Typical American

Typical American PDF

Author: Gish Jen

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2014-11-11

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0547524099

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This “irresistible novel” of Chinese immigrants navigating the American dream is “startling [and] heartrending, without ever losing its comic touch” (Entertainment Weekly). Gish Jen reinvents the American immigrant story through the Chang family, who first come to the United States with no intention of staying. But when the Communists assume control of China in 1949, Ralph Chang, his sister Theresa, and his wife Helen find themselves in a crisis, struggling to cling to their old-world ideas of themselves. But soon they begin to dream the American dream of self-invention. They transform, poignantly and ironically, from people who disparage all that is “typical American” to people who aspire to the American ideal. With droll humor and a deep empathy for her characters, Gish Jen creates a superbly engrossing story that sparkles with wit while challenging the reader to reconsider what it means to be a typical American. “No paraphrase could capture the intelligence of Gish Jen’s prose, its epigrammatic sweep and swiftness . . . . The author just keeps coming at you line after stunning line.” —The New York Times Book Review

Typical American

Typical American PDF

Author: Gish Jen

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2008-01-08

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0307389227

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From the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Mona in the Promised Land and Thank You, Mr. Nixon comes a 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.

The Averaged American

The Averaged American PDF

Author: Sarah E. Igo

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2009-06-30

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 0674038940

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supports the death penalty, that half of all marriages end in divorce, and that four out of five prefer a particular brand of toothpaste. But remarkably, such data--now woven into our social fabric--became common currency only in the last century. With a bold and sophisticated analysis, Sarah Igo demonstrates the power of scientific surveys to shape Americans' sense of themselves as individuals, members of communities, and citizens of a nation.

Just the Typical American Negro

Just the Typical American Negro PDF

Author: Jun Briggs-DeHorney

Publisher: Author House

Published: 2009-10-30

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1467872083

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One cannot comprehend America until they comprehend the Negro. The writer's great-grandfather once said that the Negro was just like a hog they don't endure to the end. Wash them up, dress them proudly and tie a red ribbon around their neck but as soon as they see a mud hole they will wallow. Where their spirit is where they will reside The writer's great-great-great-grandfather who was a very wealthy Slave owner, a judge, and a teacher to future slave owners said it best, that hope was evil. He told his students to acknowledge power, and to give the slave hope. The Slave owner would be in power.

The Love Wife

The Love Wife PDF

Author: Gish Jen

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2004-09-14

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1400043794

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From the massively talented Gish Jen comes a barbed, moving, and stylistically dazzling new novel about the elusive nature of kinship. The Wongs describe themselves as a “half half” family, but the actual fractions are more complicated, given Carnegie’s Chinese heritage, his wife Blondie’s WASP background, and the various ethnic permutations of their adopted and biological children. Into this new American family comes a volatile new member.Her name is Lanlan. She is Carnegie’s Mainland Chinese relative, a tough, surprisingly lovely survivor of the Cultural Revolution, who comes courtesy of Carnegie’s mother’s will. Is Lanlan a very good nanny, a heartless climber, or a posthumous gift from a formidable mother who never stopped wanting her son to marry a nice Chinese girl? Rich in insight, buoyed by humor, The Love Wife is a hugely satisfying work.

What's So Great About America

What's So Great About America PDF

Author: Dinesh D'Souza

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-11-20

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1621570789

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With What's So Great About America, Dinesh D'Souza is not asking a question, but making a statement. The former White House policy analyst and bestselling author argues that in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, American ideals and patriotism should not be things we shy away from. Instead he offers the grounds for a solid, well-considered pride in the Western pillars of "science, democracy and capitalism," while deconstructing arguments from both the political Left and political Right. As an "outsider" from India who has had amazing success in the United States, D'Souza defends not an idealized America, but America as it really is, and measures America not against an utopian ideal, but against the rest of the world in a provocative, challenging, and personal book.

Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century

Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century PDF

Author: Jeanne E. Arnold

Publisher: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press

Published: 2012-12-31

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1938770900

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Winner of the 2014 John Collier Jr. Award Winner of the Jo Anne Stolaroff Cotsen Prize Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century cross-cuts the ranks of important books on social history, consumerism, contemporary culture, the meaning of material culture, domestic architecture, and household ethnoarchaeology. It is a distant cousin of Material World and Hungry Planet in content and style, but represents a blend of rigorous science and photography that these books can claim. Using archaeological approaches to human material culture, this volume offers unprecedented access to the middle-class American home through the kaleidoscopic lens of no-limits photography and many kinds of never-before acquired data about how people actually live their lives at home. Based on a rigorous, nine-year project at UCLA, this book has appeal not only to scientists but also to all people who share intense curiosity about what goes on at home in their neighborhoods. Many who read the book will see their own lives mirrored in these pages and can reflect on how other people cope with their mountains of possessions and other daily challenges. Readers abroad will be equally fascinated by the contrasts between their own kinds of materialism and the typical American experience. The book will interest a range of designers, builders, and architects as well as scholars and students who research various facets of U.S. and global consumerism, cultural history, and economic history.

Just The Typical American Negro

Just The Typical American Negro PDF

Author: Jun & Louise Briggs-DeHorney

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2009-10

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1449030653

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One cannot comprehend America until they comprehend the Negro. The writer's great-grandfather once said that the Negro was just like a hog they don't endure to the end. Wash them up, dress them proudly and tie a red ribbon around their neck but as soon as they see a mud hole they will wallow. Where their spirit is where they will reside The writer's great-great-great-grandfather who was a very wealthy Slave owner, a judge, and a teacher to future slave owners said it best, that hope was evil. He told his students to acknowledge power, and to give the slave hope. The Slave owner would be in power.

A Study Guide for Gish Jen's "Typical American"

A Study Guide for Gish Jen's

Author: Gale, Cengage Learning

Publisher: Gale Cengage Learning

Published: 2016-07-12

Total Pages: 23

ISBN-13: 1410361462

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A Study Guide for Gish Jen's "Typical American," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.

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