Wealth Ribbon: Taiwan Bound, America Bound

by Brenda Lin

This book is a thematic narrative that intertwines the coming-of-age story of Taiwan with three generations of the author's family and their relationship with American culture. Together, these interconnected essays form a distinctive view of what it is like to have a transnational identity and show how the everyday politics of an international cultural identity are in fact universal.

163 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, thoughtful, intimate glimpse into Taiwan, history, cross-cultural identity, and family. Even though I know brenda and live in Taiwan, I still learned a lot about both! Definitely worth the read for anyone who wants to think about relationships, national identity, or ideas about home, or for anyone who wants an introduction to Taiwan through the eyes of multiple generations of residents--I particularly enjoyed how brenda interwove her family history, especially her grandparents' experiences from a very different Taiwan of the middle of the 20th century.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not only a great story about her life (with some valuable history lessons thrown in), but it also speaks to everyone about what "home" means and the challenges we all face as we grow up. It's very well-written and conversational. I feel like I already know her.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading a memoir is a privileged look into another’s life. Lin’s book explores the twisting pieces of the self, the intersection of cultures, and the weaving of languages. Not only is Lin telling her story of her childhood, she is also telling a story that many third culture kids, those who grow up in one or more cultures but also attend an international school, would relate to as well. The questions she ponders and the glimpses of her life as she deals with these questions is valuable to anyone who is unsure of how they relate to their family or wonders what home means, thus to many of us. As a daughter and a mother of daughters, I found Lin’s reflections on her own relationship with her mother to be especially poignant. Lin’s clear-eyed description of physical spaces and people’s movements within those spaces speaks to her theme so well. This is a must read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good first book for an author in her 20s. The emotions are real and I share many of the sentiments in the book, because I'm also Taiwanese. I am convinced the author is being as honest as a 27-year-old can be, and I like the book for its unstructured telling of relationships that exist across generations and cultures. I'm not sure if the author's formal education at Taipei American School has anything to do with this, but there are many instances where the writing is a bit clichéd and awkward. I don't remember the exact words used in the book, but she uses something other than "tampons" or "maxi pads" when she describes her first period. Her metaphors are also often way too predictable. I can't help but feel that a lot of her so-called conflicts are conflicts of privilege, and some of her stereotypical views as an "American" are evident, making her seem a little ignorant and those conflicts a little superficial.

Despite all the shortcomings, I still enjoyed the book. There are definitely moments of brilliance, and it is a complete pleasure to learn about every person in her family. I think the author has a lot of potential. Unlike Asian American writers from earlier generations such as Amy Tan, she is not writing for a western audience. She is writing for an informed audience.

[Bindy Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly and beautifully written creative non-fiction story by our one-and-only brenda...

[Paul]

Review at asianamlitfans.