BITTERSWEET
is a compelling first novel about love, war, family and one woman’s
great hardships and even greater triumphs. Based on the life of the author’s paternal grandmother who was wife of the first democratically elected vice president of China and briefly acting president, BITTERSWEET recounts the 100-year odyssey of a headstrong Chinese peasant woman who escapes infanticide and poverty and endures patriarchy and revolution to become the wife of the second most powerful man in China as well a highly respected and capable figure in her own right.
From the demise of China’s last imperial dynasty in 1911 to the government’s suppression of the student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, BITTERSWEET not only survives personal tragedies and national upheavals with her characteristic forbearance, compassion and wisdom, she also preserves family ties and traditions, customs and culture, and prevails in her singular objective -- to see her family safe and together again.
BITTERSWEET is available in paperback from Amazon.com and in hardcover from the author ( leslieli@sover.net ). Autographed copies of the hardcover (US$19.95 plus $2.00 shipping) are also available from the author.
BITTERSWEET
also comes in Chinese and German language editions. The novel was a
dual selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book
Club, and is offered as unabridged audio cassettes rentable from Recorded
Books, 1-800-638-1304.
"After giving birth to a robust baby girl, the
wife of a peasant farmer called Lao Li is faced with a difficult
decision. For a poor family in the late-19th-century China, a
daughter is a burden rather than a blessing. Still, the woman
cannot bring herself to kill her child; instead she commits the
'unthinkable crime' of deceiving her husband into sparing the
baby, who is eventually named Bittersweet. Drawing on the experiences
of her own grandmother, the first wife of a military leader who
went on to serve as China's acting President in the last days
before the Communist takeover in 1949, Leslie Li traces her heroine's
life from her headstrong girlhood to her marriage and, finally,
her old age. Thus 'Bittersweet' sheds light on the events of a
tumultuous century as well as the shifting roles of Chinese women.
Ms. Li is particularly skilled at rendering the details of the
domestic realm, the sparring in which wives and concubines conspire
against one another and a mistreated daughter-in-law is driven
to suicide." -- The New York Times, November 22, 1992
“Taken as history alone, this is a fascinating
book. ...the most honored wife of the great General Li, [Bittersweet]
lives through provincial skirmishes, war against Japan, the Second
World War, and the Revolution, and celebrates her hundredth birthday
during the student uprisings in Tiananmen Square. But it is also
an absorbing novel, full of private frustrations and excursions
to the market; philosophical mornings in the garden and difficult
relatives; intimate cups of tea and the satisfying, gradual evolution
of a character.” -- The New Yorker, December 7, 1992
In this powerful, touching memoir of critically acclaimed Chinese-American writer Leslie Li, taste becomes the keeper of memory and food the keeper of culture when Nai-nai, her extraordinary grandmother, arrives from mainland China bringing a whole new world of sights, smells, and tastes as she quickly takes control of the kitchen. Nai-nai's tantalizing and exotic cooking opens up the heart and mind of her American granddaughter to her Chinese heritage -- and to the world. Through her grandmother's traditional cuisine Leslie bridges the cultural divide in an America where she is a minority -- as well as the growing gap at home between her rigid, patriarchal father and her progressive American-born mother. Interspersed throughout her intimate and moving memoir are the author's personal recipes, most from Nai-nai's kitchen. A loving ode to family and food, Daughter of Heaven is an exquisite blend of memory, history, and the senses.
"This delectable book will satisfy multiple appetites: for compelling family saga, for heartfelt coming-of-age story, and for irresistible Chinese dishes."
-- Sigrid Nunez, author of For Rouenna and A Feather on the Breath of God
"Leslie Li's writing is brilliantly fresh, direct, and unabashed. Deftly wise and ironic, Daughter of Heaven takes us on an unforgettable, unflinching journey of food and remembrance."
-- Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Arabian Jazz and Crescent
"Li has an almost filmic talent for bringing odd events into sharp focus...and the recipes are delectable."
-- Corinne Trang, author of Essentials of Asian Cuisine and Authentic Vietnamese Cooking
"Like
an amuse bouche, each vignette in Li's memoir
tantalizes with a taste of Li's life as a Chinese-American in suburban
New York... the book is more than satisfying, and the mythical ending
(Li recounts a fable of her own) is haunting."
-- from a starred review in Publishers Weekly, March 28, 2005
"Daughter of Heaven: A Memoir With Earthly Recipes" is the warmly seasoned, sharply observed account of Leslie Li's family's culinary traditions. A central character in the wonderful family stories, myths and legends is "our very odd Chinese grandmother," Nai-nai, who comes to live with the family in New York during Li's childhood, and takes over the family kitchen. If food, with its attendant emotions and symbolism, is at the heart of the book, it is just one layer in a very rich composite."
-- Associated Press, April 22 & 25, 2005
"...goes
far beyond the show-and-tell character of standard memoirs...
the story of the author's personal journey from the young multi-ethnic
girl growing up in New York who would have happily shed any connection
to her Chinese roots, to the mature woman who seeks to connect to her
ancestry on a much deeper level."
