An anthology by the National Book Award-winning author of The Bridegroom contains intricately detailed pieces illuminating the experiences of Chinese immigrants in America, from a lonely composer who takes comfort in a parakeets song to a group of children who want to change their names. An anthology presents detailed pieces illuminating the experiences of Chinese immigrants in America, from a lonely composer who takes comfort in a parakeets song to a group of children who want to change their names. In his first book of stories since The Bridegroom was published in 2000 (“Finely wrought . . . Every story here is cut like a stone.”–Chicago Sun-Times), National Book Award-winning Ha Jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of Chinese immigrants in America. With the same profound attention to detail that is a hallmark of his previous acclaimed works of fiction, Ha Jin depicts here the full spectrum of immigrant life and the daily struggles–some minute, some grand–faced by these men, women, and children. A lonely composer takes comfort in the songs of his girlfriend’s parakeet; a group of young children declare their wish to change their names so that they might sound more “American,” unaware of how deeply this will sadden their grandparents; a Chinese professor of English attempts to defect with the help of a reluctant former student. All of Ha Jin’s characters struggle in situations that stir within them a desire to remain attached to their native land and traditions, as they also explore and take advantage of the newfound freedom, both social and economic, that life in a new country offers. In these deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous stories we are reminded again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer.
