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Lao TAi-TAi Ning
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Daughter of Han : The Autobiography of a Chinese Working Woman Library Binding – December 1, 1945

by Ning Lao T'ai-T'ai (Author), Ida Pruitt (Editor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
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This is a new release of the original 1945 edition.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Bt Bound
  3. Publication date
    December 1, 1945
  4. Dimensions
    1 x 5 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    141761885X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1417618859
  7. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
69 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and helpful. They also describe the story as interesting and beautiful. Readers mention it's a great reprint at an affordable price.

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ReadabilityStory quality
10 customers mention "Readability"8 positive2 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and helpful. They say it's a great reprint at an affordable price.

"...Fantastic read." Read more

"Had to read it for school. Easy to read but slightly boring at times. The poor woman with such a tough life." Read more

"...culture because my Mother is full blooded Chinese, and I found this book to be helpful, its a great reading." Read more

"awesome book that seriously will make you reflect and appreciate your life." Read more

9 customers mention "Story quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the story interesting and beautiful. They also mention the book has several interesting themes. Readers say the story makes them mad and scream for joy.

"Great life stories. I’m keeping this book." Read more

"very interesting" Read more

"...There are several interesting themes in the book: conservative society, saving face, foreign missionaries, poverty, numerology, and domestic..." Read more

"This is one of the most interesting book about Chinese history in English that I have ever read and the book is in good condition." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Jennybee
5.0 out of 5 stars The story makes you mad! And scream for joy!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2012
Verified Purchase
Oh the devastation this woman has gone through! But it shows what a true hero she is when it comes to surviving in a homeless situation. Fantastic read.
One person found this helpful
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C. Chen
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the money
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
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Great life stories. I’m keeping this book.
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Alana Tendering
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2020
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very interesting
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars for long i have not read such a good story in english
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2017
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for long i have not read such a good story in english. ning lao taitai (ning is a surname, and lao taitai meaning old lady, a polite form for an elderly woman in chinese), is an epitome for a peasant woman in old china. while reading the story, i cannot help thinking of my mother who suffered untold hardships and bitternesses in her life to bring up her 6 children standing on this miserable world. life is much easier here and now ,and ning lao taitai is just a story written in the past tense. as a chinese, i highly value this story, for it provides past customs, traditions and cultures, et al, which are fading out in china.
6 people found this helpful
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M.B.
3.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Frustrating
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2015
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"A Daughter of Han" is both an insightful and a frustrating read. The author, Ida Pruitt, writes in the first-person from the perspective of Lao T'ai-t'ai, a woman Pruitt met and interviewed. There are several interesting themes in the book: conservative society, saving face, foreign missionaries, poverty, numerology, and domestic life.

Each chapter presents a few years in Lao T'ai-t'ai's life. She describes her childhood, her marriage to an "opium sot," her husband trying to sell her daughters, and her working life. Lao T'ai-t'ai's life is terribly difficult. She and her children go through periods of hunger that force them onto the street. She sees children and grandchildren die, which Pruitt barely mentions in passing.

Unfortunately, the book is somewhat scant on specifics and details. At various times she works as a domestic servant for a Muslim family, a mandarin bureaucrat, and different missionaries, but we never learn how exactly she serves the families or how she makes house-calls as an itinerant vendor. In addition, events just come and go with very little reflection or detail, such as deaths in her family or friends that she mentions with no specifics. I would be curious to know about how funerals were held, what she did with her friends, or even what the cities she lived in were like.

Sometimes, the scant details work in favor of the narrative. For instance, there is a brief sentence that describes seeing some of supporters of the Boxer Rebellion in her city. For her, a woman more interested in getting by than paying attention to politics, this would be a realistic description.

The narrative style is a little dated, even for a book written in the ‘30s or ‘40s. Even given the local idioms that Pruitt mixes in for color, the writing is a bit halting. There are interruptions and odd interjections that make reading this book very clumsy.

Nevertheless, there is very little biographic writing about the lives of ordinary people from this time. This alone makes "Daughter of Han" important for students of history and society.
9 people found this helpful
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Arlenerichards89
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2014
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shows how Chinese life has followed traditional patterns that reappear in current Chinese society. Stories of everyday life with love, hate, quarreling and mutual support in the family are like those in the West while the details of the mores differ from those of Europeans and Americans.
One person found this helpful
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Deborah
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013
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This is one of the most interesting book about Chinese history in English that I have ever read and the book is in good condition.
One person found this helpful
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A Kanaka
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting account of everyday life in long ago China
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2020
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Very interesting account of everyday life in long ago China
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