Customer Reviews

Good Luck Life: The Essential Guide to Chinese American Celebrations and Culture

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A treasure chest...and a treasure, Good Luck Life is a compelling collection that's as fun to read as it is fascinating.

You'll discover:
*Rosemary Gong's graceful poetry and memories of Chinese-American celebrations
* Legends and lore---secrets and significance---facts and history-to define each holiday
* Recipes and check lists for creating your own authentic Chinese-American occasion

My son and his Chinese-American wife just had a baby. Thanks to Good Luck Life, this Italian-American grandmother is already planning a Red Egg and Ginger Party to welcome her first grandchild! Starting from almost no knowledge about Chinese-American traditions, I was delighted to discover this rich resource; you will be, too!

Paola Gianturco

It's packed with information, from practical tips on what to do when you're invited to a Chinese-American wedding to how to get better service in a Chinese restaurant. Great stories and legends, too -- the book will make you far more aware of the depth of this fascinating culture. Highly recommended.

this is an excellent book in explaining whys, whats and hows in chinese cultural events. being 1/2 euro caucasian and 1/2 chinese and growing up with grandmother and father from china, i was always curious to why we did certain things and the reason why things are a certain way. this book explains all in detail and it also has EXCELLENT RECIPES for certain all time favorite dishes...this book made everything i grew up with become clear.
this is a keeper on the self for future reference and to share with other family members and friends.

I love my mom, but sometimes is can be very trying to find out why we celebrate certain things. Since her English is not as good has her Chinese and my Chinese is not as good as my English. SO I know there is something loss in translation. If you are Cantonese especially of Toi San heritage, you will enjoy the book. Many of the celebrations will be familiar to you. My sister wanted me to by 4 more copies so she could give it away to people who keep asking her questions on New Years celebrations. I ususally had to as our Mom now we just use the book.

I enjoyed this book so much. It gave me an insight on my own culture. Growing up my parents did not teach us the language and some of the customs. Chinese New Years to me was family get together and red packages. I never understood why we did or did not do certain things. This book gave me a generalization of my own culture. I would recommend this book to everyone.

She's put everything in this book that I remember about growing up American Chinese. Many of the traditions that we practiced were described in detail. She wrote down the meanings behind each one and filled in all the blanks that my family couldn't.

From festivals, red egg and ginger parties, birthdays, weddings, funerals and all the little tidbits in between, it's in this book. Why we had to give offerings to the keeper at the entrance to the cemetary and why we had to wear all those different colors at funerals; everything is explained. Plus, she's included authentic recipes for festivals and special foods that are made for specific seasons through out the year.

I will be re-reading this book for my future children so they will know the customs and remember that they have a heritage that transcends time.

My mother's family is Chinese, but we don't live near them and I've missed out on a lot of traditions and customs. At family events, I understand that certain things are always a part of the ceremony, but I've never understood the meanings behind these traditions. This book was easy to read and divided into clear sections. I loved it!

I am a Chinese American and have always wondered about why we observed certain customs in my home.Lots of times when I asked my parents why we did the things we did they just said it was tradition.They did not go in to much detail as to the why. This book provided a lot of the answers that I had, and now I can pass them on to my children so now they can know why.Wonderful reference book.

For at least a decade I wished an author would document the curious Chinese customs I have grown up with. Finally, one woman has made the effort--Rosemary Gong--to capture the essence of Chinese traditions, bringing them to life and rendering them more meaningful than ever. These are teachings to pass on throughout the generations. Thanks to Ms. Gong!

This book is a great basic introduction to Chinese holidays. I was interested in learning more about Chinese holidays and what exactly they were about. I like how the book provides the background to the actual holiday and then goes into specifics about what Chinese people actually do during these holidays. The specifics include recipes and other activities. Overall the book is a fun read and makes for a great future reference.