![]() ![]() Read it, it will help you dip into the real China."-Xinran, author of The Good Women of China "American teacher Arrington (editor, Saving Grandmother's Face ) nicely demystifies the Chinese language for English speakers in this down-to-earth memoir chronicling her family's stint in the Chinese province of Shandong on the eve of the Beijing Olympics."- Publishers Weekly "A military wife turned ESL instructor's sharp-eyed account of how the adoption of a Chinese baby girl led to her family's life-changing decision to live and work in rural China. I was engrossed in the story as Arrington used her humor, and ultimately understanding and flexibility to survive, realize, and eventually love the contradictory land of China." -Kay Bratt, bestselling author of Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage "The power of Aminta Arrington's Home Is a Roof Over a Pig is you can see both sides of the 'China coin' from it-something most people won't get just by traveling through, or only by hearing about China in Western languages. " Home Is a Roof Over a Pig is a brutally honest and fascinating peek at life for an American family living in a foreign country. An everywoman with courage and acute cultural perspective, Aminta recounts this transformative quest with a freshness that will delight anyone looking for an original, accessible point of view on the new China. ![]() It will rivet anyone who is thinking of adopting a child, or anyone who is already familiar with the experience. With humor and unexpectedly moving moments, Aminta's story is appealingly reminiscent of Reading Lolita in Tehran. The family is bewildered by the seemingly endless cultural differences they face, but they find their way. Her creative, independent (and loud) American children chafe in their classrooms, the first rung in society's effort to ensure conformity. Aminta teaches at the university, not realizing she is countering the propaganda the students had memorized for years. ![]() In the university town of Tai'an, a small city where pigs' hooves are available at the local supermarket, donkeys share the road with cars, and the warm-hearted locals welcome this strange looking foreign family, the Arringtons settle in. She is also determined that her daughter Grace, born in China, regain some of the culture she lost when the Arringtons brought her to America as a baby. Aminta hopes to understand the country with its long civilization, ancient philosophy, and complex language. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |