Ties that Bind, Ties that Break

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Summary: Ties That Bind, Ties That Break: A Review
Review: The practice of foot binding has a long and contentious history. For centuries, Chinese women were purposely crippled by having their feet forced into tight little balls. This was done when the women were very young, and it began by pushing their toes toward the ball of their foot, and tightly binding them into place. Over time their feet were permanently deformed. Ostensibly, the reason for this practice was that tiny feet were prized in China as a sign of beauty. Only peasants left the feet of their daughters unbound.
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break takes place in China at the beginning of the twentieth century. The author, Lensey Namioka, tells about a young girl, Tao Ailin, who refuses to get her feet bound when her family tries to bind them at age five. The story goes along and follows Tao as she struggles to succeed in life at her own terms. The book shows how a simple action can effect and dictate someone's life.
The book is a wonderful representation of what middle-class life is like in the early twentieth century. Although written for a young adult audience, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break is suitable for all ages. It was a great and well-written book. It was short and sort of left you out on a limb at the end. I was hoping that the story would continue, it almost seemed like a part of the story was cut off. The characters seemed to be very well-thought out. Each person affected Tao in different ways and it was great how carefully Namioka shows that. It's also great how she shows a change in society. How even though when she was little, foot binding was how to show you were a proper young woman, by the end of the book, a character from Tao's childhood meets up with her and explains how China had changed.
Overall, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break is a a great historical novel. This story is written with amazing detail, emotion, and sense of reality. It brings to life the hardships of the thousands of women that had bound feet, and the few who resisted the cruel practice. As you get caught up in the story, you will forget all else. I highly reccommend this book to anyone looking for a realistic fiction novel.

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Summary: A Great Read!!!
Review: The Ties That Bind, The Ties That break is a tale set in China, the year is 1911 and it focuses on a playful little girl named Ailin. Ailin's marriage has already been arranged, but nothing is finalized until she has her feet bounded. An aged old tradition that has been done to her grandmother, her mother and even her sister. How will it feel? Does it hurt? Ailin wonders. One night she watches her sister unwrap her feet. She can't get over the smell. She decides she will not have her feet bound. With her father's support, Ailin has broken society's tradition. But, there are many consquences for this defiant act. There are many challenges Ailin will have to face. The Ties That Bind, The Ties That Break depicts how one young girl's determination alienated her from her family and changed her life forever. This book is good insight into the history of Chinese culture and is told is such a way that it is very hard to put down. The style of writing is very easy to read and the story flows naturally. The reader will definitely get a sense of having an insider's perspective to this aged old Chinese tradition. This book will surely be enjoyed by many readers including young people and adults. This book is also a great way to introduce mulitcultural issues to the young reader.

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Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: This book follows the life of a young Chinese girl named Ailin who refuses to have her feet bound, a decision that leads to many hardships in her life. The plot of this book is very moving and Ailin is a strong and likeable character. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Chinese culture.

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Summary: ties that bind, ties that break by lensley namioka
Review: This is a book about a Chinese family. A little girl named Ailin she is the main character. There is one named Big Uncle, he is a mean direct character. Ailin talks back to adults and speaks whatever is on her mind.
They are living in the time when American missionaries were just starting to come to China. There was a tradition in China that girls had to have their feet bound by the age five, so their feet would be small and they would have to wobble around, only the rich society did this. Foot binding is when they bend back all the toes except for the big toe.
Ailin is living in the time when most people still believe in foot binding, but some but some families didn't believe in it. She didn't want her foot bound and after a few arguments with her parents she won and did not get her feet bound, which canceled her engagement with Liu Hanwei(at the age of five she has an engagement). Where she then had the choices to become a nun, farmer's wife, or a concubine, a concubine is a baby maker. But she decided to baby-sit for an American family at the age 12. She babysitted a boy and a girl, her whole life changed...
Interested???
Then go get this book at a library near you!!!!...

