Amazon.com
In Wild Swans Jung Chang recounts the evocative, unsettling, and insistently gripping story of how three generations of women in her family fared in the political maelstrom of China during the 20th century. Chang's grandmother was a warlord's concubine. Her gently raised mother struggled with hardships in the early days of Mao's revolution and rose, like her husband, to a prominent position in the Communist Party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution. Chang herself marched, worked, and breathed for Mao until doubt crept in over the excesses of his policies and purges. Born just a few decades apart, their lives overlap with the end of the warlords' regime and overthrow of the Japanese occupation, violent struggles between the Kuomintang and the Communists to carve up China, and, most poignant for the author, the vicious cycle of purges orchestrated by Chairman Mao that discredited and crushed millions of people, including her parents.
Book Description
Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao's impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love.
Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord's concubine; her mother's struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents' experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a "barefoot doctor," a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving -- and ultimately uplifting -- detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining and educational.......2007-10-08
I read this book in preparation for a trip to China. The book follows the lives of 3 women (daughter, mother, grandmother) in China. Chang does an outstanding job teaching the reader about China's history and politics while at the same time giving us the women's stories. You will learn a lot about China during WWII, Japanese occupation, Communist revolution, Mao's great leap forward and the cultural revolution.
On the downside, the author does not do a particularly nice job in helping the reader understand the characters. You don't get into their brains. This is a minor criticism and I still highly recommend this book if you are at all interested in learning about China in the last 100 years. You will learn a lot without having to read a boring textbook.
Amazing insight into 20th century China and Mao inparticular.......2007-09-19
It is incredible to read this true story about 20th century China. So little is really known about China to those of us in the West. It is hard to believe that so many "intellectuals" here in the West used to, and even still, have so much admiration for Mao when there is truly only evil behind this man. There is a lot of history in this book but really it is the personal story of the author and her family. A must read for us all!
Wild China.......2007-09-15
"Mrs Shau slapped my father hard. The crowd barked at him indignantly, although a few tried to hide their giggles. Then they pulled out his books and threw them into huge jute sacks they had brought with them.
"When all the bags were full, they carried them downstairs, telling my father they were going to burn them... the next day after a denunciation meetings against him. They ordered him to watch the bonfire 'to be taught a lesson.' In the meantime, they said, he must burn the rest of his collection.
"When I came home that afternoon, I found my father in the kitchen. He had lit a fire in the big cement sink, and was hurling his books into the flames.
"This was the first time in my life I had seen him weeping. It was agonized, broken, and wild, the weeping of a man who was not used to shedding tears. Every now and then, in fits of violent sobs, he stamped his feet on the floor and banged his head against the wall.
"My father had spent every spare penny on his books. They were his life. After the bonfire, I could tell that something had happened to his mind."
(Wild Swans, Jung Chang, p.439)
Me, I might've lost mine completely.
After being near-perfectly obedient to a Party whose values you put above your family, to be accused of anti-Party-ism, judged for the very tasks you were instructed to unquestioningly and unconditionally, publicly humiliated and beaten (even made to kneel on glass) and forced to burn the very items you've spent a lifetime collecting and loving...why, I would've been long-gone crazy.
But then these Chinese Communists are dedicated to their work and politics (independently of the cash factor, which wasn't much in Mao's China in the 1950s' to 60s') in a manner quite unheard of today.
I mean, how many of us believe our local politicians are in it primarily because of their "commitment to the unity, harmony and welfare of the country" (to ask is to scoff). Not for Jung Chang's dad, one of the many victims of the Cultural Revolution.
Chang is kinda like Josephus, who escaped a burning Jerusalem (whilst she a 'burning' China) to become a historical-political writer.
Josephus' authorial intentions were of course far more motivated by their allegiance to his benefactor, Vesapian. His was a history of the Jews, but also a thinly veiled exaltation of Rome. Chang's agenda, on the other hand, is an outright expose of the delusions, the cruelty, the very insanity of life and government in China from the start of the 20th century.
From foot-binding to scheming mistresses to escaping third-wives(!); from miscarriages due to long treks (because wives are discouraged to ride in their husbands' vehicles lest 'bourgeosie privilege' is suspected) to the terror of city sieges; from communal self-delusion about a glut (which was really a famine!) to hungry peasants kidnapping babies for food; from profiting from the black-market in banned books (supposedly to be burnt but conveniently set aside for secret trade, especially the erotic ones like Stendhal's Le Rouge et Le Noir) to the Little Red Book 'loyalty dance' (how? Gyrate, wave the book, sing Mao's quotes) - Chang spills everything one would want (and maybe not want) to know about life before and under Mao, structured and timelined by the lives of her grandmother, mother and her own.
