Rating: 
Summary: It All Depends On Who YOU Are
Review: This is one of those books where depending on how you stand with Kingston's views, it can be dull, exciting, motivational, or even offensive. You will absolutely love this novel if you are a psycho feminist, greatly interested in the "female mind," or an outraged minority. If you don't fall under any of those categories, I'm afraid to say that this can be quite an offensive book. This isn't an outcry for equal rights, it is the anger and raging emotion stored up inside Kingston, transformed into a novel. It makes it an interesting read, even if you aren't a psycho feminist, because you can really analyze Kingston and wonder what kind of mistreated person she really was.By using vague descriptions and very much first person point of view, Kingston tells the reader only what she wants them to hear. Her positive characters are female, her negative characters are male. This is not a full, accurate, portrayal of her life, it is a dim light which is only a sad reflection. I dearly hope that this depressing outlook on life this was not all she remembered from her childhood. Playing the victim, she tries to gain the pity of the reader. In some cases this is successful, and others not; she can be pitied, admired, or hated. It leaves many unanswered questions, not about the characters, or story, but about Kingston herself. I am deeply curious about her view of life. It is strange that she writes such a melancholy, dark, highly feminist novel, with a tone of misplacement and confusion; I would like to understand what her real life was like and what caused this outlook upon the world.
Rating:
Summary: A Memoir of a Chinese-American Woman
Review: _The Woman Warrior_ tells of the life of a young Chinese-American woman finding her voice amidst the "story-talkers" and the ghosts of her girlhood. These story-talkers consist mostly of her mother and other female relatives. They speak to her of an aunt living in China who was shamed into drowning herself and her baby. Another tale concerns a girl in the China of long ago raised by an elderly couple to become a warrior and swordswoman, who later returns to her village to protect the peasantry from the injustices of the aristocracy. The narrator's mother recounts to her of growing up and later becoming a doctor in China under the oppressive Communist regime. In my favorite section of the book, the narrator speaks of her mother's efforts to assist her elderly sister emigrate to America to reunite her with her husband who abandoned her years earlier to marry a much younger woman. What provides much of the poignance and pathos of this section are the vast cultural and personality differences of the timid Chinese emigree and that of the much more aggressive and intrusive Chinese-American sister. The narrator later compares the attitudes and personalities of the more rambunctous white, black, and Mexican school children with those of the silent Chinese immigrant children, especially the girls. The narrator cruelly taunts an overly shy and taciturn female classmate, hoping to force her out of her silence. Bucking tradition, later on she rebels against what she perceives are her parents' plans for marrying her off. While the narrator's methods for achieving her goals may be criticized, I disagree with those reviewers who label her as a man-hater. Hers is the struggle of a young girl eventually finding her own voice and triumphing despite growing up in a traditional, male dominated society. The last few pages of the book which describes a young Chinese mother who triumphs despite her living in isolation with her children amongst a campful of men is incredibly beautiful.
Rating: 
Summary: A multifaceted exploration of Chinese-American experience
Review: I don't think that "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts," by Maxine Hong Kingston, is an easy book to categorize. It's a blend of Chinese-American family saga, heroic fantasy, ghost story, and first-person account of growing up Chinese-American. The book is divided into five sections: "No Name Woman," "White Tigers," "Shaman," "At the Western Palace," and "A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe." Although each of these sections could stand as an independent unit, together they form a coherent and compelling whole. "Woman Warrior" features a number of compelling characters. They include a female warrior (whose story might remind you of the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), a Chinese woman doctor, and a Chinese-American girl who is navigating her way between her two cultures. Along the way Kingston addresses many issues: multilingualism, dragon lore, cross dressing, magical transformation, ghost fighting strategy, Chinese polygamy, mental illness, family relationships, and women's roles in traditional Chinese culture. Although at times a bit grim, "Woman Warrior" is also often quite lively and colorful. For some interesting companion texts that deal with comparable subject matter, try Eric Liu's essay collection "The Accidental Asian" and David Henry Hwang's play "Golden Child." For a marvelous complementary text from a Japanese-American female perspective, try Yoshiko Uchida's "Desert Exile."
