I have recently read El club de la buena estrella (the title in English I think is The lucky star club) by Amy Tan, a writer from the United States but whose roots are in China.
Last Friday, my students and I met in my Adult School in order to comment the book. Before talking abaout the novel, we had some Chinese tea and cookies. In addition, a Chinese student tried to teach us how to play mahjong (one of the most popular games in China) but she didn´t succeed. Then we started to talk about the book.
It´s difficult to explain the plot because there are four different stories and four manin characters: four Chinese mothers and their four American daughters. The main topics are:
• The relationships between mothers and daughters.
• The tradition in front of the modernity.
• The migrations.
• The Chinese and American history in the twentieth century.
• How the background influences the present.
One of the most surprising things of the novel is its structure. You don´t read each story from the beginning to the end. The four stories are mixed and the reader has a total view of the book when he or she has finished the reading.
In my opinion, it´s an interesting book, if you want to think about what happens when two opposite cultures coexist in the same space (in this book, San Francisco, California). For many women who took part in the book club it was an interesting reading. So, I recommend it.
Maximiliano
The last book I´ve read is called ¨The Power Of
Now¨ by Eckhart Tolle.With this book,the author tries to
summarize the deepest principles and knowledge of the most
important spiritual leaders in the world along the history:
Jesus,Buda,Tao,Yoga,etc...He is considered one of the most
important spiritual teachers in the world,although he is not
fond of any particular religion or doctrine.
With his deep words he leads us into the essence of
our inner being,showing us the way back home.He thinks we
shouldn´t believe in our thoughts,and shows us how to get
out of our minds and get into our lifes.We spend most of our
time thinking,judging and evaluating things,and we are not
able to stop that stream of automatic thoughts.He points out
the need of paying attention to the present moment and being
aware of -here and now.For him,this is the best way to break
down all that stream of continuous thoughts and feelings and
get into a new state of consciousness.
I think we must look after our mind,as we do with
our body,in order to be more effective,more calm,and be able
to drop out all our heavy mental baggage that limits us. If
you are looking for a new perspective about how to manage
your daily life,this book could probably make a difference.
Héctor Manuel Lloret Pardo. NA1-MJ
