Grace Service (1879–1954)

This memoir is a well written account of the exciting adventurous life of two young adults from California who travel to distant locations in China on behalf of the YMCA in 1905 and soon experience the turmoil of the Chinese revolution (1911) swirling around them. This book was edited by their son, John S. Service who had his own adventures in China under General Stilwell. The inside of the cover has an excellent map using the city names from those early years of the 20th century. The footnotes contain interesting historical updates and suggestions for further reading. It's an excellent book for anyone interested in a ground level description of what life was like for those in the service of the YMCA in China. In particular I have enjoyed the very descriptive account of their wild adventures under fire on Yangtze River and riding the Rapids on the Min river.… (more)