Product Description
An uproarious debut that lays bare the complicated generational relationships of Chinese American women.Raucous twin sisters Moonie and Mei Ling Wong are known as the “double happiness” Chinese food delivery girls. Each day they load up a “crappy donkey-van” and deliver Americanized (“bad”) Chinese food to homes throughout their southern California neighborhood. United in their desire to blossom into somebodies, the Wong girls fearlessly assert their intellect and sexuality, even as they come of age under the care of their dominating, cleaver-wielding grandmother from Hong Kong. They transform themselves from food delivery girls into accomplished women, but along the way they wrestle with the influence and continuity of their Chinese heritage.

Marilyn Chin’s prose waxes and wanes between satire and metaphorical lyric, referencing classical Chinese tales and ghost stories that are at turns sensual, lurid, hilarious, shocking, and surreal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Immigrant coming of age tale.
An immigrant coming of age tale of twins, Moonie and Mei Ling, in California under the beady eye (and cleaver) of their domineering grandmother, this tale is told in a non-linear variety of short parables and stories. It's graphic, crude and rude in many places but is informed by traditional Chinese, Taoist, Zen and Buddhist texts with a bit of kung-fu and manga for good measure.

Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen (oh, how I love that title!) will almost certainly not be to everyone's taste, but I confess that I loved its originality, boldness, sassy style and the humour of it.

If this book were a CD, it would almost certainly carry one of those `'parental advisory'` stickers. Make no mistake, this is not for the overly sensitive reader. It's rude, nay even crude, in many places and that alone will probably put some people off. While I'm at it, let's get the other potential frustrations out of the way. It's a non-linear story; in fact it's more of a series of short (sometimes very short) stories and parables all about the same people that add up to a whole picture of an immigrant coming of age tale - but more about that in a moment. Finally, it has a number of areas of what might be termed either magical realism or perhaps more accurately surreal moments (talking animals included). If any of these put you off, then you will almost certainly not enjoy this strange little book. It's not a book you are likely to feel ambivalent about - it's a `love it' or `hate it' kind of book.

The fantastic characters in this story include Grandmother Wong - the mad, matriarch of the Wong family who frequently wields her meat cleaver and has a tongue sharper than a serpent's tooth but who deep down has a warm heart, and who is frankly on a hiding to nothing raising the twins, who are the stars of this book, in California while trying to maintain some of the values of the old country. The twins' parents are too busy working in the family restaurant, the Double Happiness, to have much to do with the girls.

Which brings me to the twins: Moonie and Mei Ling. They have very different characters - Moonie is tom-boyish and prone to attacking people kung-fu style, while girly-girl Mei Ling is, well, there's no nice way of saying this, a bit on the promiscuous side. That's far more polite than how Moonie would describe her, and undoubtedly more than she deserves. We get some very graphic descriptions of the antics of both girls - and believe me, these two Wongs do not make a right. After reading this book, I can assure you, you will never look at tofu in the same light again.

The book is at times angry, but mostly just very funny (in a fairly crude way) and focusses on issues of identity, culture, traditional values and immigrant issues as well as being a coming of age story as the twins emerge from the family unit into university and return to wreak havoc in California, driving the family restaurant delivery van in the holidays and getting up to no good. Towards the end of the book we get to find out how their lives turned out, particularly that of Mei Ling.

What prevents this from being just a light, shock value book is that Marilyn Chin's writing is informed by Chinese, Taoist, Zen and Buddhist tales as well as kung-fu and manga. She parodies Buddhist and Zen tales and koans - the traditional question and answer technique `'designed to be nonsensical, circuitous, often shocking and humorous to force the student to relinquish conventional thinking and thereby achieve instant enlightenment'` as Chin explains in her Postscript.

Chin uses a variety of styles and voices - some work better than others - but it is the combined effect that is so much fun. It's a short book and quick read but I would happily have read far more about these wild twins and their wonderfully mad grandmother.

And rather appropriately for a book set around the family Chinese restaurant - an hour after finishing the book, I wanted to read it all over again!

You have GOT to read this book!!!
This book is laugh-out-loud funny, sexy and is put together masterfully.41 brilliant tales add up to a larger vision.The cleaver-wielding granny, the wild twins and the Double Happiness restaurant and all the supporting characters make up a fascinating pluralistic 21st century Chinese-American world.And of course, fish sing and cockroaches scat and grannies fly around and throw death stars.REVENGE OF THE MOONCAKE VIXEN is an exciting journey!It's an amazing ride!And a fun, fun reading experience.You need a big box of tissues as you will laugh yourself to tears, then cry when you read about the donkey.

