"I knelt down to put the seeds into the hole. Before I could stand up, I felt something heavy smash into the back of my head and the impact threw me violently to the ground. The next thing I saw was fresh blood pouring out and soaking the earth red beneath my eyes."
“Jinjin’s hoe had struck my head! For a moment, nobody comprehended what had happened. Then a girl nearby screamed. Lying motionless on the dirt and the newly dug soil, I could not see the panic and shock in Jinjin’s eyes, but I was conscious. My classmates were quickly gathering around me, their voices filled with fear, disbelief, fright and horror. I did not feel anything.”
That is a short excerpt from my debut novel The Same Moon. That was in 1976 deep in the interior of China. The protagonist, Pearl, a teenager still at school, was working in the fields. That accident could have killed her but she survived. In a poverty stricken backwater of the largest country on earth, she lived a life destined to be hers and that of millions of others.
Twelve years later, after Pearl has consistently followed her life path mapped out for her - she has gone to university, got a job, a man and a child, all familiar and acceptable and nothing unusual, she left all that familiarity behind and headed West.
As the author, I did exactly the same, uprooting myself from China and came to the United Kingdom in 1988. Consequently, readers of The Same Moon invariably have asked me: Are you Pearl?
There is no denying that as a little girl once lost in that ancient land, her life reflected that of mine, as well as millions of others. One reader has told me how much she loved the book because she could see her brother and people she knows in the story, although she was born in Shanghai and belongs to a different generation. Another reader from Vietnam commented that the book moved her to tears because it reminded her of her days back home in South East Asia. That has to be one of the most gratifying moments for a writer, to be told that her characters resonate as real people with whom the readers could identify and relate to.
We all know that there are a great many cultural differences between different countries, some more fundamental than others. There has been a traditional divide between the East and the West, in terms of political system, the traditions, customs, religions and many other less obvious nuances. How does someone from the East try to adjust to the Western way of life? What kind of barriers and difficulties does she have to face? Nowadays many of us cross borders and different people and races mingle and integrate, and sometimes exist in segregation. Through following Pearl’s footsteps, those who have never been to another country can encounter a number of surprises and discoveries. For those who have had similar experiences, they will gain an insight, an understanding and even appreciation of Pearl’s life, a life ordinary yet inspiring. A young girl who faced death and heartache and many other misfortunes, yet survived to tell her tales, and inspire future generations with her story of optimism, and human spirit to triumph against all odds.
For the full story of Pearl’s personal journey from the East to the West, please go to Amazon (The Same Moon) and Smashwords (\’Journey to the West\’ Book 1). For more inspirational writings, photgraphs and videos, go to http://www.junyingkirk.com/.
“Jinjin’s hoe had struck my head! For a moment, nobody comprehended what had happened. Then a girl nearby screamed. Lying motionless on the dirt and the newly dug soil, I could not see the panic and shock in Jinjin’s eyes, but I was conscious. My classmates were quickly gathering around me, their voices filled with fear, disbelief, fright and horror. I did not feel anything.”
That is a short excerpt from my debut novel The Same Moon. That was in 1976 deep in the interior of China. The protagonist, Pearl, a teenager still at school, was working in the fields. That accident could have killed her but she survived. In a poverty stricken backwater of the largest country on earth, she lived a life destined to be hers and that of millions of others.
Twelve years later, after Pearl has consistently followed her life path mapped out for her - she has gone to university, got a job, a man and a child, all familiar and acceptable and nothing unusual, she left all that familiarity behind and headed West.
As the author, I did exactly the same, uprooting myself from China and came to the United Kingdom in 1988. Consequently, readers of The Same Moon invariably have asked me: Are you Pearl?
There is no denying that as a little girl once lost in that ancient land, her life reflected that of mine, as well as millions of others. One reader has told me how much she loved the book because she could see her brother and people she knows in the story, although she was born in Shanghai and belongs to a different generation. Another reader from Vietnam commented that the book moved her to tears because it reminded her of her days back home in South East Asia. That has to be one of the most gratifying moments for a writer, to be told that her characters resonate as real people with whom the readers could identify and relate to.
We all know that there are a great many cultural differences between different countries, some more fundamental than others. There has been a traditional divide between the East and the West, in terms of political system, the traditions, customs, religions and many other less obvious nuances. How does someone from the East try to adjust to the Western way of life? What kind of barriers and difficulties does she have to face? Nowadays many of us cross borders and different people and races mingle and integrate, and sometimes exist in segregation. Through following Pearl’s footsteps, those who have never been to another country can encounter a number of surprises and discoveries. For those who have had similar experiences, they will gain an insight, an understanding and even appreciation of Pearl’s life, a life ordinary yet inspiring. A young girl who faced death and heartache and many other misfortunes, yet survived to tell her tales, and inspire future generations with her story of optimism, and human spirit to triumph against all odds.
For the full story of Pearl’s personal journey from the East to the West, please go to Amazon (The Same Moon) and Smashwords (\’Journey to the West\’ Book 1). For more inspirational writings, photgraphs and videos, go to http://www.junyingkirk.com/.
