The Fifth Book of Peace - Paperback
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The Fifth Book of Peace by Maxine Hong Kingston
This powerful memoir from National Book Critics Circle Award winner Maxine Hong Kingston offers a profound exploration of war, peace, and cultural identity. Published by Knopf Publishing Group's Vintage Contemporaries imprint, this paperback edition brings together Kingston's distinctive voice and her commitment to examining the complexities of the Chinese American experience.
About This Literary Work
The Fifth Book of Peace represents Kingston's continued exploration of themes that have defined her celebrated career. Following her National Book Award-winning China Men and the groundbreaking The Woman Warrior, this work demonstrates why Kingston remains one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature. The book reflects her antiwar activism and her decades of experience teaching writing at the University of California, Berkeley.
Why Readers Choose This Book
Kingston's work has been widely taught in literature courses for decades, making her books essential reading for understanding Asian American literature and contemporary cultural narratives. This memoir combines personal history with broader themes of conflict and reconciliation, drawing from Kingston's experiences from Berkeley's antiwar movement to her seventeen years in Hawaii, where she earned the title "Living Treasure of Hawaii."
Perfect For
- Book clubs seeking thought-provoking literary nonfiction
- Readers interested in Asian American perspectives and cultural identity
- Students and educators of contemporary American literature
- Fans of award-winning memoir and biographical writing
- Those exploring themes of war, peace, and cultural heritage
Maxine Hong Kingston is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who operated a gambling house in the 1940s, when Maxine was born, and then a laundry where Kingston and her brothers and sisters toiled long hours. Kingston graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1962 from the University of California at Berkeley, and, in the same year, married actor Earll Kingston, whom she had met in an English course. The couple has one son, Joseph, who was born in 1963. They were active in antiwar activities in Berkeley, but in 1967 the Kingstons headed for Japan to escape the increasing violence and drugs of the antiwar movement. They settled instead in Hawaii, where Kingston took various teaching posts. They returned to California seventeen years later, and Kingston resumed teaching writing at the University of California, Berkeley.
While in Hawaii, Kingston wrote her first two books. The Woman Warrior, her first book, was published in 1976 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award, making her a literary celebrity at age thirty-six. Her second book, China Men, earned the National Book Award. Still today, both books are widely taught in literature and other classes. Kingston has earned additional awards, including the PEN West Award for Fiction for Tripmaster Monkey, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and the National Humanities Medal, which was conferred by President Clinton, as well as the title "Living Treasure of Hawaii" bestowed by a Honolulu Buddhist church. Her most recent books include a collection of essays, Hawaii One Summer, and latest novel, The Fifth Book of Peace. Kingston is currently Senior Lecturer Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley.
Contributor(s)
Author
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The Fifth Book of Peace by Maxine Hong Kingston
This powerful memoir from National Book Critics Circle Award winner Maxine Hong Kingston offers a profound exploration of war, peace, and cultural identity. Published by Knopf Publishing Group's Vintage Contemporaries imprint, this paperback edition brings together Kingston's distinctive voice and her commitment to examining the complexities of the Chinese American experience.
About This Literary Work
The Fifth Book of Peace represents Kingston's continued exploration of themes that have defined her celebrated career. Following her National Book Award-winning China Men and the groundbreaking The Woman Warrior, this work demonstrates why Kingston remains one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature. The book reflects her antiwar activism and her decades of experience teaching writing at the University of California, Berkeley.
Why Readers Choose This Book
Kingston's work has been widely taught in literature courses for decades, making her books essential reading for understanding Asian American literature and contemporary cultural narratives. This memoir combines personal history with broader themes of conflict and reconciliation, drawing from Kingston's experiences from Berkeley's antiwar movement to her seventeen years in Hawaii, where she earned the title "Living Treasure of Hawaii."
Perfect For
- Book clubs seeking thought-provoking literary nonfiction
- Readers interested in Asian American perspectives and cultural identity
- Students and educators of contemporary American literature
- Fans of award-winning memoir and biographical writing
- Those exploring themes of war, peace, and cultural heritage
Maxine Hong Kingston is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who operated a gambling house in the 1940s, when Maxine was born, and then a laundry where Kingston and her brothers and sisters toiled long hours. Kingston graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1962 from the University of California at Berkeley, and, in the same year, married actor Earll Kingston, whom she had met in an English course. The couple has one son, Joseph, who was born in 1963. They were active in antiwar activities in Berkeley, but in 1967 the Kingstons headed for Japan to escape the increasing violence and drugs of the antiwar movement. They settled instead in Hawaii, where Kingston took various teaching posts. They returned to California seventeen years later, and Kingston resumed teaching writing at the University of California, Berkeley.
While in Hawaii, Kingston wrote her first two books. The Woman Warrior, her first book, was published in 1976 and won the National Book Critics Circle Award, making her a literary celebrity at age thirty-six. Her second book, China Men, earned the National Book Award. Still today, both books are widely taught in literature and other classes. Kingston has earned additional awards, including the PEN West Award for Fiction for Tripmaster Monkey, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and the National Humanities Medal, which was conferred by President Clinton, as well as the title "Living Treasure of Hawaii" bestowed by a Honolulu Buddhist church. Her most recent books include a collection of essays, Hawaii One Summer, and latest novel, The Fifth Book of Peace. Kingston is currently Senior Lecturer Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley.
Contributor(s)
Author