ENGLISH

ENGLISH is the fictionalized story of Wang Gang's coming-of-age during the Cultural Revolution in the Xinjiang region of northwest China. Twelve-year old Love-Liu is fascinated by the new English teacher, Second Prize Wang, who comes from Shanghai; wears cologne, a wool jacket and leather shoes; and owns a rare Chinese-English dictionary. Michael Sun Lee creates believable characters using accents and timing. Love-Liu's anger, confusion, and self-absorption are palpable; he's a teenager who can't conform when conforming is all important. Second Prize Wang's unusual—for the times—courtliness and respect are adeptly conveyed. The Cultural Revolution is merely a backdrop ("in those days"), but Lee does evoke the starvation, violence, and fear of the period. A.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]