Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu

Great introduction to Buddhism and the philosophical underpinnings of Eastern martial arts. This book would make a great movie. Kind of a Karate Kid except Daniel is a girl and Mr Miyagi is a nun. They even have the training montage (flow like water, balance like crane, bend like bamboo...). I envision a climactic turning-the-tables fight scene a la River from Firefly or Hit Girl from Kick-Ass. Might not get a G rating with that kind of scene, though.

After reading two books about girls whose salvation comes from marrying well, it was refreshing to read a story where the girl fights not to be married and finds her own freedom. ("The world outside Shaolin Temple no longer concerned her. She forgot all about having to defeat Soong Ling in show more order to win her freedom. She was already free.") Not that there's anything inherently wrong with marriage, I just don't like when it's presented as a way out of hardship (or a handing over of property) rather than a loving bond between two people. show less

Like water to a parched soil, a reminder of everything I value about softness and resiliency. I want to be Wu Mei and keep finding my way. Aside from the obvious historical and philosophical connections, I would use this book with students (especially girls) who might need a literary hero to encourage them.

Not that I'm a martial arts fanatic, but I did enjoy this book. At first, it revolves around the story of a woman named Jingmong who is later called Wu Mei. She learns kung fu as a child in the Ming Dynasty. Then, with the fall of the Ming Dynasty, she travels west and becomes a Buddhist nun. That's when the other woman comes into the story, a young woman that works for her family's stall near Wu Mei's Buddhist temple. She's nearly forced into marrying a thug until Wu Mei agrees to teach her kung fu to help her out of it. It all ends well. I like both characters. I like the book in general.

Summary:
This book is about a girl, Jungyong or Wu Mei after she became a nun, born to royalty in China's Forbidden City. Her father did not want her to follow the path that other girls had to take, so he had her educated and had her learn Kung Fu. After her city was overtaken by the enemy she ran to the Shaolin Monsastery where, after proving herself to the monks, she was accepted in as a nun. She became very popular and would teach Kung Fu to those she felt deserved it. A young girl, Mingyi, came to her to be taught Kung Fu to get out of marrying a man she did not want to marry. Both girls found their own path in life, even though it was not a popular decision for girls.

Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed this book because these girls did not show more follow the path that was accepted for girls and their families allowed them to choose their own way. I enjoy reading books about strong females because there are so many girls that need to know they do not have to follow what everyone else wants them to do. I have always been strong willed and not wanting to follow the norm or what others think I should do.

Classroom Extension:
1. This is a great book to show young girls in upper elementary school that they can make their own decisions and do not have to do something just because everyone else is doing it or everyone else wants them to do it.
2. I would also use this book to show that if you are strong minded you can do anything you set your mind to. show less

Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu shows beautiful examples of the Chinese culture. The book follows a young women who was waiting to explore what her life destiny would be. The illustrations are very expressive of culture in China. This book is also great because it shows a different way to illustrate books in a way that there are 2 pages on each page and are divided into frames.

Young Jingyong becomes a legendary kung fu artist taught by monks and an inspiring role model to young women in China. One day she decides to assist a young lady in defending herself against two men who try and rob her. This colorful story revolves around her teaching another young lady how to defend herself against even the most grueling match. The colorful pictures painted as if in watercolor, add to the charisma and charm of this short tale and illustrate that women are considered as important as men. I would recommend this book to middle school students who do not have trouble reading some sophisticated words.

The story about a girl who learns the martial arts and helps give courage to another girl in her village. The story is interesting but did not hold my attention.