Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts received a national book critics circle award for general nonfiction in 1976, but the book stretches the definition of a memoir, as the author blends folk legends with personal memories and secondhand histories. After 40 years, maxine hong kingstons iconic book, the woman. The chinese familythat is, the community of kinis like a circle. But if women must be slaves, they may also be warriors the book is hospitable to paradox like the warrior woman fa mu lan, whose story becomes the authors asno maidenly joan of arcshe rides into battle with her childhood friend husband at her side and her infant son inside her armor. What finally becomes of fa mu lan happens in i love a broad margin to my. Still today, both books are widely taught in literature and other classes. The woman warrior is maxine hong kingstons own story of growing up chineseamerican. The last chinese american woman writer who hasnt read. Warrior s woman lysanter book 1 kindle edition by lindsey, johanna. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading warrior s woman lysanter book 1. The woman warrior begins with the story of the narrators aunt, no name woman, who is shunned and attacked by her village after becoming pregnant while her husband is away.
Doc ghosts in the woman warrior mccoy hsieh academia. In her awardwinning book the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston. The woman warrior study guide literature guide litcharts. It is a must read and blueprint for anyone looking for ways to strengthen their faith and prayer life. Greatest among these challenges was learning to speak english to nonchinese people, while struggling to confront traditional chinese culture, represented by her mother, which inhibited her efforts to integrate fully into american culture. The woman warrior proposes that women of socie ties from which we have written literature tend to be at odds with themselves while living under male dominance. Maxine hong kingston, american writer, much of whose work is rooted in her experiences as a firstgeneration chinese american. It is a memoir, not a novel, but this line is blurred throughout the book, as kingstons narrator often recedes into the background of the story, leaving the action to be told in third person. The woman warrior, by maxine hong kingston, captures readers with her own interpretation of what it was like to grow up as a female chinese american. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts by maxine hong kingston.
The woman warrior is a pungent, bitter, but beautifully written memoir of growing up chinese american in stockton, california. Her mother is a woman warrior, one who transforms from a powerless servant into a powerful enabler, healing the worlds wrongs. After all, though there are three books by women on their list, only the munro could really be. Books like the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston suggested reading. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts vintage international. Hong kingstons voice edges between poetry and barely controlled rage throughout this work. Mar 03, 2020 this is the free audiobook version of the book mulan, woman warrior by jeff pepper. The woman warrior is a memoir by maxine hong kingston that was first published in 1976. Nov 16, 2003 with tricksters choice, it is alannas 16yearold daughter, aly, who generates the action, and suddenly alanna is a problem, a critical mother who wishes aly would make something of herself. White tigers certainly involves a quest, kingston talks about her travels away and back to home like a voyage and return plot, and theres definitely comedy and tragedy. The woman warrior takes place during kingstons girlhood in northern california in the 1940s and 1950s. This book is the result of a bet between marion and don wollheim, her editor for the darkover novels at daw.
Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts, which won the national book. First published in 1976, it has become a classic in its innovative portrayal of multiple and intersecting identitiesimmigrant, female, chinese, american. The archetypal figure of the woman warrior is an example of a normal thing that happens in some cultures, while also being a counter stereotype, opposing the normal construction of war, violence and aggression as masculine. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is a book written by chinese american author maxine hong kingston and published by alfred a. The book blends autobiography with what kingston purports to be old chinese folktales, although several scholars have questioned the accuracy and authenticity of these folktales. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have helped me in the process of writing. In my own generation, maxine hong kingston is revered as a groundbreaker and yet is sometimes more admired than actually read. Books with family secrets intrigue me and i remained engaged in kingstons mix of myth, memoir and perspectives on growing up and the immigrant experience throughout. Acclaimed author maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior broke new ground when it was first published 35 years ago, weaving autobiography, history, folklore, and fantasy in to a candid and revelatory story about the daughter of chinese immigrants in mid20th century california. Kingstons centralized placement of chinese american characters in the woman warrior and the allusions to cantonese language complicate the blackwhite racial paradigm. Some of her other books, like china men 1980, which she considered a companion piece to the woman warrior, telling the boys side of the story, and tripmaster monkey. Nov 05, 20 from earliest times, women gained access to leadership in times of conflict and proved themselves equal to the challenge of commanding during war. This study guide consists of approximately 78 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the woman warrior.
