So Far from the Bamboo Grove (rpkg)

Book Description

Though Japanese, eleven-year-old Yoko has lived with her family in northern Korea near the border with China all her life. But when the Second World War comes to an end, Japanese on the Korean peninsula are suddenly in terrible danger; the Korean people want control of their homeland and they want to punish the Japanese, who have occupied their nation for many years. Yoko, her mother and sister are forced to flee from their beautiful house with its peaceful bamboo grove. Their journey is terrifying -- and remarkable. It's a true story of courage and survival.

Customer Reviews:

Based on her old memory, some are not corrent, though........2007-09-08

Her writing is both attractive and shocking even to adults. Even though there are diputes regarding distorting the historical fact, her story is touching and also good.
One thing I feel sympathy is that the setting she described is far from truth. Were it not for the odd setting, this story could be more attractive even in Asians who had had terrible memories toward Japanese army during the World War II.

Due to the severe weather, bamboo has not been growing up in northern part in Korea. Besides, Korea was divided into North and South Korea in 1948. Since the setting is 1945, Japanese ruled in Korea, which means there were no organized communist army at that time in northern part in Korea.

Despite those flaws, this book is worth for discussions among people especially who are aware of Asian history.

Please read this book from the beginning to the end carefully........2007-08-20

I purchased this book after I had heard an argue over this book between Koreans and this author. Koreans said this book is showing fabricated history, and this author said it is the true story. Koreans even kicked this book out of libraries in the U. S. The author said sorry for misunderstanding.
I have parents, who are the same age with this author. To tell you the truth, this book is the part of true history.
My parents, one is from North Korea and the other is from South Korea. My parents had told me so many times about WWII and Korean war, how they survived. That is the reason why I am saying this book is the real history. Koreans, please read this book carefully from the beginning to the end. This author was appreciating to Koreans, who helped her big brother to escape from North Korea. The rape incidents are true. My parents told me that there were so many mad Koreans to try to revenge Japanese. In North Korea, there were Russian soldiers raping any age Korean women. In South Korea, it was chaos. Yes, it is true that Japanese took Korean girls to sexually serve Japanese soldiers. However, because of that reason,after WWII, a few mad Koreans tried to kill Japanese, who were in Korea. In Japan, a few mad Japanese tried to kill Koreans, who were in Japan, too. Please, peple. This it the real tragic story behind war. There are innocent people. Even though the country started the war, still there are so many other nice people behind of this bad decision.
Back in before 1945, there were a lot of Japanese and Koreans, who leanred each other's languages. But also, there were some people, who only knew how to speak the other language. One of my mom's friend, who had been in Japan before 1945, came back to Korea after WWII ended, but did not know how to speak Korean. She was misunderstood as a Japanese to Koreans. She and her family were almost beaten to dead by Koreans.
Hatred is making people to be blind. There are no perfect people. Even nice people can make mistakes.
Please no more fighting... It does not help anything.
To know each other, to understand each other, please read this book carefully. And please do not judge anyone because some of those bad people's mistakes.

Trash.......2007-05-29

Don't waste your time on this book. It's full of lies and distorts the truth. The japanese still refuse to apologize for their horrific war crimes/crimes against humanity.

Excellent Book.......2007-04-28

So far, this book has been the best I've read. It wasn't a boring book about somebody's life, but it described every little detail that Yoko experienced during her frightening journey. This book was graphic, but I believe that's why I enjoyed this book. I like reading novels that tell you stuff like that because it makes it easy to picture how difficult and stressful this trip was for Yoko and her family. I definitely recommend this book! *****

I am simply confused by these comments by "kid's review" and "a reader".......2007-04-22

This might be a "well written" book, but it is completely distorting the truth about the Japanese WW2 aggressions and atrocies. It makes as if atrocies were committed by the victims rather than the aggressor. If you knew even a bit of history, you would have some misgivings and the second thoughts about why the author wrote this book and why she is trying so hard for this book to be adopted by the elementary schools around the U.S. Depiction of mindless rapes and atrocies committed by the Koreans and Russians in this book could have happened, however what does she say about those close to half million comfort girls and women who were forcefully removed from their homes and brutally raped by Japanese soliders day after day and had to live as sex slaves for the duration of the war. Most of these women were never compensated for the crimes committed by Japanese government and people to this day. On top of that, Japanese government continually denies the atrocities by their soliders and civilians during the war (although it's partially due to lawsuits which may result from their admissions). You might say that this is a story about a Japanese girl and writing her memoir about WW2 although I seriously question whether this book is suitable for the elementary school kids considering the level of violence depicted in this book.

