When You Read...

Responses are varied and numerous.

Grace bought the book and confirmed that I will love the book. Esther has finished reading it and I believe Sara too. We all respond differently to a book that is written in a time zone alien to all of us including me as it was in a social setting in the late 19th and early 20th century.

I did not really hear Grace's point of view as she lamented that I read too slowly for her liking. Yes I admit that though I can skim and scan , I do not normally do it when there are thought-evoking moments as I reflect upon my own situation. So, I took a pretty long time to digest and complete my reading.

Esther in her youthful understanding told me that she did not like the protagonist's attitude towards people and situations around her. She particularly did not agree with the protagonist blaming circumstances and her self-righteous approach to life. Esther said that she should be open to criticism and learn to counter unfavorable circumstances in a more positive manner.

I did not really see it that way. I thought Pearl, the protagonist had a hard and unfair share of life having to migrate from her motherland to a foreign 'kwai-lo' country where she had to fend hard for survival. I was more sympathetic towards her. I also empathize with so many unfortunate happenings landing upon her lap not out of her own doing like seeing to the needs of a set of in-laws who had no feelings for her and later to put up with a sickly brother-in law even after the in-laws died. Life was indeed tough. So, I felt much for her sufferings and her respond to the outlook of life in the States.

Written against the Japanese military aggression in its background, the book's vivid account of life under Japanese rule was a sad reminder of the fairer sex's uncalled-for brutal treatment then. Pearl was raped, hurt and slapped with a fatal consequence of the inability to conceive for the rest of her life to the agony of Sam, the arranged-marriage partner. Pearl and Sam the immigrants to the land of gold went through hardship to put things together but the last straw was when their presence in the States was constantly under the interrogation of the authorities with a possible deportation. Sam after several sessions broke down; hanged himself and freed himself from the shame of being deported.

There are so many things to talk about the book. But this took my spirit; the fact that Sam had to die this way and most of all the effect upon Pearl. Pearl though never had real sentiments for him had at least known security and hope for a better future with Sam. She shared that one of the regrets was that she did not really appreciate Sam for what he was until his demise. It's a good reflection because we can sometimes be like her. We go through the motion of work and survival and forget to appreciate our loved ones in the small little things done to delight and make life easier for us. We must not be too late.

So, I to begin to look at dad and others in a new light. We must appreciate one another more. After all, life is living a life out and making others happy is the ultimate in making ourselves happy too.

So read on. I tell my students in class especially to the reluctant ones that when they read, they will transported to realms of all forms and make new discoveries for themselves. I am still persuading them to read and bring boxes of books into class to coax them to read. If some of them are reading my response to a reading in this blog, I hope they will emulate me. To read and respond to a character, a moral value , a theme or even making a twist in the ending.
Hei, boys and girls please read.

Read Shanghai Girls.