June Book Club Summary: Book Club with Lisa See
HLAA-TC June book club met on Zoom on Tuesday, June 24th to discuss the book “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See and we welcomed author Lisa See. Below is a summary with links of our discussion.
- Plot Summary/Synopsis (from Amazon): About “a woman physician in 15th-century China. According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine.” Note: This book is not about hearing loss or disability but does feature a minority group doing incredible things in the face of adversity. Published in 2024.
- Author website
- Author’s social media:
- Author’s other Books (she’s written historical novels, mysteries and a memoir): https://lisasee.com/books/
- Author Interviews:
- Video interview: (there are many with her, but I am only sharing one because this particular interview is detailed on the history and not overly long, 26 minutes long).
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“Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” book club links from Lisa’s website:
- General Lady Tan book page
- Step inside (historical research (in-depth)
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- Critical Reception of Book:
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- Reader Reviews (average rating is 4.35 on GoodReads)
- Professional Reviewer Reviews (Kirkus), (BookPage) and (BookMarks).
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- Themes Discussed:
- BOOK RESEARCH: Lisa discussed her research process. For this book she wrote it during COVID-19 so she was unable to travel or go to research libraries but came across a book in her personal collection that started her research into this historical figure. She also connected with scholars and experts via Zoom. (Videos on how she came to write Lady Tan, similar to what she told us)
- FOOT BINDING: There are many versions as to how/why it started, the health risks of foot binding and how/when it fell out of practice. (Smithsonian Article). One story of its start (that Lisa told us) binding started with a courtesan dancer who wrapped her feet to enhance her appearance (toe shoes) leading to its popularity among women as a status symbol. Lisa highlighted that it was primarily an economic indicator for men, symbolizing wealth and status, and discussed the cultural and sexual components that sustained the practice for centuries. (Visit this page on her website to learn more about the practice.)
- TERMINOLOGY: Lisa explained that eunuchs were used to protect palace women from unwanted pregnancies and had significant political power. Concubines were also a marginalized group that were treated brutally (Visit this page on Lisa’s website to read more about eunuchs and concubines.)
- WOMEN, GENDER & FEMINISM IN CHINA: The novel portrayed one of many periods of time where a woman’s fate is tied completely to a man’s. While the rise of Communism with Mao in 1949 saw an interesting influx of gender equality (Mao’s quote “Women hold up half the sky). This article talks about how that quote and the longterm Communism has affected Chinese women.
- THE MARITAL BED: This was portrayed heavily in the novel. On Lisa See’s website she has a section on “The Marital Bed” and includes pictures.
JULY BOOK CLUB: Tuesday, JULY 22, 5 p.m. Western/ 7 p.m. Central/ 8 p.m. Eastern Time “In Silence: growing up hearing in a deaf world”(Nonfiction) By Ruth Sidranski, BARD: DB 32598 [ZOOM-Register Here] Links of places I have found this book (please let me know if you are struggling to get it, I’m afraid it might be harder to find):
- Amazon: Paperback ($7.28) / Hardcover ($17.99)
- Gallaudet University Press: Paper ($29.95) / PDF ($29.95) / Rent PDF for 90 days ($14.98)
- eBay: Hardcover (used from $5.99 – $6.29 and new $15.44)
- Abe Books: Hardcover (Used, $12.85) / (New, $12.65)