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A review by smallicedmocha
Boxers by Gene Luen Yang
5.0
I think Gene's books will always manage to find a special place in my heart. I already loved his book "American-Born Chinese," not in the least because I am an aforementioned ABC myself, but Boxers and Saints takes that love to a whole new level. Although I love historical fiction, Chinese historical fiction is hard to find in English, and my Chinese reading skill is not proficient enough for me to have an enjoyable experience (too much dictionary flipping and whatnot).
So to me, this was the perfect book in understanding a small sliver of the very tumultuous, very complicated time in my culture's history. Although Chinese history has lots of convoluted political scenes, the Boxer Rebellion is still close enough to us that I have relatives who still are emotionally attached to the events that unfolded here.
The "mystical" and "spiritual" side of it was also well appreciated. Although Westerners like to think of themselves as rational, scientific beings, the Western religion of Christianity has just as many sensational and spiritual aspects as many of the Chinese folklore and mythology. I'm glad Gene had both the Chinese and Western spiritual elements in these two books.
I also love that Gene told the story from two perspectives. As an ABC and as a Chinese Christian, I often have conflicting feelings about the Western invasion of China, and pairing these two books next to each other can show a third party just how confusing it can be to hold tightly onto two contrasting and battling worlds.
So to me, this was the perfect book in understanding a small sliver of the very tumultuous, very complicated time in my culture's history. Although Chinese history has lots of convoluted political scenes, the Boxer Rebellion is still close enough to us that I have relatives who still are emotionally attached to the events that unfolded here.
The "mystical" and "spiritual" side of it was also well appreciated. Although Westerners like to think of themselves as rational, scientific beings, the Western religion of Christianity has just as many sensational and spiritual aspects as many of the Chinese folklore and mythology. I'm glad Gene had both the Chinese and Western spiritual elements in these two books.
I also love that Gene told the story from two perspectives. As an ABC and as a Chinese Christian, I often have conflicting feelings about the Western invasion of China, and pairing these two books next to each other can show a third party just how confusing it can be to hold tightly onto two contrasting and battling worlds.