I dropped by the library today, and the librarian who helps me find books for the Women Unbound reading challenge gave me one of her own books she had just finished: Red Azalea (1994), Anchee Min’s celebrated memoir of growing up in the last years of Mao’s China. The online synopsis says:"As a child, she was asked to publicly humiliate a teacher; at seventeen, she was sent to work at a labor collective. Forbidden to speak, dress, read, write, or love as she pleased, she found a lifeline in a secret love affair with another woman. Miraculously selected for the film version of one of Madame Mao’s political operas, Min’s life changed overnight. Then Chairman Mao suddenly died, taking with him an entire world."
I've read several books by John Shelby Spong, but not this one. I ran across Liberating the Gospels (1996) when I was at the bookstore with my friend Donna the other day. The subtitle is "Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes." Since I'm working on the course I'll be teaching on "Seven Gospels," I figured it was right up my alley. Spong says the Gospels are thoroughly Jewish texts. The online synopsis says:"Spong powerfully argues that many of the key Gospel accounts of events in the life of Jesus—from the stories of his birth to his physical resurrection—are not literally true. He offers convincing evidence that the Gospels are a collection of Jewish midrashic stories written to convey the significance of Jesus."I've already told you I'm reading Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (2009). This book is one Donna bought new and decided to let me read first. She knows how impressed I am by this author's writing.
I finished Summer's End by Audrey Couloumbis (2005) within hours of Donna's lending it to me. Yep, I told you I'd read this one, but I plan a short review soon. (Oh, so many reviews I mean to write!)
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Remember when you were a kid and getting new crayons was a big deal? Getting new books holds the same kind of magic for some of us big kids. Susan at Color Online came up with the idea of New Crayons as a metaphor for the new books that have arrived at your house.
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Red Azalea sounds interesting. My next book to read is a memoir about growing up in Mao's China: Snow Falling in Spring.
ReplyDeleteI've added Red Azalea to my to-read list. I added Summer's End earlier this week, when you mentioned it before.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to live to be 150 to read all the books on my to-read list! :)
Happy reading!