If Anne Frank were a German and she were still alive to this day and if she wrote about the mindless rapes committed by Jewish resistance fighters and Jewish American soliders after WW2 and no mention was made about the Holocaust during WW2. Wouldn't you think that is a DISTORTION of history?

If they were going to adopt this book as the textbook for the elementary school kids, they should at least adopt another book written by a Chinese or Korean author talking about a girl who was amidst of Nanking Massacre or a girl kidnapped by Japanese soldiers during WW2 to serve as sex slaves. That should give a balanced view of what really happened during WW2 and should mitigate unfounded stereotypes about certain ethnicities or racial groups.

And who are these "kid's review" and "a reader"? They are writing unanimous praise of this book. Somehow, the same person is writing two dozen reviews and trying to promote this book. Do you smell something fishy here?

The Book of Bamboo: A Comprehensive Guide to This Remarkable Plant, Its Uses, and Its History

Average customer rating:

Great Beginning
So much to learn, yet still not done with it!
The most comprehensive book on bamboo..........
Read this book first if you are new to bamboo!
Bamboo Science, Philosophy, Opinion and Lore

The Book of Bamboo: A Comprehensive Guide to This Remarkable Plant, Its Uses, and Its History
David Farrelly
Manufacturer: Sierra Club Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 087156825X

Book Description

Bamboo's amazing versatility, strength, workability, and beauty have given it a longer and more varied role in human culture than any other plant known to humankind. This acclaimed sourcebook details the myriad ways in which this extraordinary plant is now used and presents many options for its use in the future. A bounty of facts and lore, the profusely illustrated book includes:
Bamboo cultivation - how to grow, maintain, and harvest bamboo
Crafts and constructions using bamboo: floors, fences, papers, playgrounds (built by kids!), swings, and treehouses
A "whole bamboo catalog" of tools and other artifacts made from bamboo - acupuncture needles, blowguns, bridges, kites, ships, violins, windmills, and a thousand other bamboo things
The seemingly endless variety of shelter applications, including lamination, "plybamboo," reinforced concrete, and earthquake-zone construction
Bamboo and the arts - a bamboo orchestra, the role of bamboo in the ancient "friendship ceremony," Sumi-e painting, and the depiction of the quivering leaf of the bamboo plant
An astonishing compendium of bamboo science, covering more than 1,200 species from 4 inches to 100 feet high (one species has been known to grow 4 feet in 24 hours)

Customer Reviews:

Great Beginning.......2007-01-23

In a World in which only three countries have doubled their forest resources while the rest of the nations are working on depleting theirs; a global crisis waiting to happen because of our irresponsible handling of our natural resources, bamboo offers a solution that could definately take us back to a healthy equilibrium. This book gives a glance of its many uses and benefits. Anybody interested in life has got to take a dive into this amazing research. This book is literally, "the top of the iceberg."

So much to learn, yet still not done with it!.......2004-12-11

I bought this book awhile ago. . . .and unfortunately, have enough going on that I can't just sit down and read it beginning to end, but already I know a LOT more about a plant I've always been fascinated with. Lots of definitions, and pictures, and illustrations. If there's anything that could be considered a detraction, there's maybe TOO much information on the plant and its uses.

a thoroughly great book to add to a collection for anyone into herbal knowledge or lore, interested in plants, or wants to just know more about bamboo.

Recommended reading :)

The most comprehensive book on bamboo.................2004-02-23

Written by the one of the few people in the world qualified to produce a monograph on bamboo, it is as comprehensive as it gets. David Farrelly has spent more than a decade planting, harvesting, and building with bamboo in Mexico, Nicaragua, and the United States. If you are only interested in the growing of bamboo as an ornamental, then this book may not be exactly what you expect, but it still serves up more information on bamboo growing, propagation and care, and bamboo species and description then any other currently available books on bamboo. Don't expect grossy pictures either, but line drawings and old black and white photographs somehow seems to fit well in this book. Grossy pictures would have been out of place here. What really makes this book a must read is the other non-botanical, non-horticultural information on bamboo that the book includes - it's history, it's multiple of uses, it's interaction with mankind through the ages.