The language is simple and clear and not at all 'profound', twisty or avant-garde-ish. Not unlike something you might read in an exercise book from a good Asian secondary school.
Therefore, you sorta know it's the content alone that won Wild Swans the 1992 NCR Book Award and the 1993 British Book of the Year Award. The book is proof you don't need kewl-sounding language to make a serious impact on the literary stage.
Read 'em and (you will) weep.
Wild Swans.......2007-09-01
Well written memoir that reviews the history of China immediately before, during and after the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists, and also the early days of the Communist government. The good and the bad of Mao's rule is vividly portrayed.
Learned, laughed and cried........2007-08-31
It took me over a year to finish reading for it is a large, amazing book and I wanted to make sure that I was very alert when reading. Ms. Chang has a terrific writing style that makes you feel you are right there. Each chapter contributed to my knowledge of China as viewed through three women's eyes. It is the type of book you can finish a chapter and then go back to later for she has organized chapters to complete a period in time. Kathy Condon
Amazon.com
Starhawk and Hilary Valentine, renowned leaders in the Wicca movement, use the transformative fairy tale of The Twelve Wild Swans to teach an advanced class on magic. More significantly, this is an introduction to a mature level of Wicca called "reclaiming," a model of witchcraft that blends magic, personal growth, and activism. The book begins with the first chapter of the fairy tale, in which a foolish queen wishes to exchange her 12 sons for a daughter. An old woman "dressed all in black" overhears the queen and makes the wish come true, granting the queen a daughter but turning her sons into wild swans.
From here the coauthors launch into a back-and-forth structure of telling the story and then stopping to show how it applies to a witch's initiation and transformation. For example, we all must leave the castle in order to heal our past. We all must spend some time wandering in the wilderness before finding our true home, and we all must conquer some form of "wicked vows" before we can reach full maturity. These are wise leaders and strong guides, well worth following on this life-altering fairy tale. --Tara West
Book Description
The long-awaited continuation of the bestselling classic The Spiral Dance
Customer Reviews:
A fantastic journey through the recesses of your mind..........2007-04-01
This book is sometimes painful, often challenging, and occasionally glorious.
My Reclaiming community based an elements course around this book, and we based each class on the exploration of an element, as outlined in 12 Wild Swans. Starhawk artfully guides the reader through Self, gently unearthing those secret desires and wicked vows we make to ourselves. The book explains each step of the somewhat well known fairy tale as a step we, like Rose, can take. Her activities provided are thoughtful and introspective, and the stories, while occasionally quite activist, appropriate to the material and empathy inducing.
Perhaps it was the timing, but this book stimulated a great deal of introspection and change in me. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to dive headfirst into the recesses of their mind, and figure out what exactly mucks about back there.
Enjoy!
Sorry.......2005-12-14
If you're looking for a metaphysical interpretation of a fairy tale, go straight to Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Estes or Iron John by Robert Bly. Both will leave you with the feeling that you have been respected as a reader, that you have come closer to understanding yourself, and that a folk tale can contain great truths. On the other hand this book by Starhawk was, for me, almost impossible to read at all. Her witchier-than-thou attitude put together with her total self-righteousness, boring hateful feminism, and relentless telling and retelling and retelling of one thin little story is just awful. Sorry I can't agree with the other reviewers.
A serious book review.......2005-10-26
I like to start this review with a quote from Scott Cunningham's book Living Wicca, " Books can lift spirits, heal our wounds, steel our courage and strengthen our religious resolve.... Books are a great source of wisdom... Books aren't foolproof. Some books contain virtually no accurate information. Many readers are apt to believe anything in print. 'After all they say 'its in this book right here. That proves it's true.' Unfortunately, nearly anyone can write a book and even have it publish. Does this ensure that its contents are true?... Listen to your intuition. In other words feel free to pick and choose among the published... textbooks to decide what feels right... Books are tools to be used mark them with pencil or bookmarks". I like this quote because I have read several Books from which even though most I have found very helpful or that had some helpful information from time to time I have read a book and found that I disagree with the writer. However there are times that despite this I have found some tiny bits of good info. This book is one of those books. I came across this book when looking for A spiral dance which had been recommended to me for my daughter. 12 wild swans popped up on amazon's suggested reading. Though I haven't read a Spiral Dance I went a head and grabbed 12 wild swans since it had such good reviews, for me to read.
