Books - USC US-China Institute

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December 8, 2006 at 4:45 am #5906

Rob_Hugo@PortNW
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A great book I read that ties directly into everything we are studying is called "The World is Flat." It talks about the whole world, but the bulk of if focuses on East Asia and India and how the huge investment in the 1990s into broadband access by now defunct American companies has brought those areas to the rest of the world.

Some McDonald's Drive through jobs have been outsourced so you are not talking to someone inside, but instead someone in another state - or country - who is handling multiple Micky D's at once.

Good book. By a guy named Friedman - pulitzer prize winner

December 8, 2006 at 4:50 am #35826

Anonymous
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I forgot - another good book is An Inconvenient Truth. It brings up some interesting facts about oil and east asia. It's the same slide show of Al Gore's that is also a movie.

December 27, 2006 at 1:41 pm #35827

Anonymous
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Thanks for lending me your copy of 'The World is Flat" Alex. Amazing book....the chapters on why Mexico and the Middle East are lagging behind China and India economically were just what I was looking for my AP Comparative Gov. class.

Also, a must read to better understand the reasons for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. I never realized that so many young people in the Middle East feel humilated when it comes to US foreign policy over the last 50 years.

Great book!!!!

Louis

January 7, 2007 at 11:52 am #35828

Anonymous
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Alex,
The PVHS library now has a copy of The World is Flat (finally) and also The World is Flatter as you requested. Sorry it took so long.

The dvd An Inconvenient Truth is also on order for our library. It is supposed to be an outstanding documentary (highly recommended by many teachers on campus) and the science department also has copies that they circulate within the dept.

How do you manage to read everything and watch so much stuff with a little baby in your household?

Aileen Willoughby

January 8, 2007 at 3:17 am #35829

Anonymous
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Sleep makes you weak!!!

Thanks for the books. And the movie. I want to watch that and hopefully use it in class. I heard from my students some parents were upset it was being shown in class, but I haven't heard why.

see you tonight
alex 😛

January 8, 2007 at 3:19 am #35830

Anonymous
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Actually, I think I requested Flatland and Flatterland - both math books. =:O

But, The World is Flat I am glad to hear we have. I don't know if I knew about The World is Flatter. 8)

January 8, 2007 at 6:18 am #35831

Anonymous
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Hello all

I am a first year teacher at PVIS

When it comes to Asian studies i am a begginner. In college I took both Japanese and Chinese cources but specialized in American History. Last summer my parents went to China through a school program and loved it. From them I have gained a intrest in the various cultures that come are within the walls of China.

on a more personal note I am 28 and love in Long Beach, so if anyone else lives in Long Beach let me know and maby we can car pool to the Satureday classes.

After my first class I know this will be an exciting class and look foreard to getting to know some of my fellow teachers in and around Palos Verdes.

Michael Wanmer

January 9, 2007 at 7:39 am #35832

Anonymous
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I think I read this in high school or college, the plot seems familiar, but I'm reading Pearl S. Buck's novel again (or for the first time). I'm having trouble figuring out exactly when this novel is set. Can any English teachers out there help me out?

January 9, 2007 at 11:14 am #35833

Anonymous
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Ooops, you're right. I bought Flatland and Flatterland (not the World is Flat). I would italicize the titles (English teachers are cringing), but I can't figure out how to do it without making it look odd. If Louis Harley thinks his Econ students will check out The World is Flat, I'll buy it for our library. Could you investigate student reports that parents were upset about having the Inconvenient Truth shown at school? Cheryl Wyzard, our library aide, thought that all students should see it. I know Al Gore narrated it. Do parents object for political reasons? The science dept shows it. I kinda jumped board when I mentioned the DVD because I didn't know that the DVD was based upon a book, and you were referring to the book.
Aileen Willoughby

January 9, 2007 at 12:42 pm #35834

Anonymous
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Hope this helps. Pearl Buck, one of my mother's favorite novelists, takes the reader back in time to another country where she traces the life of a peasant farmer named Wang Lung. The scene as I understand it, is in the northern part of China during the nineteeth century. Emperors have lived in the Forbidden City for centuries and have ruled over an agrarian society that existed longer that the dynasties existed. The opening of the book is set on the wedding day of Wang Lung. The reader is introduced to the customs and practices of Confucianism which have kept the country stable for over a millenium. The author, Buck, examines the negative side of the practice of the Confucian philosophy in the form of the government corruption, the enslavement of the women and the poor treatment and rampant exploitation of the peasants by those families who possess power and land. Is that what you need?

January 18, 2007 at 4:47 am #35835

Anonymous
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Thank you for your synopsis of the book. I agree that Buck exposes the bad side of Confucian philosophy, but ultimately Wang Lung dies happy at the end of the novel. He's practiced filial piety all his life, loved the land like a good farmer, and he's rewarded with a long and prosperous life. Are we supposed to see this as a text against Confucius teachings?

January 30, 2007 at 11:29 pm #35836

Anonymous
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Have any of you read Grace? It's about a woman that moved to China in the 1930s. She lived through Japanese occupation, the change to Communism after the first World War, and that's as far as I've read. It's a compilation of letters she wrote to her family back in the States, a memoir she was writing, and background information provided by the two authors of the book. It's fascinating!

February 3, 2007 at 1:02 pm #35837

Anonymous
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There is an extensive list of books for teachers at the elementary level in the 2005-2006 Asia in my Classroom Forum. Use the left hand column "Search this Forums" and search for books. Babrown and Bcash have listed many great books there.

February 5, 2007 at 9:11 am #35838

Anonymous
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If you are a Japanese speaker and are interested in the topic of the origin of the Japanese people, I recommend a book called, "Jujika no Kuni Nihon" by Ken Joseph Jr. Their homepage is http://www.keikyo.com. The author is of Asserian descent and takes a fascinating look at how the Asserian culture has synthesized into the Japanese culture.

February 27, 2007 at 7:44 am #35839

Anonymous
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We have been discussing the Communist takeover and Cultural Revolution in seventh grade. It is important to link ancient and modern history. One of my seventh graders said she had read The Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang. She shared a bit of the autobiographical tale with the class. It is about a young girl's experiences in China during the Cultural Revolution. It is written in first person and my student really enjoyed it. When she spoke to the class about it I could see sparks of interests in many eyes. I do not have time to assign it in social studies but a language arts teacher may want to use it. I plan to read the book so maybe I can share bits and pieces with my class. Another book I read on a more adult level about the same topic is Wild Swans, a great book about modern Chinese history. (good to read before any trip to China)
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