If you are into bamboo beyond it's aesthietics, this is a "must read". If you are only into ornamental bamboos, this is still a good reference, and reading it will change your respect for what must be truly the most useful of all plants on planet earth.

Read this book first if you are new to bamboo!.......2003-01-06

This was the first book I read about bamboo many years ago when I first started planting bamboo. I guess the best way to describe it would be to call it "The Last Whole Earth Catalog of Bamboo". It covers all aspects of bamboo, facts and fiction, reality and myth. This book is for the true lover of bamboo.

Bamboo Science, Philosophy, Opinion and Lore.......2000-08-12

When I first read "The Book of Bamboo" many years ago, I thought it was brilliantly researched but simply too eccentric in organization and style to be representative of mainstream thought on the subject. Despite the wealth of information it contains, I hesitated to recommend it to people for fear its intensity would put people off rather than draw them in. However, after several years of growing bamboo in coastal northern California, I recently picked it up again and instantly recognized it for the classic it is. Fewer than 1 percent of 1 percent of all non-fiction books published are ever republished after they go out of print, especially by a prestigious national firm with major editorial capabilities. See for yourself why David Farrelly's "The Book of Bamboo" is one of those rare, wonderful books worthy of such investment and respect.

Average customer rating:

high quality journal
More beautiful than expected
Inspire to Journal
A beautiful journal
review

Handstitched Tao Bamboo Lined
Blank Journal , and The Paperblanks Book Company
Manufacturer: Paperblanks Book Company, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Blank Books | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books

jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1551562189

Book Description

Traditional Chinese painters aimed at capturing the inner essence of the visual form through the rhythmic movement of their brushstroke on silk or paper, attuned to transmit the invisible forces of the universe -- the Tao that pervades the world that we inhabit. This painting by a Chinese Master reveals the workings of the Tao through the vitality and expressiveness of the brushstrokes and the harmonious rhythm of composition. Handstitched open-back spines with silky matte laminated paper covers over boards. Lined creamy, archival-quality paper.

Customer Reviews:

high quality journal.......2007-01-10

This is gorgeous! It's a lined journal. You can open it flat with no problems. It does not look or appear to be fragile. There's a sleeve at the back of the journal so that you can put things in it. The paper is of excellent quality. However, I do not think that there are enough pages, so if you intend to use it as a diary or a daily journal, you'll probably run out of space in about...4 months. Otherwise I think this is a good buy.

More beautiful than expected.......2007-01-09

This journal is very nicely made. It is sturdy and being a left-hander, it is comfortable for writing. It was definitely more beautiful in design than I expected. I'm very pleased with this journal as I have been journaling for many years and pass over many other journals I've seen in bookstores because they're difficult to use for left-handed people.

Inspire to Journal.......2006-03-20

This is my third handstiched journal from PaperBlanks and I absolutely love them. They lay beautifully and feel luxurious while still down-to-earth.

A beautiful journal.......2006-03-19

This journal is better that I expected. Bounding is lovely and the book is a good size and well made!

review.......2006-02-23

This is really an excellent journal!
The only downside is that the shipping does leaves scratch marks on the cover, as previously mentioned, but that isn't really visible unless you examine it closely.
However, the actual journal was unbelievable. The pages are of exceptional quality, I was able to use ink and pens on them fairly well. The lining on the actual paper isn't as dark as I expected it to be, either, which would probably distract from the actual content! :)
The pages are also handstitched, which was surprising to me.. The spine has six little braided strings stitched into the cover, making it easy to sit open without stretching or damaging the book itself. The back even had a pouch to store things in (it is actually quite large).
I recently visited a bookstore to compare prices, I'd have to say that amazon's was much less expensive.. A few scratches on the cover is worth the price, I think..!

Average customer rating:

amazing
Riviting
Tales from the Bamboo Grove

Tales from the Bamboo Grove
Yoko Kawashima Watkins
Manufacturer: Bradbury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0027925250

Customer Reviews:

amazing.......2006-01-12

this is one heck of a book. It really made me realize how lucky i am to have the life i have. I highly suggest this book for everyone of all ages.
-jamie

Riviting.......2000-05-24

I met Yoko on a trip from the UK to the USA we talked and talked the 10 hour trip was more like 1 hour, she later sent me her book, I could not put it down. I was so pleased to have met this wonderful person.