-- San Francisco Chronicle, May 1, 2005
"Refreshing compared with the style of most food memoirists. ...stands out in her informative digressions on topics like the role of rice or noodles in Chinese culinary history. ...excels at providing easy-to-follow recipes that even a novice at Asian cuisine could follow."
-- Saveur, June/July 2005
All readings/book signings are free of charge.
National Arts Club - Friday, April 1, 2005, 8:00 p.m.
15 Gramercy Park South
New York City
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesBarnes & Noble Bookstore - Wednesday, April 6, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Chelsea branch - 675 Sixth Avenue at 22nd Street
New York City
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesQueens Borough Public Library - Sunday, April 10, 2005, 2:00 p.m.
Flushing Branch at 41-17 Main Street, Queens
New York City
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesChina Institute in America - Saturday, April 16, 2005, 2 p.m.
125 East 65th Street at Lexington Avenue
New York City
Talk/book signing: "Growing up Chinese in New York: From the Conservative Fifties to the Multicultural Millennium."International Women's Writing Guild - Sunday, April 17, 2005, 10:00 a.m - 12:30 p.m.
Scandinavia House
Park Avenue at 38th Street
New York City
Panel discussion: ten recently published authors discuss their personal publication process, from acquiring a literary agent to connecting with the right publishing house to sending their books out into the world. (There is a fee for this event. Please contact IWWG for more details.)Borders Bookstore - Thursday, April 21, 2005, 6:30 p.m.
461 Park Avenue at 57th Street
New York City
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesKGB Bar - Tuesday, April 26, 2005, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
85 East 4th Street (west of Second Avenue)
New York City
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesVillage Square Booksellers - Saturday, April 30, 2005, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
On the Square
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Reading/book signing/ "rice tasting": DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly
RecipesHeartstone Bookstore - Tuesday, May 3, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Kimball Hill Road
Putney, Vermont
Reading/book signing/ "rice tasting": DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly Recipes.Misty Valley Books, Sunday (Mother's Day), May 8, 2005 - 4:00 p.m.
On the Green
Chester, Vermont
Reading/book signing/rice tasting: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesCollected Works and Café Beyond - Thursday, May 12, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
29 High Street
Brattleboro, Vermont
Reading/book signing: DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesChinese Culture Day, Saturday, May 14, 2005, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Liberty State Park
Jersey City, NJ"Telling Stories: Power and Magic in Tales from China." A day organized by Families of Children from China celebrating Chinese culture with readings, performances, games, food, and more. For more information, or to register (there is an admission charge for Chinese Culture Day), log on to <http://www.fccny.org>. Leslie Li will read excerpts from her memoir DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN and her novel BITTERSWEET as well as perform in a staged reading of one of the children's plays she wrote for ENTER THE DRAGON.
First Person Festival, Philadelphia, PA - June 12, 2005
Moving Words, Fluent Body (workshop)
Sunday June 12, 11-2pm
Asian Arts Initiative
Leslie Li, a writer and movement teacher, will combine Spinal Spiral, a gentle, flowing yoga (done mostly in a chair), with "The Tao of Writing," a process in which participants are invited to explore thoughts and feelings, play with words and randomness, and invoke memory and imagination.Divine Dining (food/literary event)
Sunday June 12, 6pm
Joseph Poon Asian Fusion Restaurant
Author Leslie Li teams up with Joseph Poon for an evening of evocative memories and sensuous recipes. Li reads selections from Daughter of Heaven: A Memoir of Earthly Recipes while Chef Poon serves up divine renditions of Li’s favorite family foods.Toadstool Bookstore - Saturday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m.
Colony Mill
Keene, New Hampshire
Reading/book signing/ "rice tasting": DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly RecipesNorthshire Bookstore - Saturday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.
4869 Main Street, Manchester Center, Vermont
Manchester Center, Vermont
Reading/book signing/ "rice tasting": DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN: A Memoir with Earthly Recipes
(These characters represent Leslie Li's name in Chinese.)
ENTER
THE DRAGON
Production Guidelines and Scripts
for Three Children's Plays Adapted from Chinese Folktales
by Leslie Li and Mary Hepburn
Enter the Dragon is for anyone who has ever dreamed of producing a children's play in a week -- from casting call to final curtain.
Enter the Dragon offers:
- Three ROYALTY-FREE AND PERMISSION-TO-COPY
plays, each adapted from a Chinese folktale. Running time: 40 to 50
minutes each. Cast: fifteen to thirty children ages 7 and up.
- Original music and lyrics
- Synopses. An outline of the folktale
precedes each play.
Daily
Schedule. A day-by-day journal of how to conduct a 15 to 20 hours theater
workshop (3 to 4 hours a day over 5 days)
- Tips on how to make simple stage sets,
props and costumes.
- Color photos of scenes from the three
plays as performed at Main Street Arts.
- A step-by-step mini-course in Chinese calligraphy.
To order copies of ENTER THE DRAGON, or for more information, contact:
Main Street Arts Press
Saxtons River, VT 05154
Phone: (802) 869-2960
Email: info@mainstreetarts.org
Web Site: http://www.mainstreetarts.org
