Post by Mil on Mar 2, 2014 22:19:54 GMT -5
The book Cutted Chicked In Shanghai was written by my long-distance friend, Sharon Winters. Upon finishing it (and loving it!) I posted the following review on Amazon.com (where you can purchase your own copy via the following link... Cutted Chicken in Shanghai) And, indeed, I do very highly recommend it!
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It's hard to believe how much one can learn while having so much fun—an observation that could be applied to both readers and the author of this warm and engaging memoir. Inviting us to tag along as trusted friends, Sharon Winters guides her audience through the adjustments of living in a foreign land, one with both a complex language and distinct set of customs. Far from letting these challenges weigh her down, Sharon faces them with wit and charm, relying equally on her own resourceful nature and the kindness of strangers who quickly become family.
Detailing a two year stay in Shanghai, Sharon intersperses daily experiences with fascinating insights into the history and culture of the region, its people, and her own Buddhist faith. In the process, she makes plain the reasons Mandarin is considered one of the most difficult languages for Americans to learn, while proving that humor and humanity are universal bridge builders. Whether standing by her side as she bargains for paintings and pearls or seated with her at restaurants serving dishes sure to shock any Western diner, we delight in Sharon's victories and sigh with her in relief as she steers away from pitfalls. Most of all, we echo her wonder and joy as she unfolds to us a foreign city that indeed comes to feel very much like home.
I have to say I enjoyed this book so much that I approached the last few pages with trepidation, bracing myself for the inevitable sweet sorrow of being parted with a place and people I'd so enjoyed getting to know. But this, too, Sharon handled with her now accustomed spirit of friendship and comfort, allowing me to turn the final page and quietly utter the word zaijian, "I will see you again." Whether in a second volume I very much hope Sharon is considering, or through re-reading this one, that's a promise I'm sure to keep, and an acquaintance I already look forward to renewing.
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It's hard to believe how much one can learn while having so much fun—an observation that could be applied to both readers and the author of this warm and engaging memoir. Inviting us to tag along as trusted friends, Sharon Winters guides her audience through the adjustments of living in a foreign land, one with both a complex language and distinct set of customs. Far from letting these challenges weigh her down, Sharon faces them with wit and charm, relying equally on her own resourceful nature and the kindness of strangers who quickly become family.
Detailing a two year stay in Shanghai, Sharon intersperses daily experiences with fascinating insights into the history and culture of the region, its people, and her own Buddhist faith. In the process, she makes plain the reasons Mandarin is considered one of the most difficult languages for Americans to learn, while proving that humor and humanity are universal bridge builders. Whether standing by her side as she bargains for paintings and pearls or seated with her at restaurants serving dishes sure to shock any Western diner, we delight in Sharon's victories and sigh with her in relief as she steers away from pitfalls. Most of all, we echo her wonder and joy as she unfolds to us a foreign city that indeed comes to feel very much like home.
I have to say I enjoyed this book so much that I approached the last few pages with trepidation, bracing myself for the inevitable sweet sorrow of being parted with a place and people I'd so enjoyed getting to know. But this, too, Sharon handled with her now accustomed spirit of friendship and comfort, allowing me to turn the final page and quietly utter the word zaijian, "I will see you again." Whether in a second volume I very much hope Sharon is considering, or through re-reading this one, that's a promise I'm sure to keep, and an acquaintance I already look forward to renewing.