doesn't necessary have to be determined by the place that they were born. For example, in Greek myths, often times the hero searches for the identity in his journey rather than that he was given the identity at birth. I believe that Kao Goong found his true identity in America and that he is truly a "man of the golden mountain". This cemetery incident is a really symbolic part of the book that is rich in psychic energy. It integrated the historical content and the mentality of Chinese Americans and it was expressed in the form of fiction. This incident symbolized a very important part of the Chinese experience in America.

At the end of the book, the heroes looks back at his journey and realizes that everything was just an illusion. All the hard work, all the sweat and heart that's been putted in were for nothing. Although they were Americans inside their heart, but they feel the sense of non-acceptance because of their Chinese descent and physical appearances. They realized that it was all a "deterioration of the golden illusions". But the hero, unstoppable with his passionate heart, will continue in the divine cycle of the journey and keep walking down the path of life. That is just how the China Men from Kingston's family kept on coming and coming, thus they will never give up to whatever obstacles may stand in their way.

China Men, is a captivating autobiography that is more than a history book: as her second novel, Maxine Hong Kingston captures historical fact, Chinese mythology and ethics and her personal family story blending these ingredients to create a novel that makes the reader think. Storytelling the experiences that her father, grandfather and other male relatives encountered in their individual travels to America, Kingston's lyrical and distinct style looks into the true story of Chinese immigration. Written in a very patriarchal voice, China Men describes the four generations of Kingston's family, their adventures in playing their part in different stages of the Chinese American story. Beginning with the mystery of her father's journeys to the "Gold Mountain", through to the great grandfather who built railroads, one of the great Chinese experiences, and ending with the story of her brother who was to fight for America: Kingston takes us into her families soul and leaves us with a sense of knowledge of how important it is to listen, not to neglect our history and to pass our stories on. The experiences of Kingston's father, the open ended explanations of his becoming a citizen was especially interesting, as his story was never truly clarified. This did not leave me confused, but instead the tragic and entertaining stories let me understand the difficulty and curiosity that is involved in understanding your personal past. Throughout the novel, there is connection to the character of the father; the author's ambition to understand her father and her history better: to bring the past to life. The fact that Kingston is a woman does not stop the continuity of the man's story. China Men deals with her families ever-changing view of where home is: never quite letting the reader into her own mind, I hope that is a story yet to come

I really do not want to write a bad review of Maxine Hong Kingston's work. Her "Woman Warrior" and "China Men" were wonderful. And she is a wonderful person. But that make me all the more disappointed with "Tripmaster Monkey."

I am quite familiar with post-modern novels, and I find Milan Kundera's roaming meanders and flying leaps a very pleasant read. So my reaction is not to post-modern style but rather to her application of that style.

There are so many layers upon heavy layers of self-indulgent baggage to plod through that reading the book became a nightmarish experience. I always try to read at least 100 pages of any book before abandoning it -- and I abandon books only very rarely. But after 68 pages of "Tripmaster Monkey", I simply could not go on, and I put it back on the shelf.

I may someday try it again. But I doubt it.

It is hard to believe that "Tripmaster Monkey: His ... Book" is by the same author who wrote "The Woman Warrior." Maxine Hong Kingston's "Tripmaster Monkey" is her first "novel" (though by no means her first foray into fiction), and it is easy to see why there was a nine year gap between this book and "China Men." Kingston's novel, centring on a young, literary minded Chinese American man named Wittman Ah Sing, is meticulously researched and detailed, bringing to life the issues and fads of the mid-1960s Bay Area literary scene. Wittman, largely without an Chinese/Asian American literary tradition, has to overcome (white) racist assumptions of "the artist" in order to produce his truly American play without it being reduced to some "exotic" or "Oriental" exercise in Asianness. Despite the seriousness of Wittman's self- and community-driven mission to be taken seriously as an artist despite the racist assumptions that attempt to stifle his creativity, the novel is extremely funny, witty and surreal. Wittman disturbs a girl he is infatuated with by proclaiming "I am really: the present-day USA incarnation of the King of the Monkeys." Wittman is fired from his department store job because he puts "an organ-grinder's monkey with cymbals attached to its hands" on ..., for customers (children) to see! Wittman's parents abandon his honorary grandmother PoPo high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to die, and she is later rescued by a wealthy man who just happens to be seeking a wife! In many ways, Kingston's rendering of the surreal, "tripmaster" (mental and physical) wanderings of Wittman resemble the textual flow of the post-"Moby Dick" novels by Herman Melville. As with those later Melville novels, Kingston's own novel is often angry, but is also frightfully funny and filled with accurate observations of life, love and the role of art, religion, philosophy and national identity in society.

It is little wonder that many people will dislike this book. After all, it assumes an advanced reading skill; the ability to follow a disjointed, post-modern narrative; and a spohisticated view of what literature ought to be. Some folks just aint got the stones for that. Poor dears, they are just, well ... let's just say they are limited.

