So those are my suggestions for older entries. Also, when you’re a Gold member, you get 3 “optional fields” to fill in on the “Add an entry” page (see my diary http://bunnymonkey.com for how I use them in the “3 small things” box). I say we do optional field 1 = author or movie name, optional field 2 = title or movie g enre, and optional field 3 = reviewer’s name. Ok, that’s all I have to say for now!

And just for you, I’ll type up and example of entry text. Let’s see, I’ll talk about what I’m reading right now, which is The Remote Country of Women by Bai Hua. A novel set during, or I guess immediately after the Cultural Revolution in China (mid-1970s), the two main characters are a young man living in the Cultural Revolution’s fallout and a young girl living in a remote matriarchal tripe as yet untouched by the culture-killing hand of communism.

The young girl is declared a woman on her 13th birthday and begins to have sex not long after. Yes, our American sensibilities make us think “statutory rape,” “pedophilia,” and “ew,” but the girl’s culture operates this way, so the reader needs to approach her sexual encounters with her ethos in mind.

The man’s interactions in cities and “reform camps” highlight the emptiness and shortcomings of communism. Bai Hua’s style of writing, which relies heavily on the kind of nature imagery found in haiku, tends to romanticize the girl’s life while mourning the lack of vitality the man experiences, is surrounded by. And I think that’s enough text to give an idea of this box!

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