A complicated world in a closed-off country
I read this book review for The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet in the NYT the other day. To be honest, I was ready with a heaping bucket of scorn as soon as I read the short description:
David Mitchell’s novel describes a young man out to make his fortune who discovers a complicated world in a closed-off country.
I have no particular hate for this book, I know nothing about it except what's in this review, and it sounds like it could be interesting (of course, it could also be massively faily). I'm just rolling my eyes at YET ANOTHER book written by a white dude about a white dude in the ~foreign, closed-off, exotic~ super-Asian land of super-Asianness--which as we all know, is the most exotic form of Asianness there is--and reviewers' approaches to it.
This section, like the novel’s brief coda, unfolds gently like one of those Japanese paper flowers that blossom when placed in water
ROLLING MY EYES SO HARD. I don't understand this--the book is set in Japan, so let's make sure we compare it to something Japanese! Just so readers don't forget that it's set in ~JAPAN~, land of origami.
I mean, when was the last time you read a review of a book set in America that was like, the many dense layers of this book, much like an American cheeseburger...?
The reviewer is Japanese, too! What.
Stay tuned for my upcoming bestseller, The Thousand Spring Cherry Blossom Paper Crane Red Geisha Lantern Tiger Balm Bamboo Groves of Johnny de Burger.
...it's a good thing my last name's not Asian, 'cause no one would find me credible otherwise.
---
In related news. Look what I got!
I was upset when I read about the whitewashing of Silver Phoenix. Very upset. In my opinion, the new covers are completely bland and uninteresting. I would not give them a second look in a bookstore, unlike the first cover, which definitely would have caught my eye, if the major bookstore chains had even given the book a chance. It would have caught my eye because of the beautiful artwork of a beautiful Asian heroine on the cover, standing out in a sea of Twilightified covers.
If I like the first book, and I have every reason to think I will, then yes; I will buy the other books in the series, even with the gross covers, in order to support the author. But for Silver Phoenix, I was determined to get my hands on the original hardcover. My local Barnes & Noble let me down, but Strand came through. In fact, as I was looking through the YA section for Silver Phoenix, I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of other Asian-themed titles, just by browsing. So...I went on a bit of a buying rampage. The books in the picture are, from left to right:
Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon.
Dragon Wishes, by Stacy Nyikos; when their parents die, sisters Alex and Isa must leave their home in Oklahoma and adjust to a new life with their aunt and uncle in San Francisco. I just noticed this one is autographed.
Escaping the Tiger, by Laura Manivong; twelve-year-old Vonlai and his family escape from Communist Laos and try to make a life for themselves in the harsh conditions of a Thailand refugee camp.
Sisters of the Sword, by Maya Snow; Kimi and her sister Hana disguise themselves as boys in order to study the way of the samurai and take revenge on their parents' killers. This one is a series, and I very nearly bought the second and third books, as well, since they were right there...but I held off. For now. If I like the first one, I'll definitely go back for the others.
I was also very intrigued by The Five Ancestors series, by Jeff Stone. They only had the second and third books on the shelf, so I didn't buy them, but I will definitely be looking into this series.
I also saw this series: Samurai Girl, by Carrie Asai, which I did not buy for the simple reason that it was too high up on the shelf to reach by myself, and my arms were already full of books. The covers look kind of cheesy? Still going on the reading list.
I have like FIVE THOUSAND books I'm supposed to be reading, so I don't know when I will get to these, but I'll definitely let you all know what I think, when I do.
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David Mitchell’s novel describes a young man out to make his fortune who discovers a complicated world in a closed-off country.
I have no particular hate for this book, I know nothing about it except what's in this review, and it sounds like it could be interesting (of course, it could also be massively faily). I'm just rolling my eyes at YET ANOTHER book written by a white dude about a white dude in the ~foreign, closed-off, exotic~ super-Asian land of super-Asianness--which as we all know, is the most exotic form of Asianness there is--and reviewers' approaches to it.
This section, like the novel’s brief coda, unfolds gently like one of those Japanese paper flowers that blossom when placed in water
ROLLING MY EYES SO HARD. I don't understand this--the book is set in Japan, so let's make sure we compare it to something Japanese! Just so readers don't forget that it's set in ~JAPAN~, land of origami.
I mean, when was the last time you read a review of a book set in America that was like, the many dense layers of this book, much like an American cheeseburger...?
The reviewer is Japanese, too! What.
Stay tuned for my upcoming bestseller, The Thousand Spring Cherry Blossom Paper Crane Red Geisha Lantern Tiger Balm Bamboo Groves of Johnny de Burger.
...it's a good thing my last name's not Asian, 'cause no one would find me credible otherwise.
---
In related news. Look what I got!
I was upset when I read about the whitewashing of Silver Phoenix. Very upset. In my opinion, the new covers are completely bland and uninteresting. I would not give them a second look in a bookstore, unlike the first cover, which definitely would have caught my eye, if the major bookstore chains had even given the book a chance. It would have caught my eye because of the beautiful artwork of a beautiful Asian heroine on the cover, standing out in a sea of Twilightified covers.
If I like the first book, and I have every reason to think I will, then yes; I will buy the other books in the series, even with the gross covers, in order to support the author. But for Silver Phoenix, I was determined to get my hands on the original hardcover. My local Barnes & Noble let me down, but Strand came through. In fact, as I was looking through the YA section for Silver Phoenix, I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of other Asian-themed titles, just by browsing. So...I went on a bit of a buying rampage. The books in the picture are, from left to right:
Silver Phoenix, by Cindy Pon.
Dragon Wishes, by Stacy Nyikos; when their parents die, sisters Alex and Isa must leave their home in Oklahoma and adjust to a new life with their aunt and uncle in San Francisco. I just noticed this one is autographed.
Escaping the Tiger, by Laura Manivong; twelve-year-old Vonlai and his family escape from Communist Laos and try to make a life for themselves in the harsh conditions of a Thailand refugee camp.
Sisters of the Sword, by Maya Snow; Kimi and her sister Hana disguise themselves as boys in order to study the way of the samurai and take revenge on their parents' killers. This one is a series, and I very nearly bought the second and third books, as well, since they were right there...but I held off. For now. If I like the first one, I'll definitely go back for the others.
I was also very intrigued by The Five Ancestors series, by Jeff Stone. They only had the second and third books on the shelf, so I didn't buy them, but I will definitely be looking into this series.
I also saw this series: Samurai Girl, by Carrie Asai, which I did not buy for the simple reason that it was too high up on the shelf to reach by myself, and my arms were already full of books. The covers look kind of cheesy? Still going on the reading list.
I have like FIVE THOUSAND books I'm supposed to be reading, so I don't know when I will get to these, but I'll definitely let you all know what I think, when I do.
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