The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball - Softcover

Jones Yang, Dori

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1943006326 ISBN 13: 9781943006328

Publisher: SparkPress, 2017

Synopsis

A Chinese boy struggles to adapt to American life–and discovers baseball. Despite his impulsive and curious nature, twelve-year-old Leon is determined to follow the Emperor’s rules―to live with an American family, study hard, and return home to modernize China. But he also must keep the braid that shows his loyalty―and resist such forbidden American temptations as baseball. As Leon overcomes teasing and makes friends, his elder brother becomes increasingly alienated. Eventually, Leon faces a tough decision, torn between his loyalty to his birth country―and his growing love for his new home.
The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball is a lively, poignant, and nuanced novel based on a little-known episode from history, when 120 boys were sent to New England by the Emperor of China in the 1870s. This story dramatizes both the rigid expectations and the wrenching alienation felt by many foreign children in America today―and richly captures that tension between love and hate that is culture shock. It gives American readers a glimpse into what it feels like to be a foreigner in the United States and will spark thoughtful discussions.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"Do you understand English?" asked one boy in a polite tone. He stood apart from the group crowded around Leon.   Leon was just about to answer, "A little," when he felt a tug at the back of his neck. He swung around. A boy named Johnny had Leon's braid in his hand. With his other hand, Johnny pushed Leon so he turned in a full circle. Leon's hands flew to his neck, his braid wrapped tightly around it. He gagged. Aaiya!   "Chinee boy no talkee," Johnny said in a mocking voice."In this powerful novel, Dori Jones Yang explores cultural differences and ways of responding to them. Her deep insights and the compelling plot make this a book students will enjoy and then recall as they face cross-cultural experiences of their own."  -- MARY HAMMOND BERNSON, Director, East Asia Resource Center, University of Washington

About the Author

Dori Jones Yang is a Seattle-area writer with extensive experience making personal connections across boundaries of culture and time. Raised in Ohio, she lived and worked in Singapore and Hong Kong and covered the opening of China as a journalist for Business Week. Married to a Chinese man, she has traveled widely throughout Asia and raised a Chinese-American child. Her previous books include a young-adult historical novel set in China at the time of Marco Polo and a middle-grade novel about a girl from China who begins fifth grade in Seattle only to discover she has lost her voice. After studying Chinese for many years, Dori knows what it feels like to struggle to express your thoughts in an unfamiliar language. Learn more at www.booksbydori.com.

Edition details

• Publisher: SparkPress
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1943006326
• ISBN 13: 9781943006328
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256