China Doll

Lily is the daughter of a humble farmer, and to her family she is just another expensive mouth to feed. Then the local matchmaker delivers startling news: if Lily's feet are bound properly, they will be flawless. In nineteenth-century China, where a woman's eligibility is judged by the shape and size of her feet, this is extraordinary good luck. Lily now has the power to make a good marriage and change the fortunes of her family. To prepare for her new life, she must undergo the agonies of footbinding, learn nu shu, the famed secret women's writing, and make a very special friend, Snow Flower. But a bitter reversal of fortune is about to change everything.

It's 1938 and the exclusive Oriental nightclub in San Francisco's Forbidden City is holding auditions for showgirls. In the dark, scandalous glamour of the club, three girls from very different backgrounds stumble into each other lives. All the girls have secrets. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl, has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family which has deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. Then, in a heartbeat, everything changes. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and paranoia, suspicion, and a shocking act of betrayal, threaten to destroy their lives.

While American music icon Nola Sands is on a goodwill concert tour in China, a baby is thrust into her arms. Nola's well-orchestrated life is thrown out of orbit as she bonds with the infant and resolves to save her from death in the dumping ground of China's orphanages.

"A terrific book that deals with present day concerns."--Thomas King, Governor General's Award-wining author of The Back of the Turtle and The Inconvenient Indian "To understand this story, it is important to know the People and where they came from and what they went through." So begins a haunting story that explores with frank and honest words the dark legacy of the residential school system and its impact on individuals, families and communities. James Nathan and Jake Noland have been best friends for life. After finishing mission school they return to their Gwich'in community in the Northwest Territories. Their lives revolve around bootleggers, the bar, drug abuse and meaningless sex. James and Jake try to dull their painful memories of the school. Each hides a dark secret that fuels his nightmares. Enough alcohol silences the demons for a night; a gun and a single bullet silences demons forever. When a friend commits suicide and a former priest appears on television, the community is shattered. James and Jake confront their childhood abuse and break the silence to begin a journey of healing and rediscovery.

Su-Ling, an open minded and intelligent young woman in Shanghai, has her feet bound by her grandmother, Poa-Poa. Despite the pain and the crippling effects, custom decrees that the smaller and daintier the foot, the more marriageable the woman. Poa-Poa has high hopes that her granddaughter will marry well and bring prosperity to them both. Then Su-Ling meets the merchant Li and Su-Ling makes choices that lead her toward independence which have consequences for everyone in her world.

Sports reporter Michelle Yu and lawyer Blossom Kan introduce a vibrant, irresistible novel set in New York City. Based on personal experience, China Dolls is the story of three best friends from childhood—each an unforgettable Asian woman—tackling their late twenties over drinks, laughs, and dim sum: M. J. Wyn, the hip, tomboyish sportswriter trying to achieve her dreams of becoming an on-air broadcaster. Ambitious and driven, M.J. has always struggled to fit into different worlds: her high school boyfriend's blue-blooded country club sphere, her family's traditional Chinese culture, and the very white, very male world of sports. Alex Kwan, the confident, tough, no-nonsense attorney constantly fighting the stereotype of the submissive, docile Asian woman. After a heartbreaking romance, Alex has gone from a fearless daredevil to a woman terrified of taking risks—in her career, in her life, and with love. Lin Cho, the risk-taking, daring stockbroker who has spent her whole life trying not to make the mistakes her mother did. But then Lin falls head over heels with the office playboy, a guy she knows she should steer clear of but can't seem to stay away from. Exploring life at the intersection of two worlds—one of Asian grandmothers and red envelopes, and another of career challenges and dating disasters—China Dolls is an exhilarating debut from two sensational new talents.

"The finest American author of his generation."—Sunday Mail This complex new work from celebrated playwright David Mamet revolves around a wealthy man, his young fiancée, and an airplane. The man has just bought a new plane as a wedding present for the girl. He intends to go into semiretirement and enjoy himself. While in the process of leaving his office, and giving last minute instructions to his young assistant, he takes one final phone call. The new, widely anticipated play premieres on Broadway this fall, starring Tony and Academy Award-winning actor Al Pacino, for whom the play was written. Pacino described the role of billionaire Mickey Ross as "one of the most daunting and challenging roles I've been given to explore in the theater" and declared, "it blew me away." David Mamet is an American playwright, director, and screenwriter whose most notable works include Glengarry Glen Ross (Pulitzer Prize for Drama), American Buffalo, Speed-the-Plow, Oleanna, November, Race, and The Anarchist. Besides the film adaptations of his plays, his major screenwriting credits include The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, Rising Sun, Wag the Dog, and Hannibal. Over the course of his prolific career, Mamet has earned Tony Award nominations, Academy Award nominations, Drama Desk Awards, and "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards.