Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Book Review: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

Mao’s Last Dancer - Li Cunxin

Synopsis:
Growing up in Qingdao, a poverty-stricken rural village in Northeast China, Li Cunxin’s life is already mapped out for him. Only divine intervention will prevent him from doing anything more than work in the fields for the Chinese government, just like his father does, seven days a week.
Even with his father constantly working, Cunxin, his parents and his six brothers barely have enough to eat, and share two beds amongst them. The only enjoyment in their lives comes from telling fables and folk stories, catching crickets, playing marbles, and pretending to be kung fu masters.
Despite his reverence for Chairman Mao, the communist leader whose every word is sacred and filled with promises for a better China, Cunxin can’t help but dream of a better life where his family can prosper and his beloved mother can have enough food to eat.
At age eleven, Cunxin’s life changes dramatically, when Madame Mao’s cultural delegates visit his school to select young peasants to train in ballet. It is hoped that the students will become faithful guards to the communist leader’s aspirations for a better China, and help to bridge the cultural gap in a country that is determined to avoid capitalist ideals at all costs.
Li Cunxin is one of the students chosen, an honour that sees him leave his hometown, family and friends and move to the dauntingly large city of Beijing.
In the years that follow, Cunxin learns to push his body to the limits, dances for international ballet companies and befriends the American president and first lady. This is his remarkable and challenging story.

What I gained from reading this book:
This novel provides a fascinating insight into the world of communist China during Chairman Mao’s ruling, and the views that were once held regarding countries like America and Britain. It is also interesting to see how Li Cunxin’s life was shaped by communist propaganda and how he was able to form his own perceptions about Western countries, having actually visited them and learnt about the people living there.
The most important thing to note about this book, however, is Li Cunxin’s strong sense of nationalistic pride. Despite some of the problems that he had with the Chinese government, Cunxin was still determined to represent his country and make his family proud. It is this on-going determination that makes Cunxin’s biography so interesting to read.

Positives:
Cunxin doesn’t shy away from telling the story as he remembers it- he recounts watching the execution of men accused of being too wealthy when he was a boy, and tells of the squalid conditions that he faced while living in his village. He also points out the vast differences in the wealth of the Western world, in comparison to the poverty of the world that he grew up in, and raises questions about why such poverty exists.

Negatives:
Some people may wonder how Cunxin and the other Chinese people could be so brainwashed by the communist propaganda spouted over the years but as you read the novel you can understand the reasons why. The Chinese people didn’t really have much of a choice if they didn’t want to face accusations of treason or be executed. Chairman Mao’s propaganda was also spread through his Red Book that everyone was supposed to own and study, and his values were among the first things taught at school. So it is through no fault of their own that the Chinese believed almost everything that they were taught about Chairman Mao and his ideals.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Biography

Recommended for: People interested in a young boy’s journey from poverty to international stardom



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Mao's Last Dancer

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Book Review: Marley And Me by John Grogan

Marley & Me - John Grogan

Synopsis:
John and his wife Jenny are happily married, working as journalists at competing newspapers and considering starting a family in the not-too-distant future. But concerned that they might not be able to cope with looking after a child, they decide to get a puppy so that they can have a ‘practice run’.
After visiting a local breeder, they pick out a yellow Labrador pup and name him Marley, but they have no idea what they’re getting themselves into.
Marley is adorable and lively as a puppy and continues to be so, even after he is fully-grown and weighs over ninety pounds. His unbridled energy and unconditional love for everybody he meets, and his love for eating things that he shouldn’t, drives the Grogan’s insane but they can’t help but love him for who he is.
As the family begins to grow, the Grogan’s face many challenges, mostly to do with the mayhem that Marley causes, but they stay united as a loving family unit until the end.

What I gained from reading this book:
There are many pet owners in the world who believe that they have the best dog in the world. There are also many in the world who think that they have the worst. John Grogan found the best and the worst in his yellow Labrador Marley, and recounts his experiences with his lively and often misbehaving dog in this biography.
Together with his wife Jenny, John picked out Marley from a litter of nine puppies, and soon became the owner of an incredibly goofy yet loving Labrador.
This novel recounts some of the more memorable moments in Marley’s and John’s life, highlighting the companionship that so many people share with their dogs throughout their lifetimes together.

Positives:
Grogan’s tribute to his beloved dog has touched people’s hearts all over the world, and his biography has been made even more popular with the release of the Hollywood film of the same title, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.
It’s wonderful that Grogan has been able to celebrate Marley’s life in such an honest and candid way.

Negatives:
People who have recently lost a beloved pet may find it difficult to read this book, especially if they can recognise aspects of their relationship in Grogan and Marley. On the other hand, this book may be a good way to help people come to terms with their grief, as they read about the love and hardships that others endure with their pets.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Biography

Recommended for: People who might have seen the film and are interested in reading the source.



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Book Review: Just A Hint - Clint by Lori Foster

Just A Hint--Clint - Lori Foster

Synopsis:
When schoolteacher Julie Rose is kidnapped by a bunch of thugs who plan on ransoming her for a large sum, Clint Evans and his best friends Mojo and Red, are hired by her ‘fiancĂ©’ Robert Burns to find and retrieve her.
But there is more to the story than meets the eye, especially when Robert insinuates that the person behind Julie’s kidnapping could be the infamous mobster Asa Ragon, and suggests that Clint find a way to get rid of him.
Realising that there is an ulterior motive behind Robert’s ill-conceived theories, Clint approaches the mobster and, through him, is able to locate and save Julie.
At Robert’s insistence, Clint also finds a place for her to stay out of danger, at least until the mastermind of the kidnapping plan is found.
But Clint and Julie soon find their lives on the line as the person behind Julie’s kidnapping decides to seek vengeance following her rescue, and despite Clint’s strong resolve, he finds himself falling in love with feisty and seductive Julie, and she with him. With a little help from some of Julie’s friends, they have to work out who is out to get Julie, and stop them before it’s too late.

