Petersburg Times) this is a radiant and engaging story about a young American woman’s discovery about the life of her Korean grandmother.Helie Lee’s grandmother, Hongyong Baek, came of age in a unified but socially repressive Korea, where she was taught the roles that had been prescribed for her: obedient daughter, demure wife, efficient household manager. Ripped from her home first during the Japanese occupation and again during the bloody civil war that divided her country, Hongyong fought to save her family by drawing from her own talents and values. Over the years she proved her spirit indomitable, providing for her husband children by running a successful restaurant, building a profitable opium business, and eventually becoming adept at the healing art of ch’iryo. When she was forced to leave her country, she moved her family to California, where she reestablished her ch’iryo practice. Writing in her grandmother’s voice, Helie Lee recreates an individual experience in a unique culture that is both seductively exotic and strangely familiar. With wit and verve, she claims her own Korean identity and illuminates the intricate experiences of Asian-American women in this century.

    Filipina American debut author displays the contradictions of Asian American experience with irony & enthusiasm, anger & wit.

    Told in the format of a dictionary, with a series of vignettes disguised as entries, A Dictionary of Maqiao is a novel of bold invention–and a fascinating, comic, deeply moving journey through the dark heart of the Cultural Revolution.Entries trace the wisdom and absurdities of Maqiao: the petty squabbles, family grudges, poverty, infidelities, fantasies, lunatics, bullies, superstitions, and especially the odd logic in their use of language–where the word for “beginning” is the same as the word for “end”; “little big brother” means older sister; to be “scientific” means to be lazy; and “streetsickness” is a disease afflicting villagers visiting urban areas. Filled with colorful characters–from a weeping ox to a man so poisonous that snakes die when they bite him–A Dictionary of Maqiao is both an important work of Chinese literature and a probing inquiry into the extraordinary power of language.

    The first complete manuscript ever found from the legendary military strategist Sun Tzu II (commonly known as Sun Bin, a lineal descendent of the great Sun Tzu), this sophisticated manual delves even deeper than The Art of War into the complex principles and practices of organizations, tactical formation, strategic maneuvering, and adaptation. Like those of his distinguished ancestor, Sun Tzu II's insights and strategies can be applied to life situations far beyond warfare - including government, diplomacy, business, relationship, and social action. Renowned scholar Thomas Cleary, universally praised for his ability to capture the often cryptic meanings of Chinese texts, has masterfully translated the subtle and challenging original text of The Lost Art of War and has contemporized Sun Tzu II's strategic insights with his own illuminating and accessible commentary. An ancient version of Sun Tzu's The Art of War was also found in the tomb, which differs significantly from previously known editions. Thus, Cleary additionally offers a fascinating analysis comparing the teachings of The Lost Art of War to those of the classic The Art of War as it is presented in this newly discovered version. Sun Tzu II draws on other traditions of strategic thinking while extending the teachings of his ancestor.

    Everyone in the village expects him to pass the civil service examination and become a judge, but he hasn't been seen since he left to study in Seoul. Bak lives with his mother and his father's relations. At the end of a path that leads to the rear of their house is a persimmon tree and an old ramshackle hut. Children are forbidden by grownups to go near the tree, but Bak makes repeated incursions to collect the forbidden fruit. Finally, an encounter with the inhabitant of the hut changes his life forever. Decades later, a journalist (the narrator) is asked to write an article about one of South Korea's most unique writers, Bak Bugil. Initially reluctant, the journalist begins to develop a curiosity about Bak's past. Upon meeting Bak, it becomes clear that he finds childhood recollection painful and difficult, but the journalist knows that that if he is to write a single word about Bak it will be impossible without unearthing that history. Dealing with childhood shame, abandonment, rebellion, first love, and religious experimentation, this extraordinary novel cemented its author's reputation as one of the stars of South Korea's literary scene.

    What we know of this archipelago is very often condensed, filtered, or distorted by Western preconceptions and interpretations. Here, for the first time, are Filipino and Filipino American writers telling their lives in their own words. Here are stories of passion and betrayal, home and exile, the politics of the self and a nation in search of itself. Here are poems of such power and beauty that can rank among the best in the world. In these pages the reader will find familiar figures-the greedy Marcoses, teenage gangs, game shows, rock star clones-as well as characters and themes of every stripe and hue, from gay youngsters checking out surfer jocks in Hawai'i to Westernized girls coming out of convent school, from a searing recollection of gang rape to meditations on the spirit.Altogether, these works provide a deeper image of the Philippines and of Filipinos in America, as seen by some of the best writers from both sides of the world. Ultimately, it gives a unique and vivid perspective of America as well.

    C. Zaehner's anthology has long been considered invaluable for its breadth and diversity. Now Dominic Goodall expands Zaehner's work with three fresh translations, including one work that appears for the first time in English. Spanning more than two thousand years, the range of selections in this book include arcane hymns of the ancient Aryans, prescriptions governing every aspect of the daily life of the orthodox, and sensual poetry.

    Eight centuries before Columbus, this intrepid pilgrim traveled 10,000 miles on the Silk Road, meeting most of Asia's important leaders at that time. In this revised and updated edition, Sally Hovey Wriggins, the first Westerner to walk in Xuanzang's footsteps, brings to life a courageous explorer and devoutly religious man. Through Wriggins's telling of Xuanzang's fascinating and extensive journey, the reader comes to know the contours of the Silk Road, Buddhist art and archaeology, the principles of Buddhism, as well as the geography and history of China, Central Asia, and India. The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang is an inspiring story of human struggle and triumph, and a touchstone for understanding the religions, art, and culture of Asia.