Dragon Chica. Mai-lee Chai

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Название Dragon Chica
Автор произведения Mai-lee Chai
Жанр Контркультура
Серия
Издательство Контркультура
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781934848708



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      CRITICAL PRAISE FOR DRAGON CHICA

      “It is very rare that a coming of age novel transcends its inherent limitations and attains the complex emotional resonance of adult fiction. Dragon Chica does this with great aplomb. The book explores with subtlety and depth the mature, universal issues of identity and connection, but it also retains its direct appeal to younger readers.

      “May-lee Chai has performed a remarkable act of literary magic.”

      —Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

      of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

      “Eleven-year-old Nea has seen the very worst this world has to offer – from civil war in Cambodia, to the rice fields of the Khmer Rouge, to the bullying hallways of American public school. Thankfully, her heart and imagination bloom wide enough to let her continue longing for the best. As she grows into a woman, Nea navigates her difficult life with clear-eyed and courageous idealism. May-lee Chai has written a brilliant and important coming-of-age story about a young refugee who refuses to give up her search for that promised refuge.

      “Dragon Chica is an important and deliciously readable novel that will hold you in thrall; you won’t be able to look away from these pages, even as your eyes fill up with tears.”

      —Nina de Gramont, author of Every Little Thing in the World and Gossip of the Starlings

      “From the killing fields of Cambodia to a Chinese restaurant in the middle of the cornfields of Nebraska, Dragon Chica takes the reader deep into a compelling story about two sisters and the secret histories that surround them.”

      —Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of Somebody’s Daughter

      “Powerful, witty and profound, Dragon Chica introduces readers to a new kind of American heroine.”

      —Alicia Erian, author of Towelhead

      ALSO BY MAY-LEE CHAI

       Hapa Girl: A Memoir

       Glamorous Asians: Short Stories and Essays

       China A to Z (co-authored with Winberg Chai)

       The Girl from Purple Mountain (co-authored with Winberg Chai)

       My Lucky Face: A Novel

      Translation

       The Autobiography of Ba Jin

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      a novel by

      MAY-LEE CHAI

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      First published by GemmaMedia in 2011.

      GemmaMedia

      230 Commercial Street

      Boston, MA 02109 USA

      www.gemmamedia.com

      © 2011 by May-lee Chai

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles of reviews.

      Printed in the United States of America

      15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5

      978-1-934848-48-7

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

      [TK]

      CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1The Shelf-Life of Miracles
CHAPTER 2The Letter
CHAPTER 3Last Chance, Nebraska
CHAPTER 4The Ghost in the Window
CHAPTER 5A Million Shades of Black
CHAPTER 6Father Dream
CHAPTER 7First Days in the Silver Palace
CHAPTER 8Auntie
CHAPTER 9Summer Storms
CHAPTER 10When I Was a Boy
CHAPTER 11The September I Turned Twelve Again
CHAPTER 12The Gamblers
CHAPTER 13Frying Shrimp
CHAPTER 14Dragon Chica
CHAPTER 15Silent People
CHAPTER 16Red Lobster
CHAPTER 17St. Agnes
CHAPTER 18The First Day
PART II
CHAPTER 19The Churning of the Sea
CHAPTER 20Saving Sourdi
CHAPTER 21Super 8
CHAPTER 22Giving in to the Ghost
CHAPTER 23Duke
CHAPTER 24Our Town