Customer Reviews

Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan

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After having lived on the island of Saipan for the past 13 years, and having more information than most about what goes on here, I thought I had a pretty good idea about the conditions in most of the garment factories. This story by Chun gives a candid look into what the reality of conditions in some of the factories were really like, and what it took to survive in that kind of an atmosphere. This story is about the inner strength of a person much like you or me, only one who probably didn't have many of the advantages that we had in our lives. This book will make you take a look at your life and reevaluate some things. Very good read and one that will make you look at some things differently!

Fascinating! Chicken Feathers takes us inside a world that was almost impossible to understand from the outside. This book is a great public service, but a great read as well.

A wonderful read. Filled with lovely Chinese sayings that bring you closer to the soul of the Chinese people. Earnest, heartfelt, and honestly written. A sad commentary told with heart and innocence. One can not help but wonder if any of us would have had the courage shown by this extraordinary young woman to pursue her dream. I am humbled and inspired.

This is a valuable firsthand account and window into what it was like in the Garment Factories, especially for readers who do not know about the existence of the Garment Industry on Saipan. It gives insights into our shared human experiences: Why someone would seek the opportunity to work in the garment factories; that is was a breeding ground for greed and insensitivity; the self-sufficiencies of so many of the workers; and the friendships and individual strengths that came out of it. This is based on the writer's diary and as such is more informative and inspiring than it is well written, though well worth reading!

After reading Chun's tale of how she arrived on Saipan from China I have been given an intimate glimpse of the trials and struggles of the garment factory workers in the world. I feel awed at the bravery and determination of the young women and men who left their homes in order to support their families; I also feel disgust at the harshness and cruelty in which they were treated. Chun, I hope everyone has a chance to hear your poignant story which I am sure, is the story of many women in the world today. Truly "Chicken Feathers & Garlic Skin" touched my heart, my mind and my humanity. Thank you.

What an eye-opener to the garment industry! The author willingly endured so many things that we snobby Americans workers would NEVER tolerate (but we'll wear the clothes created in that enviroment). A facinating peek into the industry.

The author shows the garment industry from a very different perspective-- from the eyes of a woman seeking to leave her homeland to make her fortune. A view from the very bottom of the world's economic food chain. It is a sad but real story told in a simple but beautiful manner. I read it in one afternoon/evening because I couldn't put it down.

Everyone who wears clothes, or has ever heard of Saipan should read this book. THIS is the garment industry of the Jack Abramoff scandals.

This precise, sensitive, well-written book says it all about the young people that venture forth to foreign lands to follow their dreams and to help support their families in their home countries. It takes ambition and courage, which this young woman has to the nth dregree, to outrun "the tigers behind her' and to face "the wolves" in front of her. Along the way, Chun encounters labor fraud, mean and nasty supervisors (male and female), lies and deception, unreasonable quotas in garment manufacture, etc. She soon discovers that "humans" are human everywhere, and it isn't any different with her own people, the Chinese, that she expected to be treated with honor and kindness by her own, but it wasn't any different than by other ethnic groups. Scroundels are scroundels, no matter their background...or gender. This diary is Chun's eight-year journey through many different garment factories on Saipan, and told through her own eyes, and not dressed up by some PR specialist or some activist group. This is her personal story told in her own words, and a very special story it is. You'll also meet some of her worthy friends. Hurray for Chun, and may your dreams come true. Thanx for sharing. I refer readers to John Bowe's "Nobodies", where he discusses (also pages and interviews about labor conditions on Saipan) the so-called throw-away people in other industries needing cheap labor, whom are treated much the same disgraceful way as Chun, and some cases, worse.

I know Chun (on her new job) and others like her, and what amazes me is their strength and courage to leave home into the unknown for possibly a better life and to send financial support back to their families. Imagine if you will, you are going to work in China with a different culture and language, and on the faith of what your labor recruiter told you, and then when you get there, be subjected to hours and days of confusion, changes of rules, and general hassle. Chun wrote a good account, and it was probably a catharsis in a way, to keep her sane and moving forward in a productive manner. Just like the song "I Will Survive" and Chun did. Good for her and the other garment workers that have prospered and progressed, some of whom blended successfully into the American way of life.

Few Americans have heard of the Northern Mariana Islands, even though it is a US Commonwealth (even fewer know that the US still has Commonwealth territories). Saipan, the largest of these Pacific islands, was home to a thriving garment industry for 25 years. These factories (up to 36 at the peak on island that has fewer than 50,000 inhabitants) were able to fix Made In USA labels the clothes. The factories employed contract Chinese labor, usually young women, paid minimal wages and working maximal hours.

The author, Chun Yu Wang, takes inside these sweatshops. The stories she tells range from heart warming to heart breaking. Leaving behind a young son and ill-matched husband, Wang moves to Saipan at age 25, to earn more than she could possibly in China. She soon finds her enmeshed in the hierarchical culture of garment factories. New girls rank lowest, behind experienced workers, line monitors, big bosses, and of course, factory owners. Their friendships and mutual support help these hardworking women as they endure exploitative bosses, lose money in investment and immigration scams, and live in miserable dormitories, eating barely edible food. Wang's voice comes through clearly in this book, which is one of its strengths. Her frequent use of translated Cheng yu (4 word Chinese sayings that have an incredible depth of meaning) add color to the story. Indeed, the title of the book is one of these Cheng yu that means something worthless.

This personal narrative is amazing not just for the revealing view of life in clothing sweat shops, but the insight Wang gives on her co-workers, bosses, and other people associated with the garment industry.

The book tells the story of an adventuresome woman who comes from China and runs into lies, long hours and low pay. This story relates back to the Tom Delay/Jack Abramoff/Mark Zachiras scandals, and people like our young woman pay the price. It is a well-written book and 'must' reading for anyone that takes a job overseas. Some of the young women that came to Saipan were forced into prostitution - not a good story or reference for part of the USA. Buy this one! It's an eye opener about the garment industry.