Customer Reviews

Tracing It Home: A Chinese Family's Journey from Shanghai (Kodansha Globe)

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First of all 'Tracing it Home' is a story and not history. More accurately it is a narrative as the author relives her past and builds up a vibrant and rich tapestry of life in China as we follow the fortunes of her family. Unlike many other bestseller authors this is not stilicized fiction created out of facts gathered from second-hand accounts.

Though "Tracing it Home" could be criticized for the many things it is not, it is fascinating and engages the reader. She describes the traumatic events that still haunt Chinese society yet in the character of the loyal Hanze she finds forgiveness. The distinction that she makes between surrendering to tyranny and accepting the inexplicability of what happens is very crucial to creating a positive approach in bridging conflicts. "All I know is that Hanze doesn't hate his oppressor because to hate your enemy is to let him do worse to you - in hatred as in love, you grow like the one who absorbs you."

Lynn Pan is an author who takes the reader on a journey into the turbulent past of China without judgement or an overseas Chinese or Western bias. She grew up in Malaysia's dynamic Chinese population and in England and Hong Kong, but was born in and now lives in Shanghai. Warmly recommended reading.

When Lynn Pan tells the stories of her family's past, the work is riveting, but too often she inserts herself in the story. Not only does it fracture time in a confusing way (unlike the way Chang-Rae Lee fractures time to a purpose), but it interupts the through line, making it difficult to remember where we are in the overall story. There are too many excellent books about modern China (Shanghai, Chiang KaiShek, the Cultural Revolution, etc.) to recommend this one.

When Lynn Pan tells the stories of her family's past, the work is riveting, but too often she inserts herself in the story. Not only does it fracture time in a confusing way (unlike the way Chang-Rae Lee fractures time to a purpose), but it interupts the through line, making it difficult to remember where we are in the overall story. There are too many excellent books about modern China (Shanghai, Chiang KaiShek, the Cultural Revolution, etc.) to recommend this one.