See, there is more to books than just telling a simple story. Sometimes you need to be challenged. That is what really great books do. They challenge the reader to actually flex their minds. Tripmaster does just that.

The story of Wittman's (mis)place in society is a journey of self discovery for both himself and the reader. It brings up obstacles and barriers, both real and imagined, and forces the Wittman/reader to confront them.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Every page had a tangible flavor, and it was a pure joy to see the english language used so deftly. It also helped that I too, like the characters in this novel, am an alumnus of Cal.

Now I totally understand that not every book needs to be challenging or use complicated verbal gymnastics to be considered great. But to off-handedly criticize this book for being a mess or a waste of time reflects more on the readers severe limits and mental weakness rather than the book's.

I first read Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior when I was in 10th grade and I fell in love with it! I am Asian American myself and I could relate to various aspects in the novel. However, a lot of the novel can be confusing so I was not sure if I had gotten enough out of it. So, when I saw this book, I had to buy it! I wanted to know her thoughts and feelings about the book and everything else. I was not disappointed! This was a great supplement to her novels and a great read in general. If you are a fan of Maxine Hong Kingston, this is a definite must have!

I'm taking a class from one of the guys who compiled the book, and for starters let me say twenty bucks is a damn good deal for a textbook. This one is meaty too. Very interesting prefaces for each selection of writing, as well as essays about each period. A must for anyone curious about Mythic California and the writers who, well, wrote about it. Great stuff by Twain and other biggies. My favorite pieces are those giving a glimpse into Californian mining camps. The one downfall of this book is that it would have been difficult interpreting the native american stories had I not been takeing a class concurrently. The essays written by the editors about the decimation of the native population, the subsequent eviction of Mexicans were much more insightful than the native pieces themselves. There are also pieces by descendants of native peoples, which give insight.

Maxine Hong Kingston's _The Woman Warrior_, details Kingston's early life in America. People who want to read on how the American culture affects other cultures and vice versa should read this book.

In the book, Kingston details stories her mother told her. She discusses an aunt who was exiled from her family, her mother's practices as a midwife in China, as well as some Chinese folklore. She describes how these stories formed early opinions of America. Her mother's stories of ghosts gave Kingston a view of Americans as ghosts. She also develops a story of her own. She uses woman warriors such as Mu Lan as a guide line and creates a story in which she is a great hero. She also describes how her mothers personality guided her in life. At times Kingston would use her mother's strength as her own model, at other times her mother's techniques would be an embarassment to Kingston.

The book can be confusing at times. The book does not follow a straight chronology. It is sometimes difficult to tell at what time in her life certain events occur. It also difficult to keep track of people. The book also draws vivid pictures of the communist takeover in China. This would not be good reading for anyone easily disturbed.

The book was, overall, an interesting look into a vary different lifestyle. It shows the friction between American and Chinese lifestyles, and the friction that occurs when growing up in both cultures simultaneously.

I read this book in an honors lit class in college, at the age of 36. This book is jarring, beautiful, painful, memorable, exquisite, and transformative. I have no personal experience with the X-American experience (chinese-american, african-american, etc.), and still this marvelous book speaks to me with an eloquent and imaginative voice. Anyone who has ever felt marginalized in any way can identify with this story.

The story of the woman warrior, Fa Mu Lan, sat in my brain for a couple of years, percolating and resonating. Before riding out into battle, Fa Mu Lan's parents carve the family history into her back so she will carry her strength with her into battle, and so that her body can still be used as a weapon if she's killed ("look, this is what we're fighting for."). Two years ago I had kanji characters tattooed down the length of spine describing MY strength. I always tell the story of this book and Fa Mu Lan when people ask about my spine. I really mean it when I say this book profoundly affected me.

If you are interested in a beautifully-told story of identity formation and development, of struggles at the margin, of power gained through adversity, of lyrical wonder, this is the book for you. The individual chapters are kind of stories unto themselves, and they string together like Chinese lanterns to shed a beautiful light on your journey. READ THIS BOOK. I'll be glad you did.

I must say that I am absolutely appalled by some of the reviews I have read on this page. Some of these reviews are obviously from the voices of ignorance. Maxine Hong Kingston's book is excellent. I read of my own free will as a college student majoring in Asian Studies. As a White reader I was not given a negative image of Chinese people or their culture by this book. I have the profoundest respect for Chinese people and their culture and that is why I want to live in China and to study Chinese culture as my life's work. Kingston utilizes a common literary device of many western writers. She takes a well known legend and adapts it and retells it in a new and creative way, a way that has not been explored or told before. Her point is not to tell the story of Fa Mulan verbatim. She is adapting the story to her own life, which I must say is probably much more interesting than the life of the reviewer from Oak Park, Michigan. If she was a white male writer her use of this literary device would probably be hailed as inovative and daring but her position as a female minority writer using this technique gets her criticized. I personally recommend this book to any one interested in reading the experience of ONE Chinese American woman. It is not the definitve story of the experience of Chinese American women, nor does it try to be, but it is a very vivid, disturbing, and well written account of one woman's life.