What I gained from reading this book:
This story is a classic ‘damsel in distress’ tale, despite Julie’s feistiness and ability to fight for herself. The fact that she has a wealthy background, while Clint is from the wrong side of the tracks also makes this story more appealing to readers, as it brings together some of the different elements of society, and shows that love can blossom between people from opposite ends of the scale.

Positives:
This novel includes small time thugs, neighbourhood mobsters, wealthy estate owners, out of control gambling addictions, illicit love affairs, and of course, an exciting love story, so it is very appealing to readers on many fronts.

Negatives:
Clint can come across as hardheaded, and his no-nonsense approach to violence when defending the woman he loves can be a bit over the top at times. But these characteristics are representative of most of Lori Foster’s male characters, so readers will just have to take it in their stride.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Genre: Romance

Recommended for: Any woman who fancies herself as a damsel in distress, waiting for her knight in shining armour to rescue her.



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Just a Hint--Clint

Friday, July 17, 2009

Book Review: Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich

Bringing Down The House - Ben Mezrich

Synopsis:
Kevin Lewis is an engineering student at MIT when he is recruited by the MIT Blackjack team and taught the art of counting cards. Using basic counting techniques mixed with a variety of physical and oral signals, the team travels to Las Vegas and works the blackjack tables, counting cards in order to make a profit.
Although it’s not illegal, the team have to be aware of suspicious pit bosses and casino security who don’t like the idea of somebody beating the system and taking their money.
Mezrich, a friend of Lewis’, was enlisted to write about the extraordinary tale, where a group of twenty-something’s study and work during the week, and party with actors and famous sportspeople in Vegas on the weekends, all the while earning millions of dollars on the blackjack table.

What I gained from reading this book:
This novel was made into a film called 21, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey, but it’s interesting to see just how different the book and the film are. In the film, the characters look very different to how they are portrayed in the novel, and even their relationships are altered (although this is more than likely for cinematic appeal than for any other reason). This only highlights just how much is sacrificed from novels when texts are adapted for film.

Positives:
This story has everything- not only are the characters dealing with millions of dollars in cash and casino chips, but they also have to smuggle it all in and out of Vegas on airplanes, avoid casino heavyweights, keep their secret occupation hidden from their loved ones and all while struggling through college or mundane jobs. But want to know the best thing about it? It’s all apparently true.

Negatives:
The idea that a group of people were smart enough to beat the system and try to take back from the casinos is inspiring, although it makes you wonder exactly how smart they really were, risking their safety to feed their high-stakes addictions.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Genre: Biography

Recommended for: People who enjoyed the film and want to read from the source



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Book Review: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

Synopsis:
Balram “White Tiger” Halwai is destined to work in a small Indian teashop after he leaves school, in order to earn money to support his grandmother, brother and extended family, and keep the corrupt landlords of his village happy. But he has higher aspirations and longs to move to the city and become more than just a rickshaw-puller’s son.
The story of Balram’s journey to success is told over seven nights in letters to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who will be visiting the city of Bangalore the following week. The Premier, who is interested in meeting Indian entrepreneurs so he can bring some of their ideas back to his country, will be touring India, and Balram is incensed that he will only be shown the happy and successful parts of the country, rather than the real India he was raised in, which is full of poverty and corruption.
In his letters, Balram recounts his life journey from the village of Laxmangarh, where he grew up with his family, to his position as a driver and servant in Mumbai, to his current entrepreneurial role in Bangalore.
His honest views about religion, poverty, wealth, corruption and social injustice are mingled with dark humour as he attempts to enlighten the Chinese Premier about the parts of India that are often hidden from foreign government officials

What I gained from reading this book:
This book gives readers an insight into an India that is rarely seen in Bollywood films and tourism brochures. The poor, the needy, the homeless, and the persecuted are all highlighted within the dark humour of the novel, and are contrasted strongly with the wealthy, often corrupt, citizens of India. While India isn’t the only country in the world that has a defining gap between those that are wealthy and those that are poor, it is the author’s ability to distinguish the reasons for this wealth, or lack of, that make this book such an interesting and entertaining read. Despite the serious overtones of the social situation in India, the author is able to use humour to help readers relate to Balram and his plight.

Positives:
This is a true underdog tale, and what makes it even more special is the dark humour that Balram often reverts to in his efforts to highlight his struggles to get out of his tiny village and into the city. The author’s attempts to lighten the story with comedy are often very successful and even help to emphasise Balram’s sometimes amoral attempts to reach a higher place in the world.
Although this is a fictional story, readers also can’t help but believe the events that occur in the novel. This is especially the case since the release of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, which also showed a darker side to India, and drew attention to the poverty and corruption that so many people live in.

Negatives:
Although the novel is brilliantly written and highly entertaining, it still paints a very bleak picture of India and its people, and some people may not appreciate the references made to the darker, more sinister side, of the country.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Black Comedy

Recommended for: Anyone interested in reading about India’s darker side.



Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

The White Tiger