A christian science monitor best book of the year lilian shang, a history professor in maryland, knew that her father, gary, had been. Ha jin was born xuefei jin in liaoning province, china. A map of betrayal, by ha jin anz litlovers litblog. Ha jins 1999 novel waiting received the national book award and the penfaulkner award, an astonishing achievement for a writer who, like conrad. Yes, im glad i listened to it, but hope the next ha jin book recaptures the character and story driven realism i. A map of betrayal is ha jins heartbreaking portrait of a spy torn. Around the time of tiananmen, jin also decided to begin writing in english, and many of his later novels a map of betrayal, a free life see him inhabit chineseamericans thrust into. Its difficult to believe that you are reading fiction when you read a map of betrayal by ha jin. Kevin nance, chicago tribune international intrigue and familial secrets merge in a map of betrayal, a subtle pageturner by the national book awardwinning author of waiting. A map of betrayal, jins seventh novel, allows jin to plumb the depths of his conscience for a tale that encapsulates u.
He adopts the name gary, becomes a united states citizen and, unable to return to his wife in china, starts a family with an american woman. When americanborn professor of asian studies lillian shang inherits her father garys journals, she uncovers details of his fourdecade career as a spy for communist china. Jin began to educate himself in chinese literature and high school curriculum at sixteen. But a new novel from ha jin was inspired by spy who, when he was caught, insisted he was looking out for two countries. He grew up during the cultural revolution, served in the army, and earned both his ba and ma at chinese institutions before arriving in the us on a student visa to pursue a phd in english at brandeis university. When lilian shang, born and raised in america, discovers her fathers diary after the death of her parents, she is shocked by the secrets it contains. Nov 04, 2014 in his absorbing new book, a map of betrayal, the author offers his most searing portrait yet of divided loyalties. Jul 15, 2015 ha jin is a voice at once outside and inside the culture. Feb 17, 2020 ha jin, chinese american writer who used plain, unadorned english prose to explore the tension between the individual and the family, the modern and the traditional, and personal feelings and duty. Ha jins new novel,a map of betrayal, is the story of a chinese spy who is caught and abandoned by his country. Dec 26, 2014 a map of betrayal, jins seventh novel, allows jin to plumb the depths of his conscience for a tale that encapsulates u. Love, war, duty and the march towards progress, for better or for worse, make up the stepping stones of this wideranging novel. With one foot in china and the other in the united states, ha jin is the quintessential chineseamerican writer. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
Early on, shangs english skills land him a job as a translator with the americans stationed in china, but. Jin himself was born and raised in china, though hes made a home for himself in. A map of betrayal is the first book by ha jin ive read yes, yes, i now, shame on me. Map of betrayal by ha jin is the story of weimin gary shang who was a chinese spy who infiltrated.
As you read ha jins latest novel, a map of betrayal pantheon books, youll find yourself divided between two main characters. From the national book award and penfaulknerwinning author jin waiting comes a womans inquisition into the limits of her fathers loyalty to his nation and family. In his absorbing new book, a map of betrayal, the author offers his most searing portrait yet of divided loyalties. A map of betrayal, ha jin s latest novel, ponders a spy caught between china and the u. Deciding which one you will identify with the chinese father gary shang or daughter lilian shang is one of the central pleasures of reading this forrest gumplike novel. He claims to be one of the prime drivers for a coup that has come to be called ping pong diplomacy, a series of table tennis ping pong games between the two countries that signaled a thaw in relations. A christian science monitor best book of the year from the awardwinning author of waiting and war trash. Its a story about loyalty, about a man being torn between two lives and two countries.
