Online Book Club - Forget Sorrow, Week 1

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Forget Sorrow coverFor July 2012, our Online Book Club continues by discussing Forget Sorrow by Belle Yang.

 

Each week, we'll put forth a different question to prompt reflection on the book and it's ideas.  We hope you will participate in the discussion by leaving comments below!

 

For Week 1, we'd like to ask:

How do her father's stories bring Xuan (Belle) closer to her Chinese heritage? What does she gain?

 

In Forget Sorrow: an Ancestral Tale , Xuan doubted her parents’ words counseling her to stay put and achieve a certain level of peace after she had returned home in California from her study and adventures in China. Her father (Baba) advised her to practice Chinese calligraphy to be patient and to reach for deeper levels of mindfulness. I believe he had disciplined himself in the same manner in order to overcome the adversities in his life during a turbulent historical period. He was hoping that the right time to tell Xuan his stories would come soon. By and by, Xuan became responsive and attentive, and together they succeeded in sharing his family stories eventually. By giving voice to her father, Xuan says, "I have discovered the strength of my own voice."

 

I feel one of the elements of the Chinese heritage she gained is the patience and self-discipline exemplified by her father’s life in the face of all the challenges and sorrows on the earth. How do you feel about the other aspects of Baba’s stories that may have strengthened Xuan?

 

See our Online Book Club page for more information about this book and to preview the next weeks' questions



Posted by Anling Wu on Jul 3, 2012 | Comments: 2 |
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Comments from our readers...

Forget Sorrow!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, July 05.
Yes,she did learn patience and self discipline exemplified by her father's life where he faced a lot of challenges successfully with the Chinese heritage of three different religions Budhism,Taoism and Confuciacism which he imparted to his daughter while narrating his grandfather's story.Looking forward to our book discussion next week.

reply to reader about Travel in China

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, July 05.
Dear Anonymous, I received a question regarding how my travel helped me to understand my father better. This is certainly true, because I was on his native soil, I ate the food he ate as a child. I've learned that the best way to bring forth my father's memories was through the stomach. I had eaten frozen persimmons, which were sold on the flatbed of a bicycle cart, I had tasted pungent deep fried dough wrapped in a crepe like roll. I could remind my father of these experiences and a whole string of childhood remembrances would come spilling forth from him. Also, my language ability improved and, naturally, we were able to communicate more deeply--beyond the day-to-day household exchanges. I also met my grandparents, who were in their 80s and I had this small window of time to visit. I am sorry to admit I did not know enough about them and their travails to initiate dialogues. But seeing them, I felt I was in touch with the living flesh of those who made my father and influenced him for good and ill.