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Title: War Trash
ISBN: 0241143292
Author:
Ha Jin
Publicate Date: 2005-09-29
Publish: 2005-09-29
List Price: $20.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $20.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $15.00
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Powerful
A detailed, beautifully observed portrait of a Chinese POW during the Korean War. Written in a documentary style, the author manages to convey emotion without melodrama. A powerful depiction of an overlooked period.
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2: simple prose, objective, convincing characters
Ha Jin has a simple, but effective prose style. He objectively utilizes historical material, while portraying convincing individuals.
In "War Trash" he takes what could have been a dreary re-creation of prison life for Chinese prisoners of the U.S. during the Korean War, and makes it quite interesting without the use of melodrama. It helps that his protagonist, a young man with some education, is a very engaging personality who matures and grows in self confidence as the novel progresses. He is ethical without being heroic, much as the protagonist of "The Crazed".
Ha Jin paints a chilling portrait of the Communist party during and immediately after the Korean War, while making the committed Communists in the novel nuanced individuals. This is my third Ha Jin novel, and actually the fastest paced of the three (others were "Waiting" and "The Crazed").
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3: A Documentary Novel
War Trash, a novel which is outwardly about the Korean War, is really a way for Ha Jin to explore the shortcomings of the two systems of government available for Chinese people: the Nationalist system in Taiwan, and the Communist on mainland China. As in Ha Jin's novel Waiting, political systems and their answers to human dilemmas are always lacking. When people seek to solve life's deep problems with political solutions, the results are always violent and inadequate. This novel has a documentary feel to it; the research into the era appears to be meticulous. All in all, War Trash is another major accomplishment for this writer, both clear and concise without lacking in depth.
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4: My favorite work of fiction
War Trash not only entertains, but it teaches in a way that few books can. When reading the book, I felt trapped in the socialist-nationalist political tension that turned ordinary people into cruel, violent zealots.
Throughout the book, the action gripped me and made me care about the protagonist and his family. In that sense, this book shined as a work of fiction. But more importantly, War Trash taught me a great deal about how people view the political "other", and specifically about how the Chinese nationalists and socialists viewed each other.
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5: Great prose and story
After enjoying "Waiting", I read this one and was not disappointed. Ha Jin is simply an outstanding author. In this book, he not only offers beautiful prose, but also a very interesting story. It is well researched (it is fiction) story of a Chinese POW during the Korean war. Ha Jin offers readers a fresh new way of viewing war. There are no good guys or bad guys. I am amazed that Ha Jin can write so well in his second language. Very talented author. Highly recommended! You won't be disappointed.
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