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A Free Life
Ha Jin
#UB9342
Hardcover, 660 pages; 2007
$20.80
Acclaimed author Ha Jin's latest novel follows Nan Wu and his family as they struggle to make their way in America in the 1990s. Disillusioned with the political situation in his native China in the wake of the Tiananmen Square bloodshed, Nan decides to sever his ties with the country. He abandons his graduate program at Brandeis University, his plan to return home to teach, and his dreams of reuniting with an ex-lover in China. Despite a passion for poetry, Nan finds little time or inspiration to write. He works a number of menial jobs in Boston, New York, and finally Atlanta, where he opens a restaurant. Nan's life is challenged by contradictions. He struggles to balance his artistic aspirations with his financial responsibilities. He has difficulty relating to both his American neighbors and the Chinese immigrant community. He endeavors to love and provide for his family, despite a persistent longing for his former girlfriend. A Free Life offers a complex and nuanced take on the contemporary American immigrant experience.
(AG)
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