truthful letters

"A Truthful Impression of the Country": British and American Travel Writing in China, 1880-1949
$70.00
This is a book that the hard core student of Sino-Western relations or fanatic reader of dusty travel books will enjoy. The author tells us about the experiences of two or three dozen different British and American travelers to China, their impressions of the country, and how those impressions were influenced by their Western colonialist mentality.

I read the book primarily to see what the author had to say about travel writers I am familiar with: Isabella Bird, Peter Fleming, Edgar Snow, Agnes Smedley, and Mrs. Archibald Little. If those names mean anything to you, you might like reading about them in this book.

China was a popular destination for writers of every ilk in the 19th and early 20th century. For me the most interesting part of this book comes toward the end when the author describes the writers who visited the Chinese communists during the 1930s and 1940s and their very real importance in describing what was then an unknown movement buried far in the interior of a very large country. Generally, their views of the communists were highly favorable -- even fawning -- as the communists seemed to represent a departure from the China of decadence and ossification portrayed by many other writers.

A few good photos accompany the text. As with most scholarly books the price of the book is outrageous. I suppose the price is based on the anticipation of very small sales. Web publishing and print-on-demand should be considered as alternatives to make books of limited appeal such as this one more readily available at a lower price. I can't imagine that the author will get rich on the royalties however the book is marketed.

Smallchief

Confessions of a New Mother: (A Short, Humorous, but Truthful Account of Being a First-Time Parent)
$11.99
The book is a very exciting and an interesting book. I don't like to read, but this book got my attention. It's not an extremely long book which helps. It got my attention because I am a mother of 3 and I could relate to the stories that Jackie wrote. I even got my husband to read the book also. It was a book that neither one of us could put down until we finished it. We both laughed at the stories she wrote and both said yep that's happened because we both could relate to motherhood or parenting. I would love to read other books by Jackie Malena. Everyone should buy this book and read. GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where The Dust Never Settles: Mostly Truthful Tales of Hectic Family Life
$14.95
Where The Dust Never Settles is a warm, witty and funny look at the craziness of family that will help parents appreciate the hectic home life of a busy household.