Tales from the Bamboo Grove.......2000-04-05

This was a great book. Yoko talked about times when she was a young girl. When they would eat dinner they would be able to share stories about their day. This book is a collection of some of the stories that her brother, sister and herself would share.

Average customer rating:

Bamboo
Robert Austin , and Ueda Koichiro
Manufacturer: Weatherhill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0834800489

Average customer rating:

Chang and the Bamboo Flute

Chang and the Bamboo Flute
Elizabeth Starr Hill , and Lesley Liu
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Bird Boy

ASIN: 0374312389

Book Description

Chang's creativity brings more than just music to his family

When a flood on the Li River in southern China threatens their houseboat, Chang and his family, including his father's specially trained fishing birds, are lucky to find shelter in a barn belonging to the family of Chang's friend Mei Mei. Chang has brought his bamboo flute with him, but is shy about playing it in front of Mei Mei's family, especially her older brother, who likes to tease Chang about the sounds he makes in place of speech - sounds that only the fishing birds understand. Chang's music is especially important to him, but he wants to keep it private. It is only after the floodwaters recede and the family returns home to the damaged houseboat that Chang will find that the time has come to share his talent with others.

Collaborating again on this companion volume to Bird Boy, a Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner, Elizabeth Starr Hill and Lesley Liu have created another sensitive, appealing book, in which a boy discovers how to play to his strengths rather than keeping them hidden.

Customer Reviews:

Chang and the Bamboo Flute.......2003-03-24

This chapter book is an easy book for children to follow, however, a child unfamiliar with the Chinese culture may have difficulty understanding some of the terminology used. I think the overall theme,in this book, of believing in one's inner strengths and abilities and being proud of who you are is very positive for elementary readers. This is something that the main character, Chang, struggles with throughout the story. One of the reasons he struggles with this is because he has been made fun, especially by his bestfriend's brother, of his inability to speak and he is afraid that people will do the same to the music he makes with his flute. But Chang soon realizes that there are times when you have to overcome your inner struggle for the benefit of someone else and when you can do that, it feels really good. I think that as students read this book, they will easily understand this concept of being proud of oneself and helping and respecting others just as Mei Mei helped and respected Chang.

Handstitched Masters Midi Traveller Bamboo Lined (Handstitched Traveler)

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Book!

Handstitched Masters Midi Traveller Bamboo Lined (Handstitched Traveler)
The Paperblanks Book Company
Manufacturer: Paperblanks Book Company, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Blank Books | Journals | Accessories | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1551563185

Book Description

As any traveller will tell you, when you're on the move, it's best to travel light. And this is just the journal to travel with, be it around the world, or around the block. We've taken a striking image, and handstitched it into this very attractive 5 x 7 trim size. There's a memento accordion pouch in back to keep all of those loose bits and pieces in one easy-to-access place, and an elastic end leaf enclosure to mark your place or enclose the entire book. Of course, with our unique handstitiched binding, every page of our Bamboo traveller lays perfectly flat.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Book!.......2004-07-21

It's sometimes difficult to know until you hold a journal in your hands if its quality is worthy of your thoughts. Curious about this series of blank books, I located one in a Border's store so I could examine it closely, and was sold (though I actually bought several of various styles through Amazon due to the greatly reduced price and wide selection).

Just wanted to reassure any curious journal-keepers that this is a very nice book for having paper binding. The surfaces of the front and back plates are silky smooth, taut and very pretty. The spine, being sewn with strings, is tight, yet allows the book to lay completely flat when open. The pages inside are very smooth, practically non-porous grain, and of a medium weight, thick enough for fine-tip pen-and-ink, but too thin for any other medium of drawing or writing element. I'm usually a fan of leather-bound journals because they're sturdier and more aesthetically pleasing to me, but as paper-bound journals go, these are among the nicest I've seen.

Average customer rating:

Ping Won't Share
Lynne Gibbs
Manufacturer: Gingham Dog Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 157768480X

Book Description

Ping and his friends are hungry. Their tummies rumble and grumble, so they search the forest but cannot find enough leafy bamboo to eat. When Ping discovers a big patch of bamboo, he greedily keeps it all for himself. But when his friends move far away in search of food, Ping learns an important lesson about sharing.

Growing Pains is a series of books designed to help young children understand the world around them. Each amusingly told story has a gentle moral lesson and aims to help children deal with new situations in a positive manner. The stories are beautifully illustrated, with bold colors and brushstrokes, to charm adults and children alike. Books supplement character education curriculum and can be enjoyed at home or in a classroom setting.

