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afterglobe's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
I first read this book as a Russian immigrant to the United States. I was in fourth grade and this was required reading. I dreaded this book, because I knew little about reading in English and even less about baseball.
The first time I read this book, I was unimpressed. I was living my own experience of stumbling over foreign characters and words, of going up to children on playgrounds and being told to go away upon asking if I could play with them. I missed Russia fiercely - it was physically painful to think about birch trees dozing under sheets of winter snow, about the summer sun which hovered above the balmy waters of the Oka river and only dipped for an hour or two long after midnight... I missed singing old war songs with my grandmother and feeling like a princess with my hair up in bows.
I'm now twenty eight and am a dual citizen of these two amazing countries. I picked up this book out of nostalgia. This second reading struck me, because there were so many similarities in Shirley's experience and my own. I understood her longing for home on a visceral level. I understood the hollow craving for acceptance. I understood the hope for a new beginning - my own little brother was born in America. Shirley's experience was so intimately linked to my own, despite our different origins and even the difference in the places where we ended up.
Parts of this book did not age well (which is why the rating isn't higher) but overall the message is relevant even now. I recognized so many of Shirley's experiences within my own. The book is written in honest, simple, beautiful prose and reveals a world that is at once wholesome and challenging. It's an important story, one made all the more relevant by the simple fact that it continues to be repeated by immigrants over and over again.
I first read this book as a Russian immigrant to the United States. I was in fourth grade and this was required reading. I dreaded this book, because I knew little about reading in English and even less about baseball.
The first time I read this book, I was unimpressed. I was living my own experience of stumbling over foreign characters and words, of going up to children on playgrounds and being told to go away upon asking if I could play with them. I missed Russia fiercely - it was physically painful to think about birch trees dozing under sheets of winter snow, about the summer sun which hovered above the balmy waters of the Oka river and only dipped for an hour or two long after midnight... I missed singing old war songs with my grandmother and feeling like a princess with my hair up in bows.
I'm now twenty eight and am a dual citizen of these two amazing countries. I picked up this book out of nostalgia. This second reading struck me, because there were so many similarities in Shirley's experience and my own. I understood her longing for home on a visceral level. I understood the hollow craving for acceptance. I understood the hope for a new beginning - my own little brother was born in America. Shirley's experience was so intimately linked to my own, despite our different origins and even the difference in the places where we ended up.
Parts of this book did not age well (which is why the rating isn't higher) but overall the message is relevant even now. I recognized so many of Shirley's experiences within my own. The book is written in honest, simple, beautiful prose and reveals a world that is at once wholesome and challenging. It's an important story, one made all the more relevant by the simple fact that it continues to be repeated by immigrants over and over again.
farkle's review against another edition
5.0
Still a favorite after all these years. Hoping to use this to launch a project I've had in mind for a while. Stay tuned...
bookzealots's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
1.0
lots of eastern paganism and superstition
the main character gets punched in the face
the main character gets punched in the face
francium87's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
radmusikitty's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book to see if it would make a good literature circle for my historical fiction unit in my class, and I was not expecting to like it nearly as much as I did. It has such a powerful message about the opportunities people have in America that weren't always possible, and I found it especially topical given the current political climate. I'm looking forward to seeing if it affects my students as much as it affected me.
bookworm_baggins's review against another edition
4.0
Read aloud with the kids. This book was so fun, so well told, a really great family read aloud. In this semi-autobiographical story of a Chinese girl who immigrates with her family to New York City in 1947 each chapter covers one month of the year. It shows how difficult immigration is, from not speaking the language, to learning new culture, to the joy of being American while still working to retain family and heritage. We love the baseball elements, and it was so fun to see Shirley grow over the course of the year through the lens of baseball.
emlickliter's review against another edition
5.0
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord – While looking through a used bookstore, I kept finding familiar treasures. Shirley Temple Wong’s story was as uniquely American as her name! Happy Reading!
stephb413's review against another edition
3.0
A nice, pure, innocent read about a journey in finding oneself. Certainly a wide variety of content/discussion topics, not limited to immigration, New York, post WW 2 history, cross culture studies, etc. The major charm for me was that the read took me back to a more simple time with pure innocent characters. Worthwhile!
rlaferney's review against another edition
4.0
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson is a children's novel by Bette Bao Lord and illustrator Marc Simont about a young girl named Shirley Temple Wong who leaves a secure life within her clan in China following World War II and settles in Brooklyn. This heartwarming story is about how Shirley attempts to learn how to fit in her new surrounds while also maintaining her heritage. It is also about how Jackie Robinson, who too overcame diverse obstacles, inspired Shirley to achieve her dreams.