Who am I?
I chose the dramatic backdrop of the Tiananmen massacre because after my first trip to China in the 1980’s I became a host family for mainland students studying at UCLA where I was Medical Director of Student Health. During those weeks in 1989 many students communicated with friends and family back in China using our fax machine. From their perspective, the conflict was a generational struggle between the very old leaders, many of whom marched with Mao and who were desperate to hang onto power (and therefore for my plot would want to get their hands on an elixir to double their lifespan), and the younger generation anxious for reforms.
Deborah's book list on China's myths, religions, politics, and culture
Discover why each book is one of Deborah's favorite books.
Why did Deborah love this book?
This book takes place in China during and after the years of the Cultural Revolution. What makes this novel one I really enjoyed is how the author used a dramatic story to explore the cultural conflicts in a 5000-year-old country (China) struggling to become more modern. The main character is an army doctor who waits as he is torn between a marriage with someone who believes in blind adherence to ancient customs and a new, more modern love.
3 authors picked Waiting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
For more than seventeen years, Lin Kong, a devoted and ambitious doctor, has been in love with an educated, clever, modern woman, Manna Wu. But back in his traditional home village lives the humble, loyal wife his family chose for him years ago. Every summer, he returns to ask her for a divorce and every summer his compliant wife agrees but then backs out. This time, after eighteen years' waiting, Lin promises it will be different.