Average customer rating:

Lovely book, with lots of inspiration for using bamboo in your home
The future is bamboo
Bamboo is hot!
Offering simple projects that anyone can create

Bamboo Style
Gale Beth Goldberg
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 158685092X

Book Description

Bamboo isn't just for Asia anymore! Author Gale Goldberg shows us how to creatively bring bamboo home, teaching us how to live with it indoors and outdoors--even how to grow your own bamboo. Every room in your home can be decorated or accented with beautful, sensual bamboo furniture, flooring, wall covering, ceiling material and accessories.

Bamboo is highly versatile, requiring little care yet having a visual appeal that can change a mundane setting into an exotic oasis. The resource directory includes connections to designers, manufacturers, artists, suppliers and bamboo organizations.

For do-it-yourselfers, the bamboo projects in this book--from a simple ladle to a more complex pergola for the garden--will inspire you to create other designs of your own.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely book, with lots of inspiration for using bamboo in your home.......2006-03-12

Bamboo is appealing because of its beauty and because it's a renewable resource. While it takes 25 years to grow an "old timber" forest before it can be harvested, it's only a few years before bamboo shoots grow into usable, er, timber.

This book provides a great overview of how you can decorate a home with bamboo, inside and out. You'll find plenty of beautiful pictures with everything from Balniese homes to all-bamboo living rooms, to furniture, flooring and fencing.

However, if you're looking for a how-to book, you may be disappointed. Bamboo Style's emphasis is definitely on _style_ rather than construction. It devotes quite a bit of (well written) text to the reasons to choose bamboo, and those many photographs do an excellent job of demonstrating the breadth of what the material is capable of, both physically and in a decorating sense (i.e. it can fit into a modern decor or an Arts & Crafts scheme). Plus, the book has an extensive resource section, in case you want to explore more.

There are indeed a few hands-on projects, but they're more illustrative of what you can accomplish than anything else. If you want to start building with bamboo, you should definitely get this book -- it's quite inspiring! -- but you'll want another book for the how-to.

The future is bamboo.......2003-01-06

It's true, bamboo is the future. With all the many ways bamboo can be used it will continure to grow in popularity. This book does a great job educating the reader about this unique plant. The photographs of the many ways bamboo is utilized in the home and garden are beautiful. This book makes a great gift for the plant lover.

Bamboo is hot!.......2002-08-31

Everywhere you look, you see bamboo -- advertising, catalogue goods, book lists. If you have noticed and are intrigued, if you have EVER considered bamboo, then you want Bamboo Style on your bookshelf and in your hands. The author is a well-traveled architect and her skills and experience are reflected in her offering. The publisher is well-known for beautiful "style" books, among others, but it is the author who determined the scope of this publication: Why Choose Bamboo, The Ways of Bamboo, Bamboo Inside, Bamboo Outside, On Your Own, and Afterword: Bamboo and Beyond. There are many ways to read this book and benefit -- hit only the photos and captions, read the chapter you already know you'll love, try the "how-to" projects or use the resource lists at the end. Any single approach would be sufficient to warrant the purchase of this book, but do yourself a favor, and go through the entire book! There is a wealth of information here. Enjoy every bit of it and welcome to BAMBOO.

Offering simple projects that anyone can create.......2002-08-09

Bamboo Style by architect Gale Beth Goldberg is an amazing and superbly presented guide to crafting works of beauty and wonder from bamboo for the purpose of adding either a functional or an elegant touch to home decoration and interior design. Enhanced with lavish color photographs throughout, Bamboo Style offers an informed and informative history of bamboo uses the world over, as well as offering simple projects that anyone can create, this unique reference and truly beautiful book is enthusiastically recommended for the professional as well as do-it-yourself interior decorator wanting to try something fresh and vibrant.

Average customer rating:

The Bamboo Flute

The Bamboo Flute
Garry Disher
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0395665957

Book Description

In 1932, during Australia's deep economic depression, young Paul meets Eric the Red--a wandering swagman--who teaches Paul how to play the bamboo flute and brings music back into Paul's life.

Customer Reviews:

The Bamboo Flute.......1998-05-07

The Bamboo Flute was a very interesting book about a boy called Paul, who's family was poor. He meets a man called Eric the Red who tells and shows him how to make a flute out of bamboo.

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