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Summary: Ties That Bind Ties That Break
Review: This is an amazing novel about one Chinese girl standing up to tradition. It takes place in the early 20th century, when for centuries the Chinese woman had to have their feet bound, because of tradition. It breaks my heart to know how much they suffered. But Ailin, stood up to tradition and refused to have her feet bound, at a young age. The book talks about the out come of her decision, and how it effected her life greatly. It really opened my eyes to a lot of things I did not know about Chinese culture, that I am glad I know now. This is a spectacular book and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how many women have suffered for everything. Then ending is very powerful and wonderful. I could read this book a million times!

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Summary: Fascinating subject, realistic fiction, great book for all!
Review: This novel begins with a prologue set in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1925. Ailin is the young wife of a Chinese restaurant owner, and someone from her childhood past in China enters the restaurant. They begin to talk, and Ailin thinks back to what has led her to where she is today... In 1911, China was undergoing political and cultural changes. The empire was falling, and outsiders from the West were becoming more common. Namioka skillfully weaves this change through Ailin's story. Ailin is five, and not docile and quiet as upper-class girls should be. Her mother and grandmother feel it is time for her to have her feet bound, as she is now betrothed to the seven-year-old son of another wealthy family. But when Ailin sees how deformed and painful her older sister's bound feet are, she is shocked. Knowing she will not be able to run or even really walk again, Ailin protests. Her indulgent father allows her to keep her feet unbound, even though it results in the cancellation of her betrothal. Later, he enrolls her in a public school run by missionaries where she learns to speak English, unusual for girls at the time. However, before Ailin can graduate, her loving father dies, leaving her old-fashioned uncle as head of the family. He tells her that he can no longer afford to send her to school, and gives the twelve-year-old three unsuitable options, all remnants of the repressive past. She refuses them all, and is forced to come up with a way to support herself. The rest of the book takes Ailin to a world unknown to her, that of working class China, and later on a voyage to America. The details are realistic and Ailin develops strength of character from her experiences. An author's note at the end discusses the history of foot-binding and other customs that women worldwide have endured in the name of tradition or fashion. Indeed, it makes you wonder why people pierce or tattoo their bodies to fit into today's society. The book is aimed at teens ages 12 to 16, but I would even recommend it for adults. The subject is fascinating, there is great attention to historical detail, and the emotion shines through.

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Summary: Great Book
Review: This was a great book that I loved all the way through. I read it very fast, partly because it's only a young adult book and partly because it is so good. It gave a great portrayal of the times back then, and I would recommend it to anyone.

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Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: Ties That Bind, Ties That Break begins with a proluoge of Ailin, a twenty-year-old wife of the owner of a San Fransisco resuraunt. As she is busily working, a man comes in whom she recognises as her former fiancee. This brings her thoughts back to her childhood, when she lived in Naijing, China. As a daughter of a wealthy family, she is required to follow the tradtion of foot binding, a process hwere the foot is ties tightly with strips of cloth to deform it and make it smaller. Knowing this will prevent her from running, or even walking normally again, she refuses to allow the procedure. Her decision results in her engagement been broken off, and shaming of her family. Ailin's life then becomes hard, leaving ehr to forge her own destiny in an unwelcoming world.

This story is written with amazing detail, emotion, and sense of reality. It brings to life the hardships of the thousands of women that had bound feet, and the few who resisted the cruel practice. As you get caught up in the story, you will forget all else. I highly reccommend this book to anyone looking for a realistic fiction novel.

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Summary: I Am The Best!!!
Review: Ties That Bind, Ties That Break is a good book. I would recommend it to people because it shows what people have to go through if they don't follow a cultural tradition. I like this book because it was truthful in what some people have to go through. Ties That Bind, Ties That Break is about a Chinese girl who lives in Chine who refuses to get her feet bound and what her life is like. I give this book four out of five stars.

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Summary: Ties That Bind, Ties That Break
Review: Ties that Bind, Ties that Break is a good book. It is a good book because it helps you understand the history of China. This book talked about a young girl growing up in China in the 1900s. This girl, Ailin, refused to have her feet bound. She had a lot of unhappy moments. She is brave, she talks back to her Big Uncle and most of the points she made were right. This book is based on how hard it is to be a Chinese girl in the 1900s. On a scale of 1-5, I would give it a 5 because I think that the readers who read this book will learn a lot about the history of China.