genre: memoir
I read Wild Swans nearly 20 years ago now. I probably wouldn't have ever picked it up if not for my book group that chose it and it ended up being one of the most memorable reads from that part of my life. When I was at the library and saw that the author wrote a follow-up book, I immediately grabbed it. I think you can still appreciate this if you haven't read Wild Swans already but it would be preferable if you had. What I appreciated most about this is her journey to publication of the book and what happened right after. By the time I read it, it had been out for several years already so I didn't have the context that I have now gained from this book.
I did like Wild Swans a bit better. This is told in a more vignette style with more jumping back and forth in time that made it a bit more complicated to keep things straight. It's also, obviously, a lot more about her personal life, as well as all her interactions with all KINDS of people. Jung's circle of contacts within this book is astonishing, especially as she writes her book about Mao. I kept being amazed by how at-the-forefront Jung is as she negotiates trying to live outside China but still be a researcher and author as well as active participant in her mother's life IN China. No easy feat!
I honor her courage to put her family's story out into the world and while it is so sad at times, I know that my worldview is expanded by reading her words.
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