About this guide the questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of a map of betrayal, national book awardwinning author ha jins tale of espionage, honor, and conflicted loyalties in the intertwined histories of china and the united states and in the lives of two families. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a map of betrayal. A map of betrayal explores themes of alienation and bonedeep loneliness that ha jin has written about in such novels as waiting and a free life, but with an extra element. The protagonists of ha jins latest novel, a map of betrayal, occupy the treacherous territory of margins gary shang, the biggest chinese. Ha jins a map of betrayal offers a spy novel without. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
The title a map of betrayal signals a pathway into the novel in two ways. China relations during the cold war and the life of an immigrant. The father had been hired on as a translator in shanghai by an intelligence. A novel at the 2015 library of congress national book festival in washington, d. Ha jins latest novel, a map of betrayal, tells the story of shang weimin, a chinese mole within the c. Its hard not to see ha jins latest book, a map of betrayal, in this light. The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of a map of betrayal, national book awardwinning author ha jins tale of espionage, honor, and conflicted loyalties in the intertwined histories of china and the united states and in the lives of two families. A map of betrayal, the new novel from the penfaulknerwinning author ha jin waiting, nanjing requiem is a haunting tale of two families and two countries that are linked together by the life of a single spy. The twotime penfaulknerwinning author has created a novel thats also a primer on modern china, seen through the perspective of chinese immigrants living in the united states. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading groups discussion of a map of betrayal, national book awardwinning author ha jin s tale of espionage, honor, and conflicted loyalties in the intertwined histories of china and the united states and in the lives of two families. Yes, im glad i listened to it, but hope the next ha jin book recaptures the character and story driven realism i have come to expect from his work.
Nov, 2014 ha jin s new novel, a map of betrayal, is the story of a chinese spy who is caught and abandoned by his country. Click download or read online button to get ha jin book now. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Nov 03, 2014 a map of betrayal is the first book by ha jin ive read yes, yes, i now, shame on me. Jins antihero is gary shang, the biggest chinese spy ever caught in north america. It unfolds as the american born daughter of gary shang, a convicted cia mole and a hero in communist china, works her way through her fathers discovered diary after the death of her parents. In a map of betrayal, gary shang is always looking for ways to bring the two countries he loves, china and the united states, together. The books main weakness is that ha jins signature unhurried pace is filled with newsreels instead of the.
From the awardwinning author of waiting and war trash. Ha jin s 1999 novel waiting received the national book award and the penfaulkner award, an astonishing achievement for a writer who, like conrad. Author and poet ha jin left china in 1985 to attend. First, as a literal map that shows the relationships among the characters and how gary ensnares them in a drama not of their own making. In a map of betrayal, ha jin writes in chapters that switch between lillians stages of discovery set in more contemporary times and gary shangs life, which the reader follows from 1949 when the communists seized power in china to 1980. A map of betrayal is an excellent and compelling read. You may also entertain the preconceived notion that you find foreign books boring or dense with historical references you will not understand. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a map of betrayal. Beneath the quiet poetry of ha jins sentences is a searing novelistic ambition. Ha jin is a voice at once outside and inside the culture. Ha jin, chinese american writer who used plain, unadorned english prose to explore the tension between the individual and the family, the modern and the traditional, and personal feelings and duty. Monday morning book group a map of betrayal by ha jin. Ha jins a map of betrayal is a good story, but not an exciting read.
Ha jins selfrevealing study of the chinese poet li bai. The monday morning book group will discuss a map of betrayal by ha jin, a riveting tale of espionage and conflicted loyalties that spans half a century. A chinese translator spends 30 years undercover at the cia in national book award winner ha jins spare yet powerful new novel, a map of. In ha jins new novel, a man drifts into the world of espionage and becomes a longterm chinese communist mole within the c. A map of betrayal by ha jin penguin random house canada.
A map of betrayal, by ha jin i picked this up on a whim at the library, not knowing anything about the book or the author, but when i got home i discovered that i already had an early novel by ha jin, its called waiting 1999. China his land of birth and the us where he has lived for most of his life, as a spy for the chinese governement. His notable novels included waiting 2000 and war trash 2004. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Nov 18, 2014 a map of betrayal explores themes of alienation and bonedeep loneliness that ha jin has written about in such novels as waiting and a free life, but with an extra element. A map of betrayal, ha jins latest novel, ponders a spy caught between china and the u. A map of betrayal by ha jin penguin books australia. Most spy thrillers are about coldhearted people betraying one. Ha jin, author of a map of betrayal ha jins new spy novel resembles the story of the reallife chinese agent larry chin and echoes the expat authors own experiences. I have enjoyed other books narrated by angela lin nanjing requiem and thoroughly enjoyed the performance and book.
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