Chin's Revenge
Much like her poetry, Marilyn Chin's novel, REVENGE OF THE MOONCAKE VIXEN, provides the reader with a cacophony of voices and perspectives.In this novel, consisting of short, short short, and not so short vignettes, Chin emerges as a master storyteller.It manifests a Shahrazad-like quality; one episode is never enough.Craftily constructed, REVENGE OF THE MOONCAKE VIXEN seduces readers and leaves us hungry for the next tale.

The story of twins Mei Ling and Moonie unifies the narrative as does the presence of and their reminiscing about their Grandmother.The revenge tales, the Buddhist stories and fables provide insight into the struggles of each of the sisters to claim voice and legitimacy within systems intent on marginalizing the girls.

Chin writes with verve, humor, compassion, anger, irreverence, and sass, and she utilizes and challenges a range of literary conventions and assumptions.She confronts all ideologies that erase individual desire and difference.This novel is hilarious, and yet amidst the hilarity, a poignant story of becoming unfolds.REVENGE OF THE MOONCAKE VIXEN lingers long after one closes the book.
... Read more

Product Description
A fusion of east and west, high culture, popular culture, and ancient Chinese history mark this distinguished collection. In traditional narratives and playful song, Marilyn Chin elegizes the loss of her mother and grandmother and unravels the complexities of her family's past. She sings out the trials of immigration, exile, thwarted interracial love, and social injustice— personal revelations leading to a universal cry for compassion and healing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

a marvelous collection!
Marilyn Chin's "Rhapsody in Plain Yellow" is a challenging collection that rewards the time and attention it demands. The poems are wide-ranging in their forms and allusions, moving rapidly from ancient China to modern America, from remote history to deeply personal. Her imagery startles you, her word-choice sometimes unsettles you, her humour engages you, her humanity touches you. This is a marvelous collection of poems that I will definitely re-visit.

The customer service was good.
Unfortunately when I received the book I opened it and the pages fell out.I notified the seller and they said they order them from the publisher and sometimes they aren't up to their own standards.They offered to send a new book at no charge.

Nothing Plain about this Collection
Summoning imagery from contemporary life in southern California as well as from ancient China, and places in between, including words and symbols from both languages, Marilyn Chin creates a poetic narrative that is both personal and political. Dwelling on themes of race, history, love and nature, these poems examine the transitory moments of our fragile existence. In "Cauldron," Chin asks: "What is destiny, but an angry wind-plagues and salvages, / death knocking on your neighbor's door, and you dare look out / your window, relieved that you were spared for another hour" (37). In the moments of that hour, with the pages of this book, Chin offers a risky, dynamic collection of poetry, gifts of her particular vision and sensitivity.

you've got to read it!
I've been a fan of Marilyn Chin's poetry for years.She never fails to surprise me with her intelligence, brilliance, craft and daring.She can write everything: blues poems, ballads, long meditations, hymns, political anthems...There's a big beautiful banquet in this book.And, she's funny as hell, but while you're laughing, you realize that the joke is on you, or that she is able to sneak in a life lesson.Not enough room here for all the praise she deserves.Read all her books; you'll be a fan forever. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Revealing book on poetry and gender
Catherine Cucinella's intense book about bodily representation provides a new way of seeing the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Bishop, Marilyn Chin, and Marilyn Hacker. Its synthetic theorizations, illuminating close readings, and final dialogue with Chin bring the study of the represented female body to a new plateau. This book reveals all four of these poets in a new light, and it gives the best readings yet of Millay, Hacker, and especially Chin. Anyone interested in poetry, gender, feminism, or sexuality will find much to ponder here. An essential book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

this is a great book
I just taught this book to an undergraduate class of English majors.The students loved the variety, the political conviction and the rich imagery of these poems."How I Got That Name" is one of Chin's most anthologized pieces: we began with a deep discussion of that piece as autobiographical material.Poem after poem, the students all found beautiful and interesting passages. "A Portrait of the Self As Nation" is a long poem against the gulf war and was written in 1991-- in the reign of the first George Bush. Now, it reads like a great foreboding. The students loved gems such as "Turtle Soup," "The Floral Apron," "The Song of the Sad Guitar."This is a terrific book.

