Reader: Miss Libben
Madeline P.
Mrs. Strombeck
Ashley L.
Mrs. Shepherd-Gibbons
Available: 322
Everday - SSR, 3rd period, A Lunch
Afterschool - Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Why I like this book:
This book celebrates sisterhood and womanhood. Lisa See opens a whole new world. Most of us will never travel to Asia, but Lisa See drops us right into the midst of 19th century China. (And there's a particularly fascinating scene about foot binding that makes you question the things we do for beauty . . .)
Summary:
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
Source: librarything.com
