Ties that Bind, Ties that Break (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Our family, the Taos, lived in a compound with more than fifty rooms, all surrounded by a wall..." (more)
Key Phrases: Big Uncle, Second Sister, Miss Gilbertson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's 1911, and China is slowly beginning to accept modern ideas--but the changes may not happen fast enough for young Ailin. Her grandmother has decided it's time she has her feet bound, to make her more attractive to a future husband. When Ailin sees the sad state of her sister's feet, she is stunned. "I stared at the pitiful stumps at the end of Second Sister's legs... her foot had been squeezed into a wedge: the big toe had been left undeformed, but the rest of the foot... had been forced down under the sole... like a piece of bread folded over." Luckily, Ailin's progressive father allows her to keep her feet unfettered, even though it means breaking off her prearranged marriage into a more traditional family. He also sends her to a public school to learn English. But by the time Ailin is in her teens, her father has died, leaving her less tolerant Big Uncle to be the head of the family. Big Uncle forbids Ailin's schooling and gives her the choice of either being a nun or a peasant's wife--the only alternatives left for an unmarried Chinese woman with "big feet." Ailin refuses both options, and instead becomes a nanny for an American missionary couple. Due to their generosity, Ailin starts a new life in the United States.

Powerfully told in flashback, Ties that Bind, Ties that Break is a thoughtful exploration of the ways cultural pressures can bend not only our personal values but even our physical appearance. And this gripping, lyrical story's theme may be most meaningful to those teens who feel the need to pierce and tattoo their bodies in order to fit into contemporary adolescent society. (Ages 11 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly

A gifted interpreter of Chinese and Chinese-American culture, Namioka (Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear) sets this gripping historical novel in early-20th-century Nanjing, as Western influence and political revolution threaten tradition. The irrepressible third daughter in a wealthy upper-class family, four-year-old Ailin resists having her feet bound and her progressive father concedes, over the protests of her grandmother and mother. This decision leaves Ailin without a clear future, as the family her parents have arranged for her to marry into breaks off the engagement ("She can always become an acrobat and street entertainer," her mother says despairingly). Still flying against convention, Ailin's father later sends her to a missionary school run by foreign "Big Noses," where she learns English and other subjects her grandmother dismisses as "useless." But when her father dies, the new head of the familyAAilin's volatile uncleAstops Ailin's education and offers her the only three choices suitable for a woman with unbound feet: becoming a nun, a concubine or a farmer's wife. Ailin creates her own destiny through events that are as dramatic as they are credible. Namioka weaves in just enough political history to help readers understand the turbulent climate, and her writing is so atmospheric and closely informed that it appears to offer an insider's perspective on a vanished way of life. Narrated by Ailin in flashback, this colorful novel has the force and intensity of a memoir. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (May 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385326661
• ISBN-13: 978-0385326667
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,400,819 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars read it and love it!, January 25, 2002

By	NO (San Salvador, El salvador) - See all my reviews

Ties that bind, ties that break
By: Lensey Namioka

An excellent story about the true tradition and history of china. Taking us through this fascinating novel is the superb main character, Ailin Tao. As you get more into the book you learn to love, and admire Ailin, because of her braveness, and actions through out this great novel. I would recommend this amazing book to those people who like to read about true breaking stories. I believe the author wanted to intoduce us to this Chinese story by ushering us into a wealthy Chinese family, with a little 5-year-old girl walking us through her foot binding problems. Ailin has 2 sisters, a baby brother, mother and a father and grandmother that are the only two who really understand her best. Ailin is to be married to Hanwei Lui, which was organized by her grandmother, but was broken off when ailin refused to bind her feet. It seemed to Ailin that after the foot-binding incident everything went down hill, because of her grandmother's death.
Through out all this happening, Ailin starts going to a public school, which was very weird for Chinese girl to do. She has a great time leaning English and socializing with other people than the ones in her house. After her father dies of tuberculosis her malevolent, inferior Big Uncle is in charge of the family and will no longer pay the tuition for Ailin's school. To Big Uncle paying school for a GIRL is a waste. Now Ailin has to find a way to support herself because since her feet are not bound nobody will marry her, which means no one, is supporting her.
I hope you really enjoy reading this great page-turner!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebelling against tradition, November 12, 2000

By	Melanie (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ties That Bind, Ties That Break (Mass Market Paperback)

"Ties That Bind, Ties That Break", by Lensy Namioka, was a great novel on a 1911, wealthy Chinese girl who rebells against the ancient Chinese tradition of foot binding - and learns the consequences.

Headstrong, playful Ailin, when 5 years old, is told she must begin to bind her feet. However, when she sees how her sister was crippled, she refuses, and her loving father said that she doesn't have to.

Later, when her father dies, her uncle becomes head of the household, and he gives now 12 year old Ailin three choices, since the boy she was betrothed to broke their engagement because of her unbound feet. But Ailin doesn't like the choices for a girl with "big" feet - she wants something more to do with her life.

This was a great book on a strong girl not so very long ago, and I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and up. I'd also definitely recommend "Shabanu", by Staples, about another girl who's against tradition, and must learn the consequences.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, January 10, 2002

A Kid's Review

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, by Lensey Namioka, is a moving story about a family's struggle to stay together through changing times. The story takes place in China during a revolution. Ailin, a Chinese girl whose age progresses through the story, wants to escape from a painful tradition of upper class Chinese society. When she tries to, she learns the consequences of her decision. Ailin tries to fix her life though she is no longer considered by her family to lead the old life of plenty that she used to. This book is a good story that moves quickly but at an understandable pace.

This book is a good way to get to know more about the Chinese culture. It clearly states the traditions of China. These include the social structure, how arranged marriages took place, and the type of schooling that both genders received. The social structure is shown by the way the upper class families choose only other upper class families for friends. Also, when Ailin's first amah is fired because she did not have the money to follow the Chinese traditions. The complexity of arranged marriages is explained when Ailin, at five, meets the first boy that she is supposed to marry. She talks with him and they get to know a little more about each other. Another tradition is the talk of less known Chinese foods. One of these is eight-jewel rice. Eight-jewel rice is a sweet rice dish that is usually served as a desert to the meal. Another good point about the book is the fact as the story progresses, so does the age of Ailin. As she grows older, her views in life change. She realizes that her family is not as perfect as she though it was when she was younger. She also learns about the hardships that her older sister has to face since her arranged marriage is not going as well as it was supposed to go. She learns to see people's personalities differently. She sees that her uncle, who made her younger years harder than they were supposed to be, had a lot on his mind that preoccupied him from treating her correctly. Ailin also grows more self-reliant. She stops depending on close friends and family to back her up in an argument. She also takes a job so that she can support herself if her uncle kicks her out of the house. Ailin also starts to carry out her own ideas alone. These and other good points make for an interesting read.

While Ties That Bind, Ties that Break is generally a good book, it does have a few flaws. One of these is the complexity of the story. There are an amazing number of characters that help to move the story along. While only one of these (Ailin), is the main character, the others are equally important and have their place behind her. Another confusing thing about the characters is that they each have their own personalities. Almost never do two characters have the same personalities. This book is still highly recommended because even though all of this is confusing at first; it also helps to make the story more interesting.