Customer Reviews

Bamboo Swaying in the Wind: A Survivor's Story of Faith and Imprisonment in Communist China

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although I am an avid reader, I have not often come across books with such depth of content AND superb style. Faith, hope, and love have been realized to heroic levels in the life of Father George Bernard Wong, S.J., whose life is portrayed in Bamboo Swaying in the Wind. I appreciate the introductions to each chapter, full of history and other relevant information. Our youth ought to study such high quality, excellently written literature and ponder such an exemplary role model who was blessed, despite all he endured, by a peacefulness that surpasses all understanding. I am grateful to have come across this masterpiece.

After reading this book, I want to thank Fr. Wong for living the Jesuit Ideal. He saw God in all things, and he was a faithful son of the Church. I also want to thank Mrs. Devaux for bringing his story to us through this beautifully written book.

Fr. Wong's life gradually unfolds before the reader as each page goes by. And the life he lived makes me proud to be a Catholic and proud to be a human being.

It's the little things in Fr. Wong's life story that touched me the most. For example: his seminary days conversing with fellow seminarians exclusively in Latin--an excercise in learning the Church's "native" language; his private celebrations of the mass in his Chinese jail cell, bringing the hope of Christ into a place which--otherwise--had no hope; the way his living out the Gospel impacted those around him, both family and friends. Truly, all who encountered him must have felt a familial bond with him, even if they were only brothers in spirit.

Fr. Wong's is a "quiet" story. Though his life story is anything but uneventful, there isn't a complex plot with exciting turns throughout the book. It is Fr. Wong's humanity that draws the reader in as his story unfolds. The book ends at the twilight of his life, living a peaceful life in the Bay Area of California.

In addition to getting insight into the formation of seminarians a generation ago, I took away an increased awareness of the plight of Christianity in Communist China. His perspective also revealed the complexity of the issue of the Communist controlled "Patriotic Catholic Church" and the underground Catholic Church that is faithful to the Holy Father.

Whether you are Catholic or not, Fr. Wong's story can be a source of hope for us all.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to strengthen, or become more in touch with their own faith. This is not an "action-packed" novel; it's a lovely story on how man can endure tremendous obstacles with his own inner strength. Keep it on your nightstand, and read a couple of chapters each night before you go to bed.