Book Description:

In 1994, Anchee Min made her literary debut with a memoir of growing up in China during the violent trauma of the Cultural Revolution. Red Azalea became an international bestseller and propelled her career as a successful, critically acclaimed author. Twenty years later, Min returns to the story of her own life to give us the next chapter, an immigrant story that takes her from the shocking deprivations of her homeland to the sudden bounty of the promised land of America, without language, money, or a clear path. 

It is a hard and lonely road. She teaches herself English by watching Sesame Street, keeps herself afloat working five jobs at once, lives in unheated rooms, suffers rape, collapses from exhaustion, marries poorly and divorces.But she also gives birth to her daughter, Lauryann, who will inspire her and finally root her in her new country. Min’s eventual successes-her writing career, a daughter at Stanford, a second husband she loves-are remarkable, but it is her struggle throughout toward genuine selfhood that elevates this dramatic, classic immigrant story to something powerfully universal.

My Thoughts:

I read the Red Azalea years ago and loved it so I could hardly wait to get my hands on The Cooked Seed to learn more about Anchee Min, in her adulthood.  

Boy she has been through a lot.  It almost seems like two lifetimes full.  After moving to the U.S. her struggle just to be able to stay was amazing.  Add to that her needing to find employment, learning English etc.  She tried to talk English with people as much as possible to learn it but that wasn’t always possible so she watched Sesame Street.  What a great idea, too bad they don’t have and adult ESL version.  I bet there are a lot of new immigrants out there who would watch it.

Min made some good choices and some bad in her new life.  Here first marriage was bad.  He talks her into buy a house to restore and make apartments but neither one has a clue with what they are doing and he pretty much gives up right away.  She keeps trying while he just sits.  One good thing came out of the marriage though, Lauryann.  With Lauryann,  Anchee finally takes real control over her life.  She leaves her deadbeat husband, for starters.

She met her second husband, the writer Lloyd Lofthouse through a dating service.  You know you he’s a keeper when he agrees to date her with her daughter in tow!  Actually, I have personally had the privilege of both reading his works and working with Lloyd and he is a gem! (Both he as a person and his writing).

I actually loved The Cooked Seed even more than The Red Azalea.  I highly recommend it, especially to those who love reading about the immigrant experience.  

5/5

I received the ebook version from Edlweiss for my honest opinion.
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