Laura's thoughts on Wild Swans

1. I feel like I have already talked about this with everyone, since it has been particularly interesting to contrast what we read about in the book and what we saw during the Olympics. I am amazed by how much of the realities from the book I saw displayed during the Olympics. I cannot believe that families let their three year old daughters be taken away from them to live in gymnastics camps. I cannot believe that there are still countries in which people are compelled into participation. One particularly interesting thing was an article I read about Yao Ming. The article, written by an American, said that the Chinese government must stop compelling Yao to play for them in the off-season, espcially in non-Olympic years. The author said he must say no. After reading the book, however, I get the sense that this is impossible. Not only does he feel it his responsibility, but the consequences for refusal are so far reaching. Wow. good timing on the book.

2. One thing I enjoyed about the book was the courage of the three women in putting family first. The grandmother defied her status as concubine and concealed her daughter. The mother's actions were so frequently driven by her desires for her children, even in a time when that was politically unacceptable. One act that was particularly amazing was the mother's actions for her husband. She twice appealed for him when it could have been suicide. Not to mention that he had failed to treat her the same way. The daughter also exemplified this type of courage as she struggled to take care of her parents, grandmother and aunt.

3. I know, of course, that you are speaking of the father and I, too, felt the same way. He was always driven by what he thought was the best kind of honor. Not until the end of the story, however, did he realize what this truly meant. I was pleased with who he became.

4. I doubt that these people ever considered a God. To do so would have been treason of the worst kind. My guess is that they did sense something higher, particularly as it related to their family. Perhaps this brought them to God as they grew older.