November Challenge

        The book Ties that Bind, Ties that break, by Lensey Namioka, has become one of my favorite books. The book is about a girl named Ailin and her journey through life after refusing to have her feet bound. She was one of the few who broke the tradition and was sort of like an embarrassment to the Tao family.


       From the start of the book you knew that Ailin was different from her sisters. She always ran around and caused trouble. Unlike her sisters, she did not want to waste her time for lady pursuits. Being different came with consequences. After not having her feet bound, the family of her intended husband broke the engagement. Her future was not very bright either. She could either become a nun, a farmer's wife, or be a concubine of  a family. All of this happened just because she did not have bound feet.


       Foot binding is a Chinese tradition that began at around 900 A.D. The process usually began at the ages four through seven, and before the arch of the foot had time to fully develop. At first, the foot is put in hot water, then lightly massaged. All except for the big toe is broken and pressed to the bottom of the foot. The foot is then bound with strips of cloth, which keep the foot from growing. The purpose of foot binding was to identify women of high-class. 


       I don't understand why people would do this! Reading about foot binding left me with my mouth opened. Does having tiny feet actually make you more beautiful? If I had to choose between having my feet bounded or not I would definitely say no. It is painful and I just can't believe it was considered beautiful and a symbol of gentility.


       Ties that bind, Ties that break, is a book that I recommend to anyone. It has taught me so much and made me realized that I don't know much about other countries and their history/culture. Lensey Namioka, kept me on the edge of my seat and I know you will feel the same if you read it.


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Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven, is an amazing book, it is no wonder why it won the National Book Award. He has such a way with words, that you can feel what Manny's feeling. Whenever he's mad at his drunken father, you can feel that anger too. When he's embarrassed, you can almost feel your face turning bright red. Because of this you could easily relate to Manny.


Throughout the book, Manny had trouble finding himself. First, all he wanted was to be the person people would look up to, not the easy target to beat up. Manny believed that the gang symbolized manliness and respect. He tried to get into a gang, but then realized he did not want to be a part of it. There was many things holding him back though. His dad, his cultural background, and money. I guess at the end he realized all he needed was his family.


I, like many others, want to be something in my life. Manny went through a lot just to figure out who he really was and what he wanted to do with his life.


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"When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood."  --Frank McCourt


The first time I read Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt was in seventh grade. I enjoyed it the first time, but loved it the second. It's a memoir, that's a good and bad thing. It's a bad thing because everything that is written is true. Everything that is written is true! This includes when he tried to dance to when he got Typhoid fever. Let metell you, It's true when he said he didn't have a good childhood.






He had a drunken father and six siblings in total. His family was poor and always had trouble paying the rent and feeding the children. Their father drank all the money they got from the dole(welfare). When Margaret was born everything changed. He never went to the Pub and never tasted a drop. He truly loved her, he tried to change and mend all that he had caused. Sadly, Margerate died weeks after she was born. He drank and drank and did the same when his twins, Oliver and Eugene, died. His friends and teachers picked on him, thinking he was stupid, but he was a very itlligent little boy. Throughout the book, Frank learned from his father's mistake and grew in character. At the end, you can say that everyting payed off, he made it to America.


Anyone can learn something just by reading this book. Frank McCourt is a perfect example that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.