This book has a lot of info that I disagree with, info that I found great and helpful. There were times I was very disappointed as I felt her motivations as an activist sometimes were to strong and disrupted the flow of the book.
The Book's has good info like that on "a wicked vow", how to deal with anger, both within and directed at you. Also finding your shadow self.
However her opinions on dreams I strongly disagree with as a Dream interpreter and reader. Furthermore she makes a statement about no "real witch" uses certain terms, such as unconscience, which she claims Freud used yet there is NO definition for this in the dictionary and what she defines is the sub-conscience which is the term I think she meant. Since I do use Sub-conscience is she saying I am not a real witch or Wiccan? Perhaps she should have said no one in her tradition uses it and why. I have no problem using sub-conscience and conscience and in my opinion to say they do not exist is like saying that frontal vision and peripheral vision doesn't exist, as it is my opinion that the sub-conscience is for our mind like the peripheral vision.
She goes from giving advice that is logical and sensible in the section on nettles to writing about things in a way that is not factual.
She writes Why as witches we must sometimes endure the sting and it begins very well. Her info on plant allies and our ancestors and their knowledge of plants is excellent and very factual.
Getting to know your plant allies is thoroughly enjoyable. Her view on respecting all living things was beautifully written and then she makes a false statement. In her attempt to use an example how we must endure pain she lists Yoga. Continuing her false statement by saying we have to endure bumps, bruises and discomfort. WHAT?!?! This is NOT yoga. We do not teach bruising the body or "Bruising egos" but loving the body and letting go of the ego. One problem with those new to yoga is they have been programmed with the no pain no gain and this is not yoga. Pain and discomfort is not yoga. On the contrary we are taught to listen to the body and avoid pain and discomfort. For her to use yoga and list it in the way she did showed her ignorance about yoga. It also lost the point she was trying to make. If you are interested in yoga or wish to verify this fact I suggest finding books or classes with a certified Yogi.
Her section on Silence takes another view than is in Scot Cullingham's book Living Wicca and is a good read for comparing views on silence. Some of the suggested meditations and rituals are very good and can be used for uses other than magic and rituals. For those who are a nervous type or talk-a-tive this could be a meditation that would interest you. The section on empowerment is very interesting as is the section on "The privilege". A quote from the book, "the behavior or pattern that may have served us well when we were powerless can become destructive and abusive when we gain power". It was a very good way of describing how a victim can become the abuser. The sections and exercises on working on core worth to levitate deflation/inflation of the self were also very good. As a reiki healer if I become inflated and forget I am only the vessel and the healing power doesn't come from me then I block the flow of healing energy with my ego. So finding ones center or "core worth" are great meditations and rituals. This section is very interesting, as well as the sections on shielding, glamour, character work, aspecting and gathering allies. When she writes about the Sabbaths she wrote them in a way that is poetic, colorful and easy to vision. It was a great read. When she begins to speak of fear esp. the fear of death it hit a personal chord. As I fear death and found her trance the orchard of immortally EXCELLENT! The book is worth buying for this alone in my opinion despite its other flaws. In the last chapter of the outer path she breaks the flow of the book again with returning to her activist motives.
Most of the book's exercises are written for a group or at least a pair and not for a solitary witch. To work with these rituals, meditations and exercises one may have to adjust them for the solitaire. For those who are activists and involved in political protests and so forth the book is good, however for those who lead a more humble life her activist views, and constant use of hers and others experiences as activist could possibly spoil the book for you. If you can get around it and pass over the few flaws then you may also find some helpful information.
However I think the quote from Mr Cunningham is well said and applies here. Underline what is good and pass the rest.
Deepening Self-Wisdom-for Men too...........2004-06-13
This book tells a story- as in many of starhawks books, and it relates to how our lives are magickal an not. It helps us see what life is all about, who we are deep inside-by teaching through excersizes and story telling. Every book starhawk has written i have never even considered it feminist at all, she never writes in way where the sexes are seperated-they are one they way i see her view the sexes. I am a man, and have read many works by starhawk, and people wave the feminist word around to much, her books have definatley nothing to do with gender at all!. She writes books to open the soul and mind-always through story and mental/ritual excersizes. She has a definate writing style which many enjoy, as do i. Great read-any of her books!!!