Rating:
Summary: Some people just don't get it......
Review: I find it very annoying to see so many people take this book the wrong way. Kingston, through stories of relatives, myths, and personal experience, tries to describe her experience of growing up as a Chinese-American. She is not attempting to write a book that is focused on Chinese culture. Though the organization of the book can be confusing at times, it is still captivating and beatifully written. Kingston does not have a complete grasp on Chinese culture and she knows this; she was born in Oregon. BUT much of the book deals with her trying to understand how her mother's foreign ideas and stories fit into her life, and how her mother affected her development. It's really too bad that some confused reviewers label her as a "manhater" and a "racist". They obviously don't understand the book AT ALL.
Rating: 
Summary: At least she's better than...
Review: ...Amy Tan. But, they both have something in common: they misrepresent Asians. I don't expect a lot of white people to understand what Kingston has done to Chinese culture, nor do I expect white washed Asians to understand either. But, they should look up the real culture themselves and see if what Kingston is doing is right or wrong. And, I'm sure they'll find out that she is wrong.
Rating: 
Summary: If only i could give less than one star
Review: This story is indeed about Kingston's childhood but it sounds childish at the same time, with the complaint of "life is not fair." Maxine Kingston is a manhater and a racist, referring to white people as "ghosts" and africans as "black ghosts." There is no question that Maxine Kingston had a rough childhood; she was born a girl into a traditional Chinese family. Her brothers were, in all likelihood, favored over her. However, she allowed all of her troubles from her childhood to remain with her in adulthood, where mere troubles grew into a festering hatred. That hatred is undoubtedly one of the primary factors that pushed Kingston to produce this rambling, non-sequential, non-linear, painstakingly incomprehensible complaint of a novel. While not a talented writer in the least, Kingston does convey thoroughly her two main messages; "I hate men" and "woe is me."
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Summary: Review of the Woman Warrior
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: Kingston shouldn't have written a book about Chinese identity when she's not at all in touch with it. Her "experiences" are equivalent to those of a white man's claiming to be an exploited, underprivileged black woman. I dont' see why she got rave reviews, and I REALLY don't understand why her resentment for Chinese men makes her a "feminist" while Frank Chin's works challenging her false renderings of Chinese myth and history makes him a misogynist. A note to teachers: If you intend to endorse cultural sensitivity and understanding, Do not use this novel as a part of a "minority" or "cultural" unit. "Woman Warrior" is representative of a psychotic mind, and not of authentic Chinese culture.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written, Bad Representation
Review: Although the book was written well, it does not represent Chinese. I couldn't get over the fact that Kingston made Mulan a victim of Chinese male misogyny. Look up the Ballad of Mulan yourself and see if there is anything about Mulan being abused. Bear in mind, Mulan never had a tattoo. And, the Chinese character for "woman" and "slave" are not the same. And, there is no "forbidden stitch" in Chinese literature. And, Kingston misuses the word "ghost". Many feminists like this book, but don't forget, Kingston is doing this in spite of Chinese people (specifically, males)! Sure, this isn't a book of history (Kingston says she is not perserving Chinese myths and fairy tales), but I don't think it's fair to ruin the Ballad of Mulan doing it and making up phony stories about Chinese. If anybody uses this book for a term paper or a dissertation, beware! You are using a book from an author who doesn't know Chinese literature.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book
Review: This is a complex story of fact and fiction, myth and reality woven together like a fine tapestry. Maxine Hong Kingston has captured her experience as a first generation American, living between the complexity and mystery of her family's culture and the brashness (in comparison) of American culture. Her parents immerse themselves in a Chinese culture that has been transplanted to the US. But as a child, the protagonist of the story must attend American public schools and becomes her parent's link and translater to the US they have to deal with. This is also an empowering story for women. Until I read this book, I didn't know of too many female mythical heroes. This book is crammed with heroines, real and imagined. The protagonist fights her way through the two cultures that are pulling at her and reaches maturity on her own terms.
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