I’ve decided to begin this blog because I wrote a novel, A Call to China, which was published ten months ago by IngramElliott Press. Since then I have received many responses and reviews (currently 28 on Amazon and 15 on Goodreads), and many personal communications, email and postal, and at book signings and book club discussions I have attended. These have touched on some of the main issues raised in the novel: religion in general, and specifically in contemporary China; sectarian groups in China, religious experience, pilgrimage, mediums and spirit writing; the position of women in society, both in China and America, explorations of different understandings of the meaning of “family” today; history and myth; politics and the individual.
All of these and other topics have come up at one time or another in discussions and reviews of the book. I would like to explore some of these ideas, and others, in more depth, and that is the reason for this blog. I would very much like to have your opinion and insights into these topics, which are important today, and hope we can develop a dialogue and discussion, between you and me, and among everyone who cares to participate. On my end, I plan to write another entry in a few days on a more personal note, trying to explain my love for China, its people and culture, and some of the remarkable experiences I have had over the years while living in Taiwan and China.