[Vision2020] book recommendation

[keely emerinemix]

Visionaires,I've been able to do a lot more reading this summer than ever before, and I wanted to recommend one of the most stirring, profoundly affecting novels I've come across in decades -- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I got at Bookpeople before our Canada trip.It takes place in 18th-century China and involves the (utterly barbaric) ritual of footbinding, the class divisions inherent among rural Chinese of the time, and the development and use of nu shu, believed to be the only written language developed and used solely by and for women.  My commitment to non-violence would be sorely tested by anyone who
refers to it as "chick lit," but I rank it with The Color Purple,
Little Women, and Toni Morrison's  Song of Solomon as one of the
truly life-changing books I've read.  I generally read non-fiction with an emphasis on theology and current events, and I chose this on a lark because, well, I was managing to bore even those closest to me with "here's a neat thing I read recently."  I rarely feel so strongly about a book that I'd publicly announce its effect on me, but this one really got to me.  And yes, there's a non-fiction recommendation, too -- "Kingdom Coming," an exploration of the effect of "dominion theology" on the United States over the last three decades.  Fascinating, well-documented, and a kick in the butt necessary for those who think that "tolerance" requires keeping silent, ignoring, or explaining away the menace around you.Hey, I may be trying to lighten up a bit by reading fiction, but Keely wouldn't be Keely without some dreary tome about fringe religious beliefs, would she?  Now, where's my copy of The National Enquirer ???????keely"And these women that you spit on as they try to change their worlds/Are immune to your consultations . . . they're quite aware of what they're going through"(With apologies to David Bowie)
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