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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - A Reading Map
Unfurl the fan to explore issues hidden within the folds of Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
Female Friendship
- F/OTTO
How to make an American quilt.
Whitney Otto. 1991.
Several women come together to quilt
and share stories about their lives.
- F/Wells
Divine secrets of the ya-ya
sisterhood: a novel.
Rebecca Wells. 1996.
Lifelong friends try to heal the
relationship between a mother
and daughter.
- F/French
In the name of friendship.
Marilyn French. 2006.
Gathering to celebrate “Lady Day,”
four very different women reflect
on the important relationships in
their lives.
- VCV/NOW
Now and then [video recording].
1995.
Four women reminiscence about
a summer in their childhood.
- F/Matthews
The chocolate lovers’ club.
Carole Matthews. 2008.
A group of women bond over
chocolate and relationship problems.
19th Century China
- 951.034/SPE
God’s Chinese son: the Taiping
Heavenly Kingdom of
Hong Xiuquan.
Jonathan D. Spence. 1996.
A detailed account of the man
who led the Taiping Rebellion.
- F/Elegant
Mandarin.
Robert Elegant. 1983.
In Imperial China, a concubine joins
forces with a political group trying to
overthrow the Manchu dynasty.
- BOD/F/MIN
The last empress [sound recording].
Anchee Min. 2007.
Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi struggles
to lead China amidst much change
and turmoil.
- 951/FAI
The great Chinese revolution,
1800-1985.
John King Fairbank. 1986.
An examination of how major forces
of the past 200 years have shaped
modern China.
- 951/ROB
Modern China: an illustrated history.
J. A. G. Roberts. 1998.
Roberts uses images to illuminate his
discussion of the past 200 years of
Chinese history.
Women in China
- F/McCunn
The moon pearl.
Ruthanne Lum McCunn. 2000.
In 19th Century China, three girls
challenge cultural conventions by
refusing to marry.
- 305.40951/XIN
The good women of China:
hidden voices.
Xinran Xue. 2002.
True stories of the struggles
of ordinary women in China.
- 951.05/CHA
Wild swans: three daughters
of China.
Jung Chang. 1991.
Three generations of women struggle
to cope with the changes sweeping
through China in the 20th Century.
- F/Chang
The inheritance: a novel.
Lan Samantha Chang. 2004.
The bond between two sisters is
tested against a backdrop of political
turmoil in 1930s China.
- F/Tan
The bonesetter’s daughter.
Amy Tan. 2001.
After reading her journal, a daughter
learns details about her mother’s
childhood in China.
Foot Binding
- 391.413/KO
Every step a lotus: shoes for
bound feet.
Dorothy Ko. 2001.
A historical analysis of the
practice of foot binding in China.
- F/Feng
The three-inch golden lotus.
Jicai, Feng. 1994.
A poor Chinese girl is given many
opportunities because of her
perfectly bound feet.
- F/Harrison
The binding chair: or, A visit from
the Foot Emancipation Society:
a novel.
Kathryn Harrison. 2000.
A woman with bound feet struggles
against restrictive Chinese traditions
at the turn of the 20th Century.
- Y/Napoli
Bound.
Donna Jo Napoli. 2004.
While caring for her sister, whose
feet have been bound to attract
a husband, a young Chinese girl
dreams of a better life.
Tales of Reflection
- F/Setterfield
The thirteenth tale: a novel.
Diane Setterfield. 2006.
A famous author nearing the end
of her life shares her story with a
young biographer.
- F/Gruen
Water for elephants: a novel.
Sara Gruen. 2006.
An elderly gentleman reflects on the
time he spent with a traveling circus.
- DVD/BIG
Big fish [video recording]. 2003.
A son tries to separate fact from
fiction as his father regales him
with tales from his life.
- DVD/NUO
Cinema Paradiso [video recording].
1988.
A filmmaker reflects on his childhood
in a small Sicilian Village.
- F/Coe
The rain before it falls.
Jonathan Coe. 2008.
A dying woman uses a series
of photographs to recount
her family history.
Secret Communication
- F/Alexander
The secrets of jin-shei: a novel.
Alma Alexander. 2004.
In a mythical Chinese kingdom where
women have a secret language, eight
women form powerful friendships.
- 652.8/BUT
Secret messages: concealment,
codes, and other types of
ingenious communication.
William S. Butler and L. Douglas
Keeney. 2001.
An account of secret forms of
communication throughout history.
- 945.05/SIM
The Montefeltro conspiracy:
a Renaissance mystery decoded.
Marcello Simonetta. 2008.
A coded letter sheds light on one
of the great mysteries of the
Italian Renaissance.
