My Half of the Sky edition by Jana McBurneyLin Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : My Half of the Sky edition by Jana McBurneyLin Literature Fiction eBooks 
The late leader of China, Chairman Mao said that, "Women hold up half the sky." My Half of the Sky is the story of a contemporary young Chinese woman who strives to be modern, strives to hold up her half of the sky, but the traditions of her village keep pulling her back. While the narration takes place in China/Singapore, the story is universal where do we reconcile the past with the present? Traditions with modern times?
My Half of the Sky edition by Jana McBurneyLin Literature Fiction eBooks
“My Half of the Sky” by Jana McBurney-Lin“My Half of the Sky” provides a nuanced look at a Chinese village girl’s effort to obey Chairman Mao’s dictum that women should hold up their half of the sky. In Li Hui’s case, her half contains a gambling addicted father who thwarts her efforts at every turn—to the extent of marrying her off to an unpleasant Singaporean with a mother complex. Fortunately, the author entertains us with impediments every step of the way—her irritations, her ambitions garnered from a university education, her struggle to overcome sitting in a park holding a sign to advertise her education. Working in a tea-shop becomes a microcosm of culture clashes, ending with a narrow escape from being shoveled off by a white-slaver. The most excellent part of “My Half of the Sky” is the staccato dialog in the early chapters, mimicking the way the Westerner often hears Mandarin, transitioning to longer, more sophisticated cadences as Li Hui discovers the complexities of life in Singapore.
My Half of the Sky is worth reading for its ability to illustrate the Chinese way of thinking—how centuries of customary practices make uneasy bedfellows with socialist idealism.
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My Half of the Sky edition by Jana McBurneyLin Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Although overly long, this is an interesting drama taking place in modern China. It is told lovingly by McBurney-Lin who is obviously highly knowledgeable about her subject. The book spells out the clashes between "old" and "new" China, as evidenced in the relationship between the protagonist and her parents, and recounts a love story very much in the spirit of new China.
(Margaret R. Davis, Sociologist and Author)
Reveals a lot about cultural issues in some parts of China. Easy to feel as the protagonist feels. Certainly mostly depressing, but a necessary view of life elsewhere.
My Half of the Sky makes you live the story. You learn about conditions in China at the time of the book and also how women are treated. You root for the young woman protagonist, cry with and for her, remember her long after.
After the epic memoirs that I've read of Chinese repression and hardship during the cultural revolution, Jana McBurney-Lin's "My Half of the Sky" is a refreshing and insightful look at modern China. The first chapter is so engaging, it stands alone as a short story. Li-Hui, our protagonist, stands in line at the post office to call her father about the teaching position she's been offered after graduating from university. She is so proud, but her father, who doesn't like the location of her post and is thinking only of his future when his daughter will be taking care of him, tells her to ask for a better position. Even Westerners, for whom jobs and careers are a highly personal choice, can see the disaster that lies ahead. Throughout the story, Li-Hui not only struggles to hold up her half of the sky, but also to make up for her gambling father's failings, a burden she doesn't seem to realize is too heavy for her.
It is a well-told tale of a young woman's choices that many Western women may find bewildering, but McBurney-Lin so skillfully shows us the pressures on Li-Hui that we begin to understand and see that her spirit and ambitions are not so different from our own.
This book is a must-read for anyone, particularly young woman, striving to understand how culture shapes our behaviors. I bought this as a Christmas present for my 17-year-old niece, who is also interested in writing.
When I first started this book I had a hard time getting into it. The main character seemed to accept her role as "victim" with no control over her own destiny too easily. But then I realized I was imposing my Western way of life onto hers, so I few months later I started the book again with fresh eyes and an open mind. Jana McBurney-Lin's descriptions and pacing makes you feel like you are right there, on the journey with Li Hui, feeling her frustrations, questioning her parent-imposed lifestyle choices, and ultimately rooting for her when she falls in love and tries to make her own decisions. Her sense of honor is unquestionable, whether to her parents or to her husband and his mother. But the reader and Li Hui also feel hopeless and beaten down as we go on her journey. This book seems incomplete without a sequel. I hope McBurney-Lin is at work on the next book.
“My Half of the Sky” by Jana McBurney-Lin
“My Half of the Sky” provides a nuanced look at a Chinese village girl’s effort to obey Chairman Mao’s dictum that women should hold up their half of the sky. In Li Hui’s case, her half contains a gambling addicted father who thwarts her efforts at every turn—to the extent of marrying her off to an unpleasant Singaporean with a mother complex. Fortunately, the author entertains us with impediments every step of the way—her irritations, her ambitions garnered from a university education, her struggle to overcome sitting in a park holding a sign to advertise her education. Working in a tea-shop becomes a microcosm of culture clashes, ending with a narrow escape from being shoveled off by a white-slaver. The most excellent part of “My Half of the Sky” is the staccato dialog in the early chapters, mimicking the way the Westerner often hears Mandarin, transitioning to longer, more sophisticated cadences as Li Hui discovers the complexities of life in Singapore.
My Half of the Sky is worth reading for its ability to illustrate the Chinese way of thinking—how centuries of customary practices make uneasy bedfellows with socialist idealism.
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