Description
After long afternoons spent with her great-aunt Yu-i, Pang-Mei, a first-generation Chinese-American, paints this unforgettable saga of a woman, born in Shanghai at the turn of the century to a well-to-do family, who continually defied the expectations of her class and culture.
'In China, a woman is nothing,' began Yu-i over tea and dumplings. 'This is the first lesson I want to give so that you will understand.' Growing up in the perilous years between the fall of the last Emperor and the Communist Revolution, Yu-i led a life marked by a series of rebellions that changed the course of her life, including the first and most lasting: her refusal to have her feet bound. And as Yu-i confides her innermost dreams and demons to her great-niece in this dual memoir, the deeply textured portrait of a woman's life in China is blended with the very Western story of a young woman's search for identity and belonging.
A rich and evocative dual memoir of a first-generation Chinese-American and her great-aunt.
About the Author
Pang-Mei Natasha Chang was raised in Connecticut. She practised law in New York City before moving to Moscow, where she currently resides with her husband. Bound Feet & Western Dress is her first book.
Reviews
'Exquisite...This is an enthralling tale of a woman who achieved independence despite great odds' * Publishers Weekly *
'Ms Chang [tells] her story with unassuming delicacy...A touching, bittersweet evocation of China' * The New York Times *
A rich, evocative memoir * People *
A gripping, candid dual memoir * South China Morning Post *
Book Information
ISBN 9780857502728
Author Pang-Mei Natasha Chang
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
Publisher Transworld Publishers Ltd
Weight(grams) 181g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 15mm