The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston (review by Kacey F. '15)

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kingston’s memoir speaks through first person only sometimes, defies chronological order, and thoroughly succeeds as an unconventional and thought-provoking work that presses the boundaries of a typical autobiography. As a Chinese-American girl of immigrant parents, Kingston recounts growing up in California amidst a confusing clash of cultures. The subject matter sounds dangerously close to other Chinese-American books save for the fact that Kingston places emphasis on dreams, imagination, and ghosts as much as real events. Her prose plays out with real and intriguing art, propelling the reader from one seamless narrative to another with subtle fluidity. She navigates through fact and fiction, blurring the line between the two while still beautifully encapsulating the emotional essence of her childhood to adult years. Poignant, bittersweet, and sometimes disturbing, The Woman Warrior is a recommended masterpiece for all mature readers, especially those appreciative of the postmodern style of literature. – Kacey F. ‘15

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