Today is the final day of the Take Control Of Your TBR Pile Read-A-Thon, and I’m participating in the final challenge issued by our hostess Kimba The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which is to identify the oldest book in our TBR Pile and to answer a few questions about the book!
The Oldest Book In My TBR Pile
The oldest book in my TBR Pile is The Woman Warrior – Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston.
How I Acquired It
The Vintage International Edition that I own was published on April 1, 1989 (although the copyright is 1975). My husband gave me this book as a Christmas gift many years ago.
Why I Haven’t Read It
At the time, I figured I would get around to reading it one of these days – and that day never came. This year, however, I am definitely reading it – I’ve added it to my TBR pile as one of my selections for the Immigrant Stories Reading Challenge I am participating in this year.
First Chapter Thoughts
The first chapter in this book totally blew me away – it was riveting and absolutely haunting. I had to pause after reading the first chapter to process my thoughts. This will be a book I read through slowly, to fully digest and absorb all that the author has to share. Maxine Hong Kingston is a powerful story teller.
Quote
“Don’t tell anyone you had an aunt. Your father does not want to hear her name. She has never been born.” I have believed that sex was unspeakable and words so strong and fathers so frail that “aunt” would do my father mysterious harm. I have thought that my family, having settled among immigrants, who had also been their neighbors in the ancestral land, needed to clear their name, and a wrong word would incite the kinspeople even here. But there is more to this silence: they want me to participate in her punishment. And I have.
Ohh, that’s a powerful quote. Makes me feel the author’s shame…
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
I am still reeling from the first chapter of that book, Millie! This is going to be a powerful read!
Twitter: momsvictories
says:
What a great challenge idea, my oldest books I have at home but have not read are the Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. We bought them years ago and I had every intention of reading the Harry Potters so put them all on my Classics Club list so I can knock them out.
This sounds like a dramatic and intense book. The quote you gave sure makes me curious to read it. Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts and congrats on tackling the oldest book in your TBR. I always find it such a cathartic feeling to cross those old to-dos off my list.
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Oh Tanya, you simply MUST read the Lord Of The Rings trilogy – you will LOVE them!
When are you tackling those? I can’t wait to read your reviews on them and to hear your thoughts!
Yes, I cannot imagine what lies ahead in this book based on what the first chapter revealed!
I need to set aside a weekend just to read that one!
Love the idea of this challenge. This is a book I haven’t come across but based on the quote sounds like one I’d like to read.