Rachel DeWoskin
Author of Foreign Babes in Beijing: Behind the Scenes of a New China
About the Author
Works by Rachel DeWoskin
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1972
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
New York City, New York, USA
Bejing, China
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA - Education
- Columbia University
Boston University (MA|Poetry) - Occupations
- professor
- Relationships
- Dohrn, Zayd (husband)
- Organizations
- University of Chicago
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 852
- Popularity
- #30,032
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 45
- ISBNs
- 68
- Languages
- 3
The author has lived in Shanghai, which gives her descriptions of places authenticity. In this story, the main character of Lillia is the daughter of circus performers who wants to become one herself. Her family plans to flee to Shanghai, losing their mother in a raid. They don't know where she is, but it is too dangerous to stay, and father and daughters, Lillia and Naomi, have to leave and hope she finds them.
In Shanghai, they live in a Jewish settlement called the Heime, which resembles the slums in Germany where other Jews were forced to live. Under conditions of extreme privation, Lillia manages to attend a school for Jewish refugees, where she befriends a luckier girl, Rebecca, who lives in an expatriot compound across the river, a refugee named Biatta, and a Chinese boy named Wei, who is the school's janitor.
At first I thought it would make a good read for younger teens, but there are some circumstances later in the book that would be better for a more mature teen.… (more)