This sequel to "Red Azalea" is Anchee Min's memoir of her coming to the United States and her struggle to a) learn English, b) get a degree and, certainly most important, c) get a visa to stay in the U.S. It is a sobering story. She did not have it easy by any means. She lived in poverty, she had a child out of wedlock and when she finally married her daughter's husband, the marriage soon turned out to be a terrible mistake. Persistence resulted in success in all three goals listed above as well as her success in raising her daughter and finding a husband to love and with whom she could be a partner.Throughout the book, Min does a masterful job of comparing Chinese and American approaches to various aspects of life: schooling, respect of parents, materialism, divorce, child-raising, etc.I found this to be a very good book. I highly recommend it. After finishing this book I felt an urge to write a review of all the things it made me feel. However, I made the mistake of scanning through other people's reviews first. Including those who disliked it. I'm not saying everyone must like all books and everyone gets different things from a story. I couldn't help but feel that maybe some people miss the point in Anchee's honest account of her life and how it was supposed to be. I'm worried my review will be turned into a bitching session so I will keep it short Overall..This book made me appreciate everything - from being born to an amazing family to English being my first language to being born in a decent enough decade. Having freedom and a voice and being taken seriously. To not feel I must leave my country. Just everything. Even having someone supporting me in life choices so I don't make some of the bad ones. It made me feel I could take charge of my life. If it goes downhill just keep trying.The last sections of the book didn't feel as well covered as her earlier struggles when she was trying to get through her first degree. She seemed to have made a list of misfortune that occurs after her divorce and recounted it in short paragraphs. So much misfortune happened that for each sections, i anticipated what could possibly go wrong. I felt twinges of regret for these choices.I will go back and read her first memoir I'm interested in her life in China.
What do You think about A Cooked Seed (2000)?
This book was really interesting until she met up with what's his name. Then it became really boring
—XxXNightDawnXxX
Recommended, the sequel to Red Azalea. Read in two days and kept my interest the whole way through!
—inez
Anchee Min should have called this book "The though cookie" instead of "The cooked seed"
—smarty829
