Library Corner

This is the story of a Chinese mother caught between her own, (self-defined as Chinese) and the American culture, specifically in parenting children. The story itself I found to be mediocre in that nothing ‘actually happens’. Maybe this is why it is quite charming. A book which any parent will be able to identify with on some level. I particularly liked the humor that comes from the rage Amy Chau feels when confronted with what she sees as defiance and rebellion in her children, and specifically her youngest daughter Lulu. The obsession with being the best and instilling this into children as ‘the Chinese way’ kept me amused and interested. As an Asian Brit. Myself, I could relate to some of this pressure that Amy insisted was essential to bringing up obedient, successful children. However, I still had moments of horror and disbelief: “If the next times not perfect, I’m going to take all your stuffed toys and burn them!”- a tad much for a five year old playing the piano I thought. In the absence of a ‘conclusion’ in terms of Western vs. Eastern parenting styles, it became clear to me that difference need not always be unequal-An enjoyable read.

This book is set in the 1870′s USA as well as present day-two stories about Latter Day Saints.  The historic is about Ann Eliza Young, who divorces her powerful husband Brigham Young (leader and Prophet of the Saints) and sets herself on the path to end polygamy.  The present day is set around Jordan Scott, a young man who has been thrown out of the modern-day Latter Day Saints and who is trying desperately to find out the truth behind his father’s murder.  This book intrigued me from the onset.  The resilience of Ann Eliza Young in facing the challenges and struggles of women under such testing conditions was inspiring.  The same inspiration came from reading Jordan’s story of his mother and her relationship with his father.  I was interested to read about polygamy in the Western world and this book confirmed for me my personal understanding of how patriarchs in all societies use their positions of power to abuse the rights of women and children for their own personal gains. Murder, power, abuse, control, mystery and survival all come together in this well-written and immensely thought-provoking book.

The story is told through a series of letters from Eva to her husband about their mass-murdering son Kevein who aged 14 shoots into his school.  Eva comes across as a cold, unloving mother who describes how she felt her son had ’hated’ her from the onset.  She gives quite a lot of details to that affect, her post-birth lack of connection to him and her resentment and disbelief at his love for his father, compared to his behaviour when mother and son were left alone.  As such, Kevin comes across as inherently evil, even as a baby.  Franklin (the father) has no boundaries, fails to discipline Kevin and therefore is the ‘good cop’ to Kevin.  So Kevin seems to get away with murder even before he kills someone.  I felt very sad for his sister Celia and I also felt quite protective over her.

This is a classic nature vs. nurture debate.  Is he inherently evil or a product of his family/environment/upbringing?  We are given the impression that his mother was neglectful of him as a child/baby which suggests that perhaps this had a profound impact on the person he became. Or maybe this was simply a mothers guilt taken too far? Whichever conclusion you draw after reading the book, it does make for interesting discussion.  It generated a good discussion in our book club.  Some loved it, others really didn’t.  It made us question a mothers love.  Is it/should it be unconditional? Do you stick by your children, no matter what they do?

The story is of young, middle class pretty high school teacher Bathsheba who has an affair with one of her under age students, Steven Connelly.  The story is told through Barbara who is a teacher at the same school.  Barbara is a sixty year old bitter and lonely spinster and quickly we realise that her life revolves around Bathsheba.  Barbara is wiked and cunning, a sad woman with evil and nasty traits and her ‘attachment’ to Sheba is obsessive, trying to be her mother, her friend, underlyingly, her lover perhaps?  Sheba is a lost sole living in a fantasy world-married to an older man she is trying to recapture her youth.  She has a pathetic pining for Steven that you would only except from a naive teenager.  Connelly is a typical adolescent boy who is charmed by having an older woman interested in him.

It is set in and around the school environment and the other characters are quite typical of teachers.  There is plenty of idle gossip in the staff room.

I really did not like this book, perhaps because the storyline was predictable, except for Barbara’s sinister attachment to Sheba which became apparent very quickly (there is a certain amount of unhealthy desriptiveness about Sheba by Barbara, her eye lashes etc.) The media-frenzy which followed the affair coming out was not too sensationalised which I was glad for.  The affair with the young student frankly repulsed me but did not come across as abusive whereas the supposed friendship between Sheba and Barbara suggested Sheba was a victim.

We had an interesting discussion about this book, especially given that most of us could relate to it, whether as teachers or as parents.  We were unclear if this was based on a true story? We decided to watch the film after our discussion to see how it compared to the book and as is often the case, we all agreed that the book captivated the story a lot better than the film although Judy Dench’s portrayal of Barbara affirmed the abnormal obsession she showed for Bathsheba.

What can I say about this book, except that it is perhaps one of the best books I have ever read. It reads in some ways as an alternative to the bible with the main focus being the role of women in biblical times. The voice of Dinah is finally heard in this version of events, as are the voices of other women, a first for biblical readings – an alternative version of events.

I found the concept of ‘the red tent’ very appealing indeed-a place of sanctuary for women to recouperate and simply share experiences, gossip and stories. The bond between women of the time is expressed with great emotion and conviction by the author, even though many of these relationships would be ‘unacceptable’ or intolerable in today’s world. Take for example the fact that Jacob takes many wives, (who are sisters). Here we see Patriarchy in its fullest form with Jacob controlling the lives of the women and benefitting from them. What is significant though is that these women are not presented as weak victims of patriarchy, but instead are determined, headstrong and resiliant. The cental character, Dinah (daughter of Jacob and Leah) is apparently raped by a prince of Shechem in the biblical story, but in the Red Tent he is genuinely in love with her and she readily agrees to marry him. However, her brothers in the book, Simon and Levi, insist that the prince be circumcised as a form of punishment for the rape of their sister. While the prince agrees and undergoes the painful circumcision, the brothers still seek revenge and go ahead and kill him. The grief-sticken Dinah then leaves her brothers and father Jacob and goes to Egypt where she gives birth to a son. She later reunites with her brother Joseph. The characters, with their biblical affiliations were interesting and perhaps less romanticised than the biblical images we may have had growing up. The stories of Jacob and Joseph were significant as they told that which is part of history, yet with more reality and ‘heart’ than has been previously been demonstrated.

On a personal level, I found the story intriguing and experienced a real connection, perhaps because I have always been fascinated by biblical stories and ‘stories of old’. Growing up with a mix of stories of Jacob and Yacub, Joseph and Yousef etc. this story was able to overcome cultural and religious boundaries. Having named my son Yousef, this story once more made me think about the meaning behind his name and the strong character of the man he was named after. The book is significant also in terms of women’s position and role in different societies and cultures, over different times, presenting them as active participants in their lives, rather than passive victims, which I found to be truly inspirational.