A beautiful testament to the long history of Chinese poetry
Miss Chin's book of poetry is a work of art in the present day. Crisp images and the rhythms she establishes are a pleasure worth savoring. She manages to place one foot in the modern day American experience while stillworking and moving in the tradition of Chinese verse. This weaving ofcultures is skillfully done. I could almost feel those ancient mastersnodding proudly over her accomplishments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poems that fill the mind's eye with Chinese textures.
Taste, smells, colors, textures, emotions- these poems deliver the goods. In particular, "A 17 Line Poem about Poverty"brings to mindthese lines, "She thought he broke her heart. Instead he saved herlife.She would have known true heartache, had she become his wife."Judy Dehen ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Marilyn (Mei Ling) Chin, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1145 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Multi-cultural, cross-generational anthology of new political poetry of 144 living poets from every continent on Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A wonderful book.
I go to a somewhat conservative boarding school and lent this book to one of my writing teachers, who previously had said that there is no way that a political poem can be heartfelt. This book proves that notion wrong.Normally when people think about politics, they only think about who isrunning for office, but there is so much more than that in this book. Thisbook should be available in every library in both the poetry and politicalsection. This is an inspiring book that speaks not only to the mind, but tothe heart.

Will Work for Peace is a triumph of poetic Davids.
As one of the poets featured in Will Work for Peace, one might expect me to be a bit biased, but nothing could be farther from the truth.Mostpoets work in a virtual vacuum, only tenuously connected to each other bythe occasional workshop or shared membership in a 'poetry society'.WhenBrett Axel first approached me for a submission to an anthology he wasconsidering, the names Marge Piercy, Lyn Lifshin, Moshe Bennaroch and somany others were abstractions to me as a fledgling poet.I knew thesetremendous writers were 'out there' somewhere, beating down doors withtheir words and keeping a struggling artform alive.But to think thatsomeday I would ever share a credit with these dynamic modern poets wouldbe a pipe dream at best.It is through the sincere efforts of Brett Axelthat many newer voices like mine have an extraordinary opportunity toappear with Pulitzer Prize winners and other poetic heavyweights. Byway of an honest review, however, I will say this- not everything in thisbook will be to your particular liking.I myself came across some worksthat did not move me in the way the author may have intended.Some imagerycan be raw and visceral, using shock value in place of craft at times.Butto ignore those voices would be an even more shocking turn of events, sopraise be to the editor for not sacrificing his vision to a senselessconformity.As Pete Seeger so aptly put it in his quote, trying to readall these poems at one time would be like trying 'to swallow Manhattanwhole'.I say to you- buy this book, read this book, but understand thatit's what you do after reading this book that will ultimately define whoyou could be.Poetry is alive and well, and lives in the blunt pages ofWill Work for Peace.

Good work!
This book has been a long time coming. Brett Axel has really contributed to the poetry world in a way that is noticed, rather than swept into acorner. Many of the poems are good, some are great. Not all the poets arefamous, but most of them contributed good work. I liked Amy Ouzoonian's andBrett's poems, as well as "Pinaud's Tonic" by Michael Pollick. Irecommend reading that one. The only criticism I would have of the bookis of the extreme scatalogical nature of some of the poems, which do notseem to fit with the theme of the anthology, and would, perhaps, be betterin collections by that particular poet, rather than in such an anthology.But, overall, it is a great work.

Thumbs Up
Just amazing start to finish!I like the disregard for fame used in putting the book together.That great poems got in even if they were writtenby nobodys.Look at Roger Bonair-Agard's poem on page 74.Shortly after Will Work For Peace came out he won Slam Nationals, becoming Slam Champion of 1999, which will be getting him lots of offers.But Zeropanik Press didn't need to be told he was good by an award.They could tell by his writing!Good forthem and good for all of us because Will Work For Peace is a literary milestone. It's a new standard for all future anthology editors to try to live up to. Thumbs up to Brett Axel and Thumbs up to Zeropanik Press for their guts and integrty.

Good reading
I liked this book.It has some of the best poetry I've ever seen in it.I especially liked the poems by Marge Piercy, Antler, Diane di Prima, and Susan Griffin, but all of it was good.I think there was only one or twothat I didn't like at all and they were short.I'd give it 5 stars but thetype was kind of small and I'd rather it be easier to read.My eyes aren'twhat they were when I was 30. ... Read more

