Nine Continents - A Memoir In and Out of China

Xiaolu Guo

Summary

The acclaimed novelist’s award-winning memoir of growing up in a remote Chinese fishing village is “a rich and insightful coming-of-age story” (Kirkus).   The acclaimed author of A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers and I Am China, Xiaolu Guo grew up an unwanted child in a poor fishing village on the East China Sea. But a Taoist monk made a startling prediction to her grandmother: that Guo would prove herself to be a peasant warrior and grow up to travel the nine continents.   In Nine Continents, Guo tells the story of a curious mind coming of age in an inhospitable country, and her determination to seek a life beyond the limits of its borders. From her family’s village to a rapidly changing Beijing, to a life beyond China, Nine Continents presents a fascinating portrait of how the Cultural Revolution shaped families, and how the country’s economic ambitions have given rise to great change. This “moving and often exhilarating” memoir confirms Xiaolu Guo as one of world literature’s most urgent voices (Financial Times, UK).

Available since: 10/10/2017.

Print length: 366 pages.

Other books that might interest you

All Cheeses Great and Small: A...

Alex James

This is the story of Alex James’s transition from a leading light of the Britpop movement in the 1990s, to gentleman farmer, artisan cheese-maker and father of five. 
All Cheeses Great and Small is the follow-up memoir to Alex James's first book, Bit of a Blur, the story of his excessive pop star lifestyle during the nineties. But now Alex has grown up, fallen in love and got married. He has also fallen passionately for his new home, an enormous rambling farmhouse in the Cotswolds, set in two hundred acres of beautiful British countryside. 
The farm represents not just a new house for Alex, but also a new career. As he breathes new life into the old farm he chances across an unexpected calling: making cheese. His cheeses, Blue Monday, Farleigh Wallop and Little Wallop have received widespread media interest and are now sold through many outlets. 
The story culminates with an account of the triumphant reformation of Blur for Glastonbury 2009. It will also include illustrations by Graham Coxon. 
As a Sunday Times bestselling author, Alex James's transition from music to cheese-making is not just a biography, but an autobiography that captures the essence of his journey. His bestselling book, All Cheeses Great and Small, is a testament to his passion and dedication. 
For fans of David Nolan (Damon Albarn), Elton John (Watford Forever), Will Sergeant (Bunnyman), Peter Hook (The Hacienda), and Kevin Cummins (Telling Stories).

Show book

True Colours - My Life as the...

Caroline Paige

In the global theatre of contemporary warfare, courage and endurance are crucial for overcoming adversity. However, for Caroline Paige, a jet and helicopter navigator in the Royal Air Force, adversity was a common companion both on and off the field of battle.
In 1999, Paige became the first ever openly serving transgender officer in the British military. Already a highly respected aviator, she rose against the extraordinary challenges placed before her to remain on the front line in the war on terror, serving a further sixteen years and flying battlefield helicopters in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Detailing the emotional complexities of her transition, Paige reveals the external threats she faced in warzones around the world and the internal conflict she suffered while fighting prejudice at home. The result is a story of secrecy and vulnerability, of fear and courage, of challenge and hope.
Criss-crossing battle lines both foreign and domestic, True Colours is the unflinchingly honest and inspirational account of one woman's venerable military career and the monumental struggle she overcame while grappling with gender identity on the quest for acceptance.

Show book

Radio Head Gal - a memoir of...

Rebecca Knill

“I never wanted to be hearing. I said this out loud in my TED talk, and the audience went bug-eyed, struggling to process this heresy. How could anyone not want to be hearing? I wasn’t anti-hearing. I just felt my life would be simpler if everyone else were deaf.” So begins the compelling story of acclaimed TED speaker Rebecca Knill as she guides us through a life shaped by hearing loss. Throughout, Knill offers eye-opening insights into disability and celebrates the power of technology to level the playing field.A provocative memoir, Radio Head Gal challenges the notion that a deaf existence is inferior, advocating instead for hearing loss to be recognized as an aspect of physical diversity similar to race or gender identity. The memoir delves into themes of adaptation, discrimination, faith, mother/daughter dysfunction, and the quest for belonging in a world that remains largely inaccessible to the d/Deaf.Growing up before accommodation laws or smart technology, Knill reflects on her life pre- and post-cochlear implant ― a surgical procedure in which computer chips replaced her sense of hearing, cyborg-style ― and the birth of her alter ego, Radio Head Gal. The book's subject is timely: hearing loss now affects 1 in 5 young people, a 30% increase since the 1990s. By 2050, hearing loss is expected to swell to 1 in 4 across all age groups worldwide. As younger generations face this reality, technological innovation must follow.With humor and insight, Knill explores themes of self-worth, communication, and the pivotal role technology plays in promoting inclusion. Recognized as a Top 25 Talk of 2020 by the TED Editors, Radio Head Gal is a vital resource to support those with hearing loss, providing intimate revelations and enlightening perspectives that cut through emotional barriers. Dive into this empowering narrative that challenges perceptions and advocates for an inclusive, technology-driven future, regardless of ability differences.

Show book

BUDDY BOY A True Story of THE...

SIXDIMENSIONS

I wrote this book in a short amount of time. I wasn’t pressured. I enjoyed writing it. “Buddy Boy” is my Grandad’s nickname. I’m not sure who gave it to him. I learned a lot watching my Grandad up close. I paid attention to his routines, what he liked to eat, and what he liked to do. Then after he passed away, I started to recognize the things he wanted me to learn. I miss all of my family who passed away but my Grandad was very special to me. 
My Grandma and Grandad taught me everything about family and life.Alot of the things I seen and experienced helped me in troubling situations in my life.The stories that I tell are authentic.This book displays different problems within families and communities of brown skinned humans.I wrote this book so my daughters will have something that describes and showcases their family.

Show book

Summary and Analysis of The...

Worth Books

So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Gene tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book.   Crafted and edited with care, Worth Books set the standard for quality and give you the tools you need to be a well-informed reader.    This short summary and analysis of The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee includes:  Historical contextChapter-by-chapter summariesDetailed timeline of key eventsImportant quotesFascinating triviaGlossary of termsSupporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work  About Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene:   From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Gene is a rigorously scientific, broadly historical, and candidly personal account of the development of the science of genetics, the dramatic ways genes can affect us, and the enormous moral questions posed by our ability to manipulate them.    As Siddhartha Mukherjee maps out the fascinating biography of the gene, from research and experimentation to scientific breakthroughs, he always returns to the narrative of his own family’s tragic history of mental illness, reminding us that despite our huge leaps in knowledge, there is still much we do not understand about the incredibly complex human genome.  The Gene is an important read for anyone concerned about a future that may redefine what it means to be human.   The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.

Show book

The Long Surrender

Burke Davis

In April 1865, Richmond fell to the Union army and Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to his Northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, at the Appomattox Court House. But the Civil War was far from over. 
 
 
 
Determined to keep Confederate dreams of secession alive, President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet fled the burning capital city. With Union troops in pursuit, the fugitives rallied loyalists across the South and made plans to escape to Cuba. In the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a $100,000 bounty was placed on Davis's head. Finally captured in Irwinville, Georgia, the former US senator and secretary of war became a prisoner of the American government. The harsh treatment he received would inflame tensions between North and South for years to come. 
 
 
 
Meticulously researched and brilliantly told, The Long Surrender brings these dramatic events to vivid, unforgettable life and paints a fascinating portrait of Davis, one of history's most enigmatic figures. By shining a light on this forgotten chapter of the Civil War, bestselling author Burke Davis examines the lasting impact of America's bloodiest conflict on the national character.

Show book