The polenitsa are amazonlike warrior females of the old russian hero epics byline. Jan 11, 2018 5 books about kickass warrior women you need to read now. Women warriors in literature and culture wikipedia. She was giving a reading to celebrate the woman warriors fortieth anniversary, and i found out about the event at the last moment and decided to attend. As it proceeds, it becomes more sober, more like a normative memoir, full of. Edlunds cinematic action scenes feature magic that whips and writhes like a living thing lupazg snarled, and frost rimed her clothing and hair. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston duration. This retelling of the legend of spartacus tells the story of a young woman who dares to rebel against the.
Catapult what i learned from maxine hong kingston alexis. Free the woman warrior shaman pdf a chinese american woman tells of the chinese myths, family stories and events of her california childhood that have shaped her identity. Maxine hong kingston is the author of the woman warrior, china men, and the fifth book of peace, among other works. Kingston has written three novels and several works of nonfiction about the experiences of chinese americans.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. An ingenious blend of sizzling passion, paranormal romance, and science fiction romantic fantasy, warriors woman travels far into the futurewhere a fearless intergalactic traveler hoping to save her endangered home world seeks a champion on a planet of strapping barbariansand finds herself making very physical contact with a truly. In the woman warrior, haunting is an everyday occurrence. Ava chin on kingstons the woman warrior think about it 2019. Although no name woman and white tigers are anthologized more often than the other individual chapters in the woman warrior, shaman is arguably the novels most pivotal chapter. The story of a woman warrior from the worlds largest community of readers. In both books maxine hong kingston mines her familys past and her cultures stories. Maxine hong kingston, brave orchid, moon orchid, noname woman, fa mu lan, the silent girl, moon orchids husband, the old couple, tsai yen, kingstons father. No matter if youre an athlete, student, employee or teachercoach.
Kingston does combine bits of each of bookers narrative structures. The woman warrior by maxine hong kingston goodreads. The woman warrior, a work that defies easy classification, is neither wholly a work of fiction nor, strictly speaking, an autobiography. Scandinavian folklore and germanic paganism edit blenda is the heroine of a legend from smaland, who leads the women of varend in an attack on a pillaging danish army and annihilates it. Maxine hong kingstons 1976 memoir, the woman warrior. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts 9780679721888 by kingston, maxine hong and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. She ends the woman warrior with the legend of tsai yen, an ancient chinese female poet who was captured by a nonchinese tribe and who lived among these nomadic people for twelve years but could never fully assimilate into their culture. The woman warrior, as the protagonist, neither part of the dominant race nor class, struggles to resolve the war within hunt 6.
First published in 1976, it has become a classic in its innovative portrayal of multiple and intersecting identitiesimmigrant, female, chinese. October 27, 1940 is a chinese american author and professor emerita at the university of california, berkeley, where she graduated with a ba in english in 1962. If you like the woman warrior you might like similar books a small place, ceremony, passing, bread givers, comfort woman. Suggested books and resources to further your understanding of the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston. The woman warrior, her first book, was published in 1976 and won the national book critics circle award, making her a literary celebrity at age thirtysix. Find books like the woman warrior from the worlds largest community of readers. She is brave like men are expected to be but retains the mysterious feminine qualities and. Buy a cheap copy of warrior woman book by marion zimmer bradley. And i blamed books that focused on ethnicity for setting these expectations. A song for a barbarian reed pipe book summaries, test.
Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts kingston, maxine. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. See a complete list of the characters in the woman warrior and indepth analyses of kingston, brave orchid, and moon orchid. Cora jakes coleman is a battleready devilstomping warrior ready to lead this generation with a ferocious word from god. Jan 01, 2015 the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston was a book i had to read for my angloamerican lit. The woman warrior is maxine hong kingstons own story of growing up chineseamerican, an irreconcilable position for her as the two cultures would seemingly clash, unable to provide her with a stable sense of identity. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the woman warrior. Brave orchids name even encompasses the idea of the woman warrior. But america has been full of machines and ghosts taxi ghosts, bus ghosts, police ghosts, fire ghosts, meter reader ghosts, tree trimming ghosts, fiveanddime ghosts. Goodreads members who liked warrior woman also liked. This source set includes photographs and other items useful for exploring the book s context, contents, and impact. A clever blend of fantasy, childhood memories, folklore, and family history, kingstons work is revolutionary precisely because it transcends genres. White tigers in maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts vintage international kindle edition by kingston, maxine hong.