Product Description
This exciting anthology of work by up-and-coming writers is the first to profile a new generation of Asian American poets. Building on the legacy of now-canonized poets, such as Li-Young Lee, Cathy Song, and Garrett Hongo, who were the first to achieve widespread recognition in the American literary community, this new generation also strikes off in bold new directions. "Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation" gathers for the first time a broad cross section of the very best work of these young poets, much of which has never before been published or has appeared only in hard-to-find journals and first books of poetry. The poems collected in "Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation" lay a groundwork for readers while at the same time expanding the scope of American literature. Featured poets, all under the age of forty, include Timothy Liu, Adrienne Su, Sue Kwock Kim, Rick Barot, Brenda Shaughnessy, Mong-Lan, as well as less familiar names. Their backgrounds combine many ethnicities and their perspectives and concerns broaden the boundaries of Asian American poetry.Some continue with styles and topics closely related to those of their predecessors while others break conventional patterns and challenge readers with new subject matter, fresh language, and powerful new voices. A foreword by Marilyn Chin puts the book in context of both Asian American national identity and history, and makes the important distinctions between generations clear. "Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation" opens the door on a dynamic, developing part of the poetic world, making it finally accessible to students, scholars, and poetry fans alike. ... Read more

Product Description

Term paper due tomorrow? Need to cram for a test? Or just looking for the best information about a favorite literary work?

Turn to "Poetry for Students" to get your research done in record time. Brought to you by Gale--the world's leading source of literary criticism and analysis--this e-doc contains: author biography; poem summary; poem text (if available); discussion of the work's themes, style, and historical context; a compendium of in-depth critical material; study questions; suggestions for further reading; and much more.

Why choose "Poetry for Students"? Because no other source offers so much in such a compact package. Trust the experts: Gale--and "Poetry for Students." ... Read more

Product Description
First Time in Print --Sarah Blaisdell: The Fast Track to Obesity and Perdition /Stephen Damon: This Morning /Robert Silva: Three Easter Stories Six Parts Each ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Second Time in Print --Tina Royer: Minimum Security////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Fiction -- Richard Cass: Come Back / Marilyn Chin: Liars / Corey Emory: Rejecting Cain / Alicia Gaspar de Alba: Lorca's Widow / Sandra Hunter: Sudden Sightings / Katherine Karlin: Bye-bye, Larry / Lyndane Yang: Mysteries of Ao Mai / ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Nonfiction -- Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Our Postwar Party////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Poetry --Iver Arnegard: Farland Cemetary, 2005; The Wind Still Sweeps / Lisa Qi Chen: Parachute Girls; Chinese Ghost Stories / Amanda Field: That Year / Sandra Lim: Something Something Something Grand / Rusty Morrison: To ask for generosity. / Michael Palmer: Night Gardening; Untitled (October 2002) / Zack Rogow: Sandcastles ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Works on Paper Originally in B&W --Amy Adler, Gale Antokal, Robert Dawson, Barry Ebner, Marcia Friedman,John Haines, Keegan McHargue, Peter Milton, Tucker Nichols, Bob Nugent,Kay Ruane, Pia Stern, Robert Tomlinson, Jason Weston, Frank Yamrus,////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Illustrations of Classic Texts -- David Avery, Gods Food or Der singende Knochen, 2004, etchings on paper, courtesy: the artist / Sandow Birk, Paradiso, 2004, lithographs, translated by Marcus Sanders, published by Trillium Press, Brisbane & represented by Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Claude Mckay, Marilyn, Nalo Hopkinson, Staceyann Chin, Michelle Cliff, Thomas Glave, Makeda Silvera. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: 'Claude McKay (September 15, 1889 May 22, 1948) was a Jamaican writer and poet. He was a communist in his early life, but after a visit to the Soviet Union, decided that communism was too disciplined and confining. He was never an actual member of the Communist Party. McKay was involved in the Harlem Renaissance and wrote three novels: Home to Harlem (1928), a best-seller which won the Harmon Gold Award for Literature, Banjo (1929), and Banana Bottom (1933). McKay also authored a collection of short stories, Gingertown (1932), and two autobiographical books, A Long Way from Home (1937) and Harlem: Negro Metropolis (1940). His book of poetry, Harlem Shadows (1922) was among the first books published during the Harlem Renaissance. His book of collected poems, Selected Poems (1953), was published posthumously. Claude McKay was born Festus Claudius McKay. Born in James Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica, McKay was the youngest in the family. His father, Thomas Francis McKay, and his mother, Hannah Ann Elizabeth Edwards, were well-to-do peasant farmers, and had enough property to qualify to vote. At age four, McKay started school at M.D at the church he attended. At age seven, McKay was sent to live with his oldest brother, a school teacher, to be given the best education available. While living with his oldest brother, Uriah Theodore, McKay became an avid reader and started writing poetry at the age of 10. While under his brother's teachings, McKay studied classical and British literary figures and philosophers as well as science and theology. In 1906, McKay became an apprentice to a carriage and cabinet maker known a...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=305569 ... Read more