Book Reviews

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I recently read the book Rescued by Mao by William Taylor. This was an interesting story about a civilian, William Taylor, who took a job working on Wake Island just prior to the start of the Pacific War of WWII. After heroically defending Wake Island from the initial Japanese attack, the island does eventually fall in the second attack. Taylor contends that the US did very little to assist in the defense of the island and as such it is known as the “Alamo of the Pacific”.

Taylor and about 1000 other men then became POWs and were sent to a POW camp just outside of Shanghai. As one can imagine, Taylor and the other POWs at the camp suffered from many injustices, including but not limited to malnutrition, harassment and torture. He recounts his stay and explains that he is able to find strength and his will to survive in his faith in God.

Taylor then explains that he manages to escape from his captors while he was being transported by train to another POW facility. He then goes on to tell of the many generous North Chinese villagers (most of whom were communist supporters) who assist him in finding food and water and directing him farther away from his point of origin. Ultimately Taylor is escorted to an American Army Base on mainland China. Taylor clearly attributes his survival to the support of Chairman Mao Zedong’s Communist Army and his personal faith in God and the Mormon Church.

In all, this was an incredible story of a seemingly ordinary man’s extraordinary experiences, bravery and selflessness in the face of clear and present danger. His optimistic outlook, faith in God, resilience of spirit and ingenuity is beyond inspiring. Truly a man who is extraordinary.

[Anonymous]

I recently read the book The Mongol Art of War by Timothy May (Westholme Publishing, 2007). My 7th grade students are always intrigued with the Mongols and want to know more about these nomadic rulers who ruled the largest empire for the shortest amount of time.

The book assumes that you know something about the Mongols already as it starts out with the rise and expansion of the Mongol Empire from 1185-1265. It then goes on to discuss the organization of the Mongol Army, the training and equipment of the warrior, support of the Army, espionage and strategies, leadership (discussing strong leaders), opponents of the Mongols including methods of warfare and the Mongol adaptations to them, and concludes with the legacy of the Mongols.
Some information presented in the book will prove helpful in my lecture on the Mongols, such as: horsemanship, espionage and battle strategies, and Mongol ability to adapt to their opponents.

Even though the Mongols did not have a major lasting impact in world history, they do always capture the imagination and make one wonder about the superior abilities of nomadic warriors in bringing down established empires.

[Anonymous]

I finished reading the sampling we received of Leaves from an Autumn of Emergencies by Samuel Hideo Yamashita. I really enjoyed reading history from the diaries. I plan to purchase the complete book. I think this is a great way to teach as well. Children really learn when the accounts come from people living at the time. My daughter, while not about Asia, is reading the Diary of Anne Frank for 8th grade. She is completely spell bound by the first hand accounts.

[Anonymous]

Not so much as a book review but rather an article from February 2008 National Geographic entitled "On the Trail of a Ghost" . It is about Japanese poet Matsuo Basho who in 1689 took a 1200 mile jouney on the island of Honshu, writing haiku along the way. It would be fun and easy (but time consuming) to have the students create their own haikus while traveling on a route through the campus.

[Anonymous]

Oxford University Press has published a book about China's current entrance into the modern world. Does this effort from the East pose a threat to Western neighbors? What fascinated me about this book, other than it is a good post field trip read, is that the author visually captures images which I have captured, questioned, reflected upon and discussed for the past eleven months since our journey. Randall Peerenboom's landscape of China's contrasts stretch from references to China's economy, architecture, people and traditions. While clearly calling out this Eastern neighbor's focus on meeting the West right on the playing field, Peerenboom carefully remembers to reinforce China's desire to globalize while maintaining their own cultural foundations and sense of political integrity. Peerenboom's style of writing is quite easy to digest and ponder. A wonderful follow-up to a magnificent experience - a great way to continue the dialogue with this emerging world player.
The book can be purchased used for under $20 and new for approximately $27.
Enjoy! [Edit by="spavelkagregg on Feb 20, 10:25:41 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Can I read the book when you are done? The comparison to the Alamo is interesting and can be use full as a potential lesson for my U.S. history class.

[Anonymous]

Our eighth grade Holt literature book has a selection from Ribbons by Laurence Yep. Due to calendaring limitations, we had always skipped this section of the text so this selection was brand new to me. Since the story covered the exalted place of boys, the genuine respect for elders and the ancient practice of foot-binding, I was able to share lots of interesting information from our Chinese class with my kids. I was amazed how interested they were in these topics and delighted at their thoughitful questions. I was even impressed with myself; I hadn'nt realized how much I had benefitted from our class. I will definitely add Ribbons to our reading schedule next year. Has anyone also used this selection and can offer creative lesson plans around it? I'm always eager for new ideas.

[Anonymous]

A young adult novel I have used with 6th and 7th graders is "Dragonwings" by Lawrence Yep. This novel focuses on a young man who comes from China to the United States to reunite with his father, who has been in the United States for a number of years. It begins in the first decade of the twentieth century and is set in San Francisco and the bay area of California. This novel spans many historic events -- immigration from East Asia, opium dens, San Francisco earthquake, and the emergence of flight. The novel also touches on the different view of dragons in ancient Western and Eastern cultures.

I've enjoyed teaching this novel with its fairly local setting and span of history. The students seem to enjoy the book, as well.

[Anonymous]

I'm recommending this book, even though I don't have it yet. I'm even recommending that you go on Amazon.com and use the Search Inside feature to see some examples of the pages of this book. The book is called "Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan" by Lisa Katayama, who has contributed to "Wired" magazine and is the editor of "Planet" magazine. Urawaza are Japanese secret lifestyle tricks and techniques. I've seen a few of them featured in "Wired" and in the excerpt online. One shows how to clear clogged sinuses by sticking the ends of two scallions up your nostrils, with illustrations and all. These tricks and techniques come from Katayama's studies of Japanese culture.

This book could definitely be shared with a class. It might work while beginning a how-to paper or in a discussion about Japanese culture.

[Author]

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