Beyond 101.......2004-03-02
This book is for a mature Wiccan. It is a fantastic spiritual guide for deepening your spiritual life and growing as a human being.
Customer Reviews:
This is one of a trilogy/ All three are 5 star books.......2006-05-07
This book, one of a series of 3, was absolutely wonderful. I have all 3 books in HC in my book collection. Moving story. A plus also if you like horses.
Enthralling start to a 3 book Series!!.......2006-03-15
Wild Swan is the first in a series of three books about a family who move to Maryland from England and become involed with horsebreeding, racing and ship building.
This books starts out in the early 19th century and ends in 1892. You wil fall in love with the many generations of Thaines, Carringtons and Falconers!!
This is a must read for any historical fiction lover!!!
Words are insufficient.......2005-08-28
I have read so many different romance books by so many different authors that when I picked up "Wild Swan", I expected it to be like all the rest. Needless to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The Swan trilogy brings so many wonderful, diverse, REAL characters to life. When reading these books, you feel as if you are part of the Carrington-Falconer family and wish you could be as honest and strong as the characters. So many different interwoven plots and so many different times in history serve as a rich background to this timeless tale. I will continue to read these books for many years to come and hopefully my daughters will do the same, as my mother did and as her mother did.
an absolute must for Romance/Fiction readers.......2003-01-23
I read Wild Swan, originally when I was 17. I'm now 32 and have read all of Ms. DeBlasis' books - I'm on my third copy. Wild Swan is the first in a series of three. Another of her books, 'The Proud Breed' is a must if you want to get a feel for her storytelling without committing yourself to three books.
"wild Swan" is the opening of a trilogy which spans close to 100 years in a family involved with smuggling, horsebreeding and racing and ship building. No one is perfect, everyone has faults and fears. From the coast of Cornwall to Maryland horse country and from the infancy of the 19th century to its near conclusion in 1892, we see portions of 6 generations of Thaines/Carringtons/Falconers and the hope of the 7th in the near future.
All of Ms. DeBlasis characters are real to the reader and generate emotional links as if we could reach out and touch them.
A definite must for anyone
INCREDIBLEY POWERFUL WRITING ! ! !.......2000-07-22
I took "Wild Swan" and some of the author's other books with me on a vacation to Europe. Big mistake! I hardly saw anything except for the hotel room - all because I could not put her marvelous books down! I just loved the "Wild Swan" trilogy so much that I included a swan as part of my ranch logo. Her other books are just as compelling. Hopefully, there are more of this author's writings "in the works". These books will fill your heart :) THANK YOU CELESTE!
Average customer rating:
- Let Me Paint You a Picture . . .
- Unforgetable
- I Have A Hardback Copy
- mesmerizing
- beautiful, evocative tale for children and adults
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The Painter and the Wild Swans
Claude Clement
Manufacturer: Dial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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The Voice of the Wood
ASIN: 080370268X |
Customer Reviews:
Let Me Paint You a Picture . . ........2005-09-09
I decided that as a children's librarian who loves picture books, I can no longer simply sit back and admire them in silence, so I'm determined to review my favorites here on Amazon and share with others the treasures I've found. The Painter and the Wild Swans is just such a treasure, and I regret that the cover image isn't available for the book, because that would at least give readers some idea of the stunning illustrations available in this book.
Claude Clement is a Parisian author of children's books who wrote this after she was inspired by pictures of Siberian swans. All I can say is, it's no wonder this book received the French Foundation Grand Prize for Children's Literature. The story is that of a skilled Japanese painter who is rich and popular. When he catches sight of wild swans, he is enraptured by their beauty and decides he must paint them. This pursuit of beauty becomes his obsession and ultimately, powerfully transforms him by the end of the tale. In addition to Ms. Clement's lovely text (translated to English by Robert Levine)there is a line of Japanese poetry in calligraphy on each page of the story. At the end, these lines are translated for the reader into Teji's (the painter of the story) Poem, recounting the entire story in poetic imagery. That alone would have made the book worth reading.
