Historical Fiction Asia

Lady Mochizuki Chiyome is mired in grief. Recently widowed by Japan's endless civil war, she has become tired of mourning, tired of wearing the white robes that are the traditional Japanese garb of grief. On the road, she encounters two young women who open her eyes to a whole new purpose in life -- and a new way to end Japan's century of bloodshed.

Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in the United States and Japan, Allen Say poignantly recounts his family's journey to America. The feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries are sensitively narrated by B.D.Wong.

Mochizuki Chiyome wants someone dead...and someone wants to serve her. At a banquet to celebrate a new alliance, Chiyome contemplates murder, and discovers a new servant.

Sanghee's father lights a bonfire on top of the mountain near their Korean village every night. It is a signal to the next mountain, where another fire is lit as a signal to the next mountain, and so on all the way to the king's palace. If the first isn't lit, the others won't be lit, and the king will know that trouble has come to the land. One evening, Sang-hee notices that the fire is not lit. Has trouble come?

Frances and Ginger Park, authors of both children's books and young adult novels, based this inspiring and deeply affecting tale on their own mother's childhood. Winner of the International Reading Association Award, My Freedom Trip features a courageous girl named Soo who makes a desperate bid for freedom by journeying from North Korea to South Korea. Her father awaits across the border, but to achieve her new life, Soo must leave her mother behind.

The three tales in this audiobook are adapted from stories told by the peasants in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. They are drawn from some books I found in shops when I visited the former USSR in 1988 as part of a citizen diplomacy group. I was intrigued by these folktales, since my paternal grandmother lived for some time in Odessa in the Ukraine. Also, I found these stories share a common theme - the poor peasant is able to succeed despite obstacles against an unfair ruler.