Rating: 
Summary: A Great Compliment to Kingston's "The Woman Warrior"
Review: After reading Kingston's "The Woman Warrior," I thought I'd read "China Men." I am not disapointed at all. "China Men" is an excellent biographical work that recounts the lives of Chinese men in America from the 1840s to the Vietnam War. Although Kingston uses as much Chinese myth in this book as she does in "The Woman Warrior," she apparently decided to keep the mythology and biography more separated. Even so, Kingston's stories and the way in which she recounts them is absolutely splendid.
Rating: 
Summary: My thoughts on China Men
Review: China Men is very different from any I have ever read in that the stories seem not to have any correlation. It is not until you read further into the book that you realize what the link is. This book seems to have an almost educational value for those who want to learn more about Chinese immigration. It retells the happenings and events of what a typical Chinese american went through. This book is told in a first person way that just seems to bring those happenings to life. Maxine Hong Kingston does a wonderful job and I recommend this book as a wonderful way to learn more about chinese immigrants.
Rating:
Summary: China Men: An Inspiration to Listen
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: Bridging the Chinese and American heritage
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time - read AYN RAND!
Review: I am writing this primarily to warn people from wasting their time with this book. I would write an exhaustive explanation of why this book is so bad, but I don't want to waste any more of my own time with this book. For an excellent book, read either THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand or ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand. Actually, read *both* of them!
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books ever
Review: I fell in love with this book, with the men in this book, and with the author. Most of all, with the simple, profound images that penetrated to my core. Such as: a children's song depicting joy with a mockingbird's "tails in the air, tails in the air." An old man pounding the table with his ineffective penis that will not give him a girl child. And on and on. I love what this author does with language. I love this book! The author cares about these men in a way that is very real to me...
Rating:
Summary: Elegantly crafted
Review: I have never read a book before or since, that has moved me so much. In writing a history and the mythology of her family in America, Maxine Hong Kingston has almost written the history of my old sojourning family in Australia. The names and the places are different-but the expericences and the emotions are the same. The author beautifully crafts together the elements of the Cantonese expericences in America with 'talk story',both of the old world and of the new, to describe the essential concept of the book; that is, what it means and what it feels to identify oneself as a Chinese-American (or Australian). The images of self-identity, of being a part of the new world from one's roots in the old, is an undercurrent which flows through and shapes this book as you read it. The only regret that I have with it, is that if the reader can't identify with the people and the experiences in the book, perhaps much of the magic and the sentiments that the author has described is lost. I have to say that it is THE finest book that I ever have read (and re-read many times over). Absolutely fabulous.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and humorous
Review: I have to both praise and criticize this book. First of all, China Men is a story book revolving around history and includes historical details on the Chinese Americans. It vividly depicts the experiences of the Chinese Americans from 1840s to the World War II. It is particularly helpful for those who study Chinese immigration into America, and who are interested in Chinese Americans. Not only is it more enjoyable to read than a history book, it also provides deep insights into the feelings of the Chinese Americans, which could not be seen in ordinary history books that are merely loaded with details and facts. Yet, the book is confusing in parts and Maxine Hong Kingston seems to have shown some lack of understanding about the Chinese culture. At the beginning, I had some trouble understanding the plot, because I did not realize that this book is divided into lots of short stories rather than one complete story. In the event, I thought it makes a lot more sense, and the book a lot more readable. This is also a humorous book, and there are parts where I literally laughed. An example would be the sugar story, where the policeman had mistaken the word Sook-ah, meaning old man, for sugar. However, foreigners might miss the catch of humor. It is easy to get mixed up with the different characters since many of the names were similar, such as Ah Goong, Say Goong, Kau Goong, Ngee Bak, Bak Sook Goong, Bak Goong and Sahm Goong. It would be a pity if some of the readers may get confused. Another thing is that the narrator seems to be the same person in every story, which adds to the confusion. Although this is a fascinating book, Kingston did not seem to truly understand the Chinese culture. For example, she said that "Hong Kong people are more refined than us (Chinese from China) and don't say old lady for wife or old rooster for husband.". However, this is certainly not true, Hong Kong people today still use these old sayings. At least my parents do so. Lastly, I would not recommend you to read this book, if you have no idea of what was going on in World War II, Korean War and the Vietnam War. This is because the last story The Brother in Vietnam would seem very confusing and might make you frustrated. Also, a communist might feel disturbed by the satirization of communists, and how the communists were degraded.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding. My favorite book.
Review: I love this book like no other. It is truly my favorite book. It is so lyrically written that I find myself singing it. The author obviously loves her subjects, the men in her life, and so do I.
Rating:
Summary: Words of Chinese Wisdom...You don't want to miss this one!
Review: If you want to learn about a great, five-thousand-years-old culture of the east meeting the west, China Men is definitely the right book for you. Maxine Hong Kingston has skillfully woven an epic of Chinese history in America in the most creative way. From the early Chinese immigration to the present day, the Chinese's dream, experience, suffering, and success in America is wonderfully told through many generations. Unlike many historical novels, this book is told from the Chinese perspective right down to the details from character to character. This book is written so impressively eloquent and truth to the bones that I dare say a native Chinese might not even know as much about his/her own culture. From Alaska to Hawaii, Kingston has covered every corner of the U.S. that Chinese immigrants have gone. The characters also added a little Chinese wisdom now and then in a day when working on the railroad or fighting in the Vietnam War. Aside from extremely in-depth in history and Chinese culture, the stories are especially fun to read. I can only describe them as totally fantastic, bizarre, and unbelievable.Do you know the Chinese had found a place called"Land of Women" ? There was also communist Uncle Bun who suspected the U.S. government was plotting to poison him by collecting garbage from every door and hiding them in his food. Yes, these interesting stories have significant meaning related to the actual history. Not all of them are funny though; there are also stories that are terrifyingly shocking such as the inhuman tortures the Japanese did to Chinese and the bias laws America had toward Chinese. There are also side stories and fairy tales of all kinds from Chinese ghost stories to a lesson by Li Fu-yen which added a savor to the book. Anyone who read China Men would view life different than before. I recommend China Men to people who have a desire to understand Chinese culture and learn how America culture affected them. However,the book is so abstract and arbitrary that it is hard to understand. Warning, it is not an easy book to read. If you feel you are confused, read several times more. There are many amazing truths of life in China Men, which are subtle but such a waste to miss.
|
