I've given up trying to understand China's Cultural Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party. No matter how many books I've read on the subject, I always come away, scratching my head, certain that, somehow, I know less than I did the day before. As to better understanding the Tiananmen Square Massacre, I have stood dead center in that very Square and have asked several guides, BUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE?, and was answered with "we will have noodles with our beer."Okay, so politics are out,...

Problematic for modern children, not really recommended unless a parent reads it first and explains what terms are now derogatory and so on. The word 'coolie' is used a lot but is now considered a derogatory word. Additionally problematic because the book is written by someone not of the culture they are writing about.After you get past that, this book is still a bit old fashioned and definitely has plenty of little morality tales thrown in. Overall though, it still manages to be somewhat fun to...

This was surprisingly enjoyable, given that the premise wasn't too different from DOBRY (but then, I'd always heard this was good). I thought the atmosphere was great--you really get an idea of what the streets of Chungking were like. And I thought Young Fu aged very seamlessly and believably during the book. I don't know anything about its accuracy/appropriation/cultural goodness. Will have to look up this new edition with the foreword by Katherine Paterson.

China is in transition. One dynasty has fallen and the Nationalists are taking over. There is still little difference between soldiers and bandits in Chungking where Young Fu is now apprenticed to a leading coppersmith named Tang.WWII and the Japanese are still years away as is Mao Tse-Tung. Foot binding is still the norm for little girls. Modern medicine is still a foreign idea and foreigners are unusual people rarely seen and not highly esteemed as their dress and manners are so different from...

Given the year this book was written, it's a decent story. Compared with other Newberys of that period, that is. I'm glad I read it (only 2 more Newbery winners to go!!) but I wouldn't read it again."Always these foreigners must hurry," remarked the coppersmith. "They waste good time studying their watches. They hasten to earn money and hasten to spend it. Why then trouble to gain it? Careful spending increases riches.""Shall I teach the Ancient Wisdom to one who wishes to use it only for the ea...

Children should be reading this! Lewis masterfully combined setting, character, and action to create an exciting and memorable book. The pacing and plot structure place it ahead of classics like The Dark Frigate and Adam of the Road, and even with my personal favorites Rifles for Watie and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. Although it is not better than these last two, I would argue that the sentence/paragraph level writing and vocabulary are more accessible, and therefore Young Fu is the best option for

"My own opinion is that youth is much the same the world over, regardless of race or color. ... If I had any one desire or purpose in writing 'Young Fu', it was that [American children] might recognize in the youth of China this kinship to themselves." --from Elizabeth Foreman Lewis' Newbery Medal acceptance speech for Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze.I really enjoyed this story Young Fu is a well-drawn character and I enjoyed learning a little about 1920s China through his adventures as well as th...

This book shows a Chinese community on the eve of communism. The author portrays the city through the eyes of a young coppersmith apprentice. I enjoyed the adventures and the dialogue. I liked that the book did not go into detail on foot binding (I've already read a graphic portrayal of that process and don't want to ever read about it again). I was curious to see how religion played a role in their lives before communism wiped out all religious displays. It appears from this book's account that...

A well written and inspirational story of a young boy becoming a man during a changing time in Chinese history. Young Fu learned many lessons about pride and anger that we would all do well to learn from books rather than experience. You truly got a feel for life in a turn of the century Chinese city.

I thought I would blast through this, considering that its a kid's book. It was a bit laborious at times, though. I think this is mainly due to the fact that it was written in 1932, and the manner of speaking was true to the culture--it just didn't always flow easily, but I think writing it otherwise would sacrifice too much. My having to read it only a few pages at a time did not help. Not my favorite, but overall it was enjoyable.

"Medicines are bitter in the mouth, but they cure sickness." (Tang)I really have hit my stride (or the right decade) on Newbery books! This book can best be classified as "charming". There are many lessons learned, lots of instances where the Asian concept of "respect" is so clearly different from the 2009 American one, and very good descriptions of (as much as can be imagined) what life might have been like in Chunking in that day. The negatives of course, are due to time and cultural dating --...

I read this book to the kids as part of our year studying the Eastern Hemisphere. It won the Newbery Medal in 1933. It took awhile for our ears to grow accustomed to both the more complex language and the different patterns of speaking in the book. (Think Yoda.) I am assuming that they are meant to convey the patterns of the Chinese language when translated to English.We all thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was a great way for my children to learn about the China of almost a hundred years ago whi...

So far, this is definitely my favorite of the “old Newberys,” winning the award in 1933.Set in China in the 1920’s, the book combines worthwhile themes with very memorable characters with some Chinese history and culture, and even adds some sophisticated wry humor to the mix. I feared midway that Young Fu was too good (actually, too "blessed"—my term) to be believable, and was glad that I was wrong. Likewise, my favorite character, Tang, is almost too wise to be real, but the bitterness that he

I was wondering how well this title had stood the test of time. I stopped wondering when I realized Pearl Buck had written the introduction. What a superb coming of age story! The City has it cataloged as J but now it would be considered YA. The hero, Young Fu starts as a teenager with a high opinion of himself tempered by a burning desire to get ahead in life. He is apprenticed to Tang, the coppersmith, to serve 3 years. If he is satisfactory at the end of that time, he will advance to journeym...

I have never read a Newbery Award winner that I didn't like! This one was a lot different than most of them that I have read because it was published in 1932, so it has some older-style writing. So keep that in mind if you want to read a mindless book. The book is not that hard to read, because it is a young adult book, but the style took a little bit of concentration.But let me just say this: I love China. I think it is the most fascinating place in the entire world. Sometimes I dream in Chines...

Elizabeth Lewis writes a full story, fleshed out very well in all its details and with no consideration overlooked, in this surprisingly strong early Newbery Medal winner. The 1930s, in my opinion, are a wonderful stronghold of magnificent Newbery books, and I would consider Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze to be one of its most deservedly proud offerings. The tenderly detailed descriptions of Young Fu's life and of the entire Chinese experience of the time period is enchanted and wonderful, and I

I was pretty sure I was going to hate this Newbery book, since I hate a lot of them, but this one turned out to be not so bad. Each chapter was part of an overarching plot, but they were also their own vignettes. The time period was early 1900s. Young Fu and his mom are headed to the city because Young Fu's father died and they couldn't keep the farm on their own. Young Fu's mom gets him an apprenticeship with a good, fair man named Tang who is a coppersmith. This is Young Fu's story being an ap...

It's hard to rate a book that I think is wonderful, but I don't think I'll remember it much. So . . . my question: is being memorable a criteria of a "good book"? Well, that's a question for another day, because I remember some really bad books, whether I like it or not.Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze is one of those books that adults on the Newbery Award committees seem to love; I'm sure some kids have enjoyed it, but I can't imagine most of them picking it off a shelf. Maybe I underestimate kids...

This was a great book about the realistic self-discovery a teen trying to live his best life in the larger tumultuous climate of a country in the midst of a revolution. I really liked the incorporation of Chinese culture and values.Some other good books to read that are similar to 'Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze':1) Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang: This book centered on the life of a young girl in Communist China, and followed her through the many heaving changes that swept through the nation, roc

Brilliantly written book about China 100 years ago by a foreigner who actually lived there during that time period. Captivating and full of adventure as Young Fu grows from a country boy of 13 to a mature 18 year old journeyman, under coppersmith Tang's tutelage. In some of the chapters he emerged as the hero and in others he dealt with the undesired consequences of his blunders.So many cultural and historical insights contained within the pages of this book that were fascinating to me as a fore...