Beyond the Narrow Gate

by Leslie Chang

Chronicles the fates of four extraordinary Chinese women, forced to flee China in 1947 after the Communist takeover, as they meet in Taiwan in 1948 and struggle to build new lives for themselves in America. Reprint.

Genres: China, History, Memoir, Asia, Biography, Nonfiction

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really got into the book in the last several chapters. What I did like about Chang's writing is that she described well the women's/mother's views (the Chinese way) as opposed to her own view (the American way). It seems that Chinese women are so out of touch with their emotions. They seem to seriously just turn it off at such a young age - swallow other people's grief, never ask for or desire anything, give up an opportunity of happiness to save face. I came to admire the women and their stories because of the way they were raised.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as much a heartfelt journey of discovery for the author as it is her account of the journeys of her mother and her mother's 3 friends from mainland China to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War and then to the East and West Coasts of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, and then, for most of the book, their journeys as first generation immigrant women finding careers and families, successes and failures, losses and loves.

The author was a journalism student whose thesis project ultimately became published as this book, and it shows an impressive depth and breadth of research, not only through the extensive interviews of her subjects, but also of the local histories of Chinese immigration in New York and Connecticut as well as California's Bay Area and Los Angeles. There are some flaws in the writing which are common in a debut book - some spots of wordiness, occasional drawn-out assumptions of places or characters with which readers might doubt or disagree - but this work was detailed, inspiring, impressive, and valuable for these stories of first generation Chinese women who faced so much before, during, and after immigrating to the United States, and the stories of the second generation (not only the author), facing their families' past and present as they move toward the future.

The American nonprofit broadcasting network C-Span features an interview with the author here: https://www.c-span.org/video/?151353-...

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author meticulously traces the journey made by her mother and some of her mother's high school classmates from war-torn, pre-Communist China to Taiwan and then to America. It is a rather sad tale -- full of dreams unrealized, compromises made, and bitterness accepted -- all so they can make their lives in a new country and try to do the best for their American children.

I commend the author for her diligence in researching her own family's stories and for undertaking countless interviews with her family members and those of her mother's friends. However, the author often overreaches in trying to speculate about why someone might have made one decision vs. another or why people act the way they do. She is a journalist and should stick to observations rather than psychological assessments. Furthermore, the author often makes generalizations, such as her comments on West Coast Asian immigrants vs. East Coast Asian immigrants and what constitutes happiness vs. unhappiness.

[Linda Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I liked this book, there are a few things about it that bothered me:

--It needs editing. I found it difficult to follow because the author skips around different time periods and characters, which I found confusing.
--There is too much repetition (another reason for better editing).
--There are so many characters, it was hard to keep track of them all. I gave up trying.

Here is what I did like:

--The author's examination of the challenges of assimilation and being of bicultural heritage in the U.S.
--The brief history provided of the Chinese immigration to Taiwan and later to America.

A good read that could have been an even better one, with more editing.

[Bernadette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book wandered around a lot, despite the author's attempt to break the 'stories' into timeframes. I found 'the journeys' vague, in that the subjects would never fully disclose nor were truthful in their recollections. Also the author was very quick to judge and apply stereotypes.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since my mother was born/raised in Shanghai, China, I was interested in how life was in the 30-40's. This book did not reveal anything to me, as the lifestyle was totally different from the snippets I had gotten from my mother prior to her death. What did resonate with me was some of the familiar ways that the Chinese have of communicating. The lack of information given by women in those days, mostly due to the difficulty that they faced and want not to remember. They don't like talking about their journey to the United States or their life before that. Very familiar was the manner in which they assembled and communicated...very boisterous and loud! Everyone talks at once and is very animated upon seeing long time (or long lost) friends/relatives. Hello's and goodbyes take forever!
This book took me a long time to get through and sometimes had to force myself to pick up.
Though the writer was very truthful about her own family and those that she interviewed, it got confusing at times to remember who was who and what their history & relationship to her mother was about.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beyond the Narrow Gate (Paperback)
by Leslie T. Chang

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The four women that we meet in Beyond the Narrow Gate, were all born in mainland China, later living, and attending high school together, in Taiwan. For many years Leslie Chang's mother didn't see these girls again - but eventually they met up and friendships developed. It is quite startling how alike these women and their expierences were. Leslie Chang describes Chinese people like her mother and her school friends as being like bamboo - strong on the outside but hallow inside. The place that these women had come from had a very real effect on how they lived their lives in America. Overall I enjoyed this book and found that I did become interested in and involved with the women whose lives in America Chang has faithfully researched and written about. I admit that I found the book a little hard to get into at first, and there were times when I felt things were a bit disjointed and I got irritated by long sections of he said she said repeated conversations that were really just family anecdotes. But it is a very readable biography, and I suddenly realised at some point that I had become really interested in Mary, Suzanne, Dolores and Margaret and their families. Leslie Chang has written this book with a lot of affection and it become apparent that in researching the lives of her mother and her fiends she learns a good deal too.

[silvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to give up on this book today. i hate when I do that especially whit bookrings. but I'm on a faul mood and whit no pacience to spend in stories I cant relay to.

off course I can't relay whit 4 chinese emigrant women 2 ou 3 generations above mine, it sounds illy to put it like that, let me re-phrase it. I acnt simpathise whit the characters. It looks they really had interesting live stories that deserved to be told but the author cant write thema like that. Its very clear that she, herserlf cant really relay whit the stories, I would even go far enough to say she was some serius issues still to solve whit her mother. I hope this book was a ground breake for her in this sense.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because the author is about my age, and is writing about her mother's generation - the first generation of super-elite Chinese immigrants who came over and created the model minority myth. As the author came to greater understanding of her own past and her identity, I too came to better understand the experience of my Asian-American peers. And reading the book in Japan, it was easy to see which values were generally East Asian, rather than simply Chinese.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jumps between the 4 friends so I had to write their names down. But once I did that it was much more interesting. Absolute must read for anyone whose parents or grandparents immigrated to the US. Gives a good understanding of how many facets a person can have even if they are 'successful' on the outside and they cannot be lumped into one experience. Loved it because of so many Chinese friends who have lived or whose parents have lived a similar story.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about four women who left China and came to the US. Written by one of the women's daughters. She interviewed all four women to write the novel. In the process, she learns about why her mom is the way she is, and learns a little about herself as well.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

A beautifully written story of immigration and family. I was enjoyed hearing about how each of the women adjusted to life in America in their own ways. That said, something about the structure made it hard for me to keep track of the characters or sustain interest in the book.

[Gordon Matassa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating account of four Chinese women and their search for identity in America, as well as the identity formation of their first-generation children.

[Lafcadio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting vignettes of four women from the time they are childhood friends. Seems like something I would have read in high school english class.

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction. Four women left China and went to school in Taiwan. They all obtained Visas to get into the US. One of their daughters writes about the hardships they encountered.

[Carol]

OLBC