Wild Ginger- embrace Capitalism, this author did

As a student in WHISL, I believe it is right to be disgruntled. As an American citizen I have rights, both guaranteed by prose and those unspoken. Obviously so does Anchee Min, the author of Wild Ginger and Becoming Madame Mao; by being an American she has the rights to act in a free market economy. That right is being exploited to its full extent. This time New York Times, I have to disagree. Wild Ginger is pulp, a mere rape of Americas fear of Communism. Min takes advantage of America's attraction to repulsion (Poe), in this case the ingrained terror of "The Red Threat" passed down a generation from McCarthyism and LBJ's "Domino Theory". Even
superficial book reviews pin point the motive for Min: to publish and bank on a cult following, "which should mean strong sales" (Publisher's Weekly). Go Capitalism! Minn is quick to hint at the perversion of Marxist teaching by Mao, and then greater distortion by his people, but seems to do it out of a distaste for all things Communist, with her thinly hidden narrator drawn towards the old ways of China. What does her narrator represent? Well Min herself of course; Maple is a great character to mold after yourself, innocent, misguided, and a bastion of moral goodness. One of the underlying literary themes we could explore is Min's narcissism and lack of shame for selling a dramatic retyping of her memoir Red Azalea (Mariner Books). It is a simple equation, heaven sent for superficial success for under-educated housewives with disposable income.

One, a young female protagonist, just budding into a woman, feeling the pressures of sexual perversion (Sex sells, especially since every American woman feels those pressures in a sexist society such as ours)

Two, make it dark. Not really, actually, just dark enough for those same housewives to feel a taste of "reality", and throw in a sad ending so it can't easily be identified as pulp. If she wanted reality she should have thought of other minority writers who struggled before her, such as Richard Wright. "I swore to myself that if I wrote another book, no one would weep over it; that it would be so hard and deep that they would have to face it without the consolation of tears." Wright went on to say that, he didn't want a book that banker's daughters could read, cry deeply, and then feel superficially catahartic because they feel the plight of minorities. That is exactly what Minn does in Wild Ginger, a novel that gives housewives the chance to emphasize with poor, children in Communist oppression. :(

Three, Write a novella, then have it printed in ridiculously huge font so it comes out to be 217 pages long. Give your readers that sense of accomplishment they didn't earn.

Four, add a love story. Of course, what pulp wouldn't be complete without a love story, especially forbidden by higher powers. Think a re-hashing of Romeo and Juliet

Five, Violence! Schoolyard battles with a bully, who doesn't vicariously love defeating a bully like Hot Pepper!

Six, Hint at deep literary themes, to fool an untrained reader to think they are in over their head. Actually, there is nothing of substance

Seven, WTF! Add a Nancy Drew style mystery story were a pre-teen girl defeats the criminal, that's low. Min must have really been pulling at straws here. Try and imagine this: Scooby Doo in Shanghai! Yay!

Eight, pretty cover. ohhh! Catches the light!

Finally, you get the product. Some pulp barely worth the paper its printed on but apparently addicting to housewives. Min has sold you a bill of goods. Reading this is analogous to going on a blind date and finding you are spