The Art of War

This was an interesting one. I had heard of the book many times before, but until this challenge, I didn't have the slightest inclination to read it. As I went through the list, I read other people's reviews of it, and found it intriguing.

I put a hold on it at the local library and was first struck by how small of a book it was!

This is not a huge dense book, but very concise.

The majority of it was, in my mind, strictly military, but there were gems that were applicable to anyone that I liked.

The best actually corresponds with a piece of advice that I got from my sister in law, who in turn, got it from a book (which I don't remember what book she got it from). The basic idea is to stay quiet in confrontation. Our tendency is to lash out, fight back, defend ourselves, but there are times that this defense actually hurts us, and it is better to just take the other person's anger (especially when it is unjustified) and allow them to calm down and come around to your side.

The quote from Art of War that gives similar advice is this:

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. No ruler should put troops in the field just to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

This is not to say that others should be allowed to walk all over you, but simply pick your battles wisely. In relationships, it isn't death, but it could hurt the relationship, and many times it is simply better to walk away from a fight as "anger may in time change to gladness."

The Joy Luck Club

My short goodreads review: "Sad at times, but felt very real and helped me understand two different cultures more. Kept my interest throughout."

This book is many things, and that is probably why it was/is so popular.

It has an element of historical fiction as you hear the stories of the mothers, but it also has somewhat historical fiction even with the daughters at this point.

It it about the complex relationships between parents and their children, which hits close to home for me as I can sympathize with both the daughters and the mothers as I am now a mother myself. You, as a mom, want so much for your kids, but you know that ultimately they have to make their own choices in life. At the same time, I have felt as a daughter the friction caused by a difference of opinion between my mom and myself.

It was mostly eye opening in the knowledge of what it feels like to grow up so mixed between the culture of your parent's country compared to the country that is your own county. I have no personal knowledge on that front, having never experienced that kind of a culture clash within the home, but I found it very interesting.