But then there's the art. Acrylic paintings by Frederic Clement (no relation to the author) give the jewel of story a worthy setting. This gifted illustrator has provided images that at once invoke the Japanese culture and style, and yet become art in their own right. Clements marvelous technique of morphing pictures (On one page the viewer can see the swans fade into snowdrifts. On another, a view of clouds and mountains slowly changes into an old man offering a cup of tea. The pictures are there to savor and look over time and time again.
There is perhaps one downside of this particular treasure, and that is the audience it is meant for. This book probably won't work for most youngsters--it's too subtle and mature. But adult readers may avoid it thinking that all picture books are for children only. This is simply not true, and I'd like to convince more individuals of that fact. The Painter and the Wild Swans really works best for ages 9 and up, in my opinion. It's a marvelous example of a folktale styled story from Japan, and should work well in any folktale, or multicultural book collection.
Those who enjoy the Painter and the Wild Swans may want to also look at THE BOY WHO DREW CATS: A JAPANESE FOLKTALE by Arthur Levine and MUSICIANS OF THE SUN by Gerald McDermott.
Happy Reading! ^_^
Unforgetable.......2000-04-06
The Painter and the Wild Swans is one of the most beautiful books I've read. The art work is stunning, the story is unforgetable. This author's other books are also of equal quality. It is utterly, utterly incomprehensible that they are out of stock.
I Have A Hardback Copy.......2000-03-17
I have a hardback copy of the painter and the wild swans,i got it in north carolina i think that the art work is firt class.
mesmerizing.......1999-09-20
HOW could a book like this be out of print??
beautiful, evocative tale for children and adults.......1998-09-05
We took this out of the library some months ago and it is still with me. The tale is marvelous: light, airy, beautiful but the pictures are what carry the book. They are carefully crafted and have a spirituality all of their own. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy and send a couple to friends of mine. Transportational!
Average customer rating:
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Swan Keeper's Handbook: A Guide to the Care of Captive Swans
Manufacturer: Krieger Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Reference | Subjects | Books | Almanacs & Yearbooks | Atlases & Maps | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Business Skills | Careers | Catalogs & Directories | Consumer Guides | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Education | Encyclopedias | Etiquette | Foreign Languages | Fun Facts | Genealogy | General | Job Hunting | Large Print | Law | Publishing & Books | Quotations | Spanish-Language Reference | Study Guides | Test Prep Central | Words & Language | Writing
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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The Mute Swan (Shire Natural History)
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Swans of the World: In Nature, History, Myth and Art
ASIN: 1575241994 |
Book Description
Swan Keeper's Handbook: A Guide to the Care of Captive Swans serves as a guide to the care of swans by nonveterinary practitioners in captive settings such as hotels, motels, resorts, golf courses, zoos, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and private collection sites. The book addresses such practical information as history, feeding, breeding, pairing, preparation of temporary pens for introduction to ponds or lakes, predators, habitat development and maintenance, and the overall care of swans (including English Mute, Polish Mute, Black-Necked, Black, Trumpeter, and Mearl) with additional information on other swan species. Includes 259 color photographs.
Average customer rating:
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A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Reptiles of Australia (Photoguides)
Gerry Swan
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers Pty Ltd (AUS)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Reptiles & Amphibians | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1853685852 |
Product Description
An updated version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale, The Wild Swans is the soulful story of a young girl searching for her lost brothers. Upon discovering they have been turned into swans, she sets off on a difficult journey, enduring many hardships in the quest to return her brothers to their human form.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful book!.......2007-01-03
I just love this book. The storytelling is wonderful and the art is fantastic!!!
Average customer rating:
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The Wild Swans
Hans Christian Andersen , and
Amy Ehrlich
Manufacturer: Picturemac, Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Andersen, Hans Christian | ( A ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Jeffers, Susan | ( J ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NB7VYE |
Books:
- Younger Next Year Journal: Start Now and Live the Promise Day-by-Day
- 101 Best Resumes: Endorsed by the Professional Association of Resume Writers
- A Grammar Book for You and I (Oops, Me): All the Grammar You Need to Succeed in Life (Capital Ideas) (Capital Ideas)
- A Table for Two: Recipes from Celebrated City Restaurants
- All I Need to Know About Manufacturing I Learned in Joe's Garage: World Class Manufacturing Made Simple
- Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: Book 1
- Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet
- Barcelona the Great Enchantress (Directions)
- Bedtime Erotica
- Captain America Vol. 1: Winter Soldier, Book One
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