Present Books Toward Typical American
| Original Title: | Typical American |
| ISBN: | 186207111X (ISBN13: 9781862071117) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (1991) |
Itemize Epithetical Books Typical American
| Title | : | Typical American |
| Author | : | Gish Jen |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | May 14th 1998 by Granta Books (first published 1991) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Cultural. China. Novels. Literature. American. Adult Fiction |
Rendition In Favor Of Books Typical American
From the beloved author of Mona in the Promised Land and The Love Wife comes this comic masterpiece, an insightful novel of immigrants experiencing the triumphs and trials of American life. Gish Jen reinvents the American immigrant story through the Chang family, who first come to the United States with no intention of staying. When the Communists assume control of China in 1949, though, Ralph Chang, his sister Theresa, and his wife Helen, find themselves in a crisis. At first, they cling to their old-world ideas of themselves. But as they begin to dream the American dream of self-invention, they move poignantly and ironically from people who disparage all that is “typical American” to people who might be seen as typically American themselves. With droll humor and a deep empathy for her characters, Gish Jen creates here a superbly engrossing story that resonates with wit and wisdom even as it challenges the reader to reconsider what a typical American might be today.
Rating Epithetical Books Typical American
Ratings: 3.42 From 1456 Users | 129 ReviewsRate Epithetical Books Typical American
This is an absolutely fantastic story! Gish Jen is a masterful storyteller. I'm a bit surprised by some of these low ratings, especially by readers who honestly declare that they didn't even get far with the book. How do you review a book you didn't even read? Anyway, I disagree with them. Gish Jen's stories will transcend future generations. If you haven't tried her work, Typical American is a great read.read for school, did not enjoy it. Little explanation on how Ralph and Helen even have chemistry, storyline rushes forward. Unnecessary Chinese volcab inserted. Save ur time and souls ppl.
We read this for our library book club. It is the story of a family of Chinese Immigrants circa 1949. Ralph, the main character, comes to the USA as a university student. We watch him transform from a fearful student to the "typical American" that he mocked when he was first starting out. It was a tough read. Even though Ralph was hard to like, I felt for him as his world started to unravel. It was interesting to see what this Chinese family perceived as "typical" American behavior.
This book should be required reading at my office.*I have long wondered how my Chinese clients pick their Americanized name. How does Xiangxin become John? And Wenxia become Sara? The book solves the mystery! They have the secretary at their colleges office of international education pick it for them. Said secretary rolls through a mental list of all her ex-boyfriends. Its like spinning the wheel of fortune. Voila, Yifeng becomes Ralph! Even Ralph seems letdown by this process: Walking home,
tight, funny, and totally engrossing mini epic. surprised that this isn't more widely read.
I heard this author's name somewhere, so when I saw it on the shelf, I thought, "Oh. Right. I have heard of this person, which means they must be good." This is the story of a Chinese immigrant who comes to America and can't really find his place, deals with trying to assimilate into a new culture, and interacts with some unusual characters. I think I expected more from this book than I got; I never quite felt like I had any traction with the main character or liked him very much.
This was not a joy to read. Up until the last 12 pages it all just kept plodding along heavily, the characters didn't make me laugh and I usually find Asian immigrants HILARIOUS. Yifeng (Ralph) Chang comes to the US from China to study engineering. He starts out proud of his virtuous ethical ideals and then they disappear. Same thing happens to his sister Theresa and eventual wife Helen. Ralph befriends a Chinese-American named Grover Ding, a millionaire with questionable morals of his own, and
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