Goodreads members who liked warriors woman lysan ter. The woman warrior won the national book critics circle award and was named one of the top nonfiction books of the 1970s by time. Not all of the woman warrior is taken up with this kind of fantasy. No name woman ends up drowning herself in the well. Discover other books like this, author exclusives, and more. Kingston strongly implies that her mother is like tsai yen in that brave orchid longs to return to her. Despite being in a new country, she had to deal with the old traditions from her homeland.
Her second book, china men, earned the national book award. In her awardwinning book the woman warrior, maxine hong kingston created an entirely new forman exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis. World war ii had recently ended and the japanese internment camps in her state were closed. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the woman warrior and what it means. The woman warrior is one of the most common taught texts in undergraduate classes. As a memoir, the woman warrior doesnt fit any of bookers plot types. The legendary fa mu lan remembers being led by a bird through brambles and over rocks. His fake book 1989, are more fictional, though experimental in their own ways. As a little girl, she came to america with her family. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Though many of the set pieces are standard fantasy farethe sea battle and the bustling cityaudiences will likely follow the complex breea anywhere after edlunds astonishing cliffhanger.
From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes the woman warrior study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. I like chocolate chip cookies, she transitions this modernday childlike voice into the longago voice of fa mu lan, who was seven years old when she began her training as a woman warrior. While in hawaii, kingston wrote her first two books. Courtesy of vintage books the woman warrior is but the beginning of a neverending story that courses. As the middle chapter in kingstons memoir about growing up listening to her mothers talkstories, shaman contains brave orchids personal history, how she earned a medical degree of midwifery in china, then.
With every reading, new layers emerge, and the magical world kingston creates acquires more depth. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through. You must not tell anyone, what i am about to tell you. The book is available on, and information about all of our books is available at. This book provides readers with a collection of essays and indepth discussions of maxine hong kingstons novel, the woman warrior. Near cooper union, on the fourth floor of an nyu building, i entered the crowded room hoping, like many, to meet her. Find books like warrior woman from the worlds largest community of readers. First published in 1976, maxine hong kingstons the woman warrior. Jun 18, 2007 seizing power from the woman warrior author diana abujaber felt empowered by the woman warrior. Books like the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston. I just finished the book, think like a warrior the five inner beliefs that make you unstoppable and it is a fantastic read. The ghosts are not only monsters and ancestors, but also the ordinary people maxine hong kingston encountersstrangers, mailmen, teachers, classmates, family.
Books like the woman warrior by maxine hong kingston suggested reading maxine hong kingston this study guide consists of approximately 78 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the woman warrior. The book is written through the eyes of a college football coach but applies to all walks of life. In this final chapter of the woman warrior, kingston discusses further the difficulties she experienced growing up as a chineseamerican female. After 40 years, maxine hong kingstons iconic book, the. One evening last april, i met maxine hong kingston. The woman warrior, china men by maxine hong kingston.
Join our community of taste explorers to save your discoveries, create inspiring lists, get personalized recommendations, and follow interesting people. Her notable books included the memoirs the woman warrior, china men, and i love a broad margin to my life. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The woman warrior npr coverage of the woman warrior. The circle appears in noname woman as a literal symbol, or talisman, to represent the chinese belief in community, family kinship, and law. The woman warrior was a landmark book for an entire generation of chinese american women, who might have never before seen their own experience reflected back at them so accurately and beautifully.
The woman warrior audiobook by maxine hong kingston. Women leaders abounded in the ancient world from ireland to israel, sometimes through the accident of birth, but often rising to power through naked opportunism and raw courage in the ranksand it is no accident that women war leaders, like men. Goodreads members who liked the woman warrior also liked. Avoiding woman warrior itself somehow felt like a way to avoid the. The portrayal of women warriors in literature and popular culture is a subject of study in history, literary studies, film studies, folklore history, and mythology. Today we look at 10 books we love by asian american women authors, from.