The Odyssey of a Manchurian

This narrative, the continuing saga of Baba(The first being Baba, A Return to China upon my Father's Shoulders), is apparently the second in Belle Yang's trilogy of a Chinese life-world and is summed up in the musings of Baba "Justice is not in the hands of man. Justice is not in the universe. There are only the inevitable, impersonal laws of change and flux...It is the Dao, the way of nature, the endless cycles of growth and decay, a cosmos spinning with opposing, conflicting forces.". I look forward to Belle's projected third volume of this trilogy (see [...]) Naren Jackson

A very insighful story of author's dad and his travels to find freedom. His determination to keep moving south out of his home in Manchuria. Leaving behind his remaining family and all of what was left of their family lands. A very intense story of his travails and his natural intuition to get around problems when he was faced with some very dangerous situations. Knowing how he met his wife and finally moved on to the USA. A great story.

I was unsure what to make of this book when I first ran across it. The title and colorful cover pulled at me, but the delightful story-telling style kept me reading.It's a sophisticated story about the adventures of a young Manchurian boy, an Oriental version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, if you will.I enjoyed the story, but now that I have a son it takes on a whole new dimension. I'll be reading it to him years before he'll be able to read it for himself. It'll join the stories of Ruyard Kipling and J. R. R. Tolkien.Highly recommended.