The Address Magazine Nov-Dec 2013 #92: The Winter Issue

BOOKS
THE VALLEY OF
AMAZEMENT
AMY TAN
[RM64.90]
A new novel from the bestselling
author of The Joy Luck Club. In
fin-de-siècle Shanghai, Violet
Minturn grows up at Hidden
Jade Path, the city’s most
exclusive courtesan house. But
when the revolution comes, she
is separated from her mother
and forced to become a ‘virgin
courtesan’. Both Chinese and
American, Violet moves between
these cultural worlds, becoming
a shrewd businesswoman who
deals in seduction and illusion.
But her successes belie her
private turmoil. Violet’s need
for answers propels her on a
quest of discovery: a journey to
make sense of her life, to right
the wrongs of the past – to find
love requited. Spanning 50
years and two continents, The
Valley of Amazement dramatises
the collapse of China’s imperial
dynasty and the secret life of the
courtesan house.
HOW TO FALL IN LOVE
CECELIA AHERN
[RM64.90]
She has just two weeks. Two
weeks to teach him how to fall in
love – with his own life. Adam
Basil and Christine Rose are
thrown together late one night,
when Christine is crossing the
Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin. Adam
is there, poised, threatening to
jump. Adam is desperate – but
Christine makes a crazy deal with
him. His 35th birthday is looming
and she bets him that before then
she can show him life is worth
living. Despite her determination,
Christine knows what a dangerous
promise she has made. Against
the ticking of the clock, the two of
them embark on wild escapades,
grand romantic gestures and some
unlikely late-night outings. Slowly,
Christine thinks Adam is starting
to fall back in love with his life. But
is that all that is happening?
I AM MALALA: THE STORY
OF THE GIRL WHO STOOD
UP FOR EDUCATiON AND
WAS SHOT BY THE TALIBAN
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
[RM59.90]
When the Taliban took control
of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke
out. Malala Yousafzai fought for
her right to an education. On 9
October 2012, she almost paid
the ultimate price. When she
was shot in the head at point
blank range while riding the bus
home from school, few expected
her to survive. Instead, Malala’s
miraculous recovery has taken
her on an extraordinary journey
from Northern Pakistan to the
halls of the United Nations
in New York. At 16, she has
become a global symbol of
peaceful protest and the youngest
ever nominee for the Nobel
Peace Prize. I Am Malala is the
remarkable tale of a family
uprooted by global terrorism, of
the fight for girls’ education, and
of Malala’s parents’ fierce love for
their daughter in a society that
prizes sons.
DAVID AND GOLIATH:
UNDERDOGS, MISFITS,
AND THE ART OF
BATTLING GIANTS
MALCOLM GLADWELL
[RM57.90]
Malcolm Gladwell, the
bestselling author of The
Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers,
and What the Dog Saw, offers
his most provocative book yet.
Three thousand years ago on a
battlefield in ancient Palestine,
a shepherd boy felled a mighty
warrior with nothing more
than a pebble and a sling – and
ever since then, the names of
David and Goliath have stood
for battles between underdogs
and giants. David’s victory was
improbable and miraculous.
He should not have won. Or
should he? In this book, Malcolm
Gladwell challenges how we
think about obstacles and
disadvantages, offering a new
interpretation of what it means
to be discriminated against, cope
with a disability, lose a parent, or
suffer from any number of other
apparent setbacks.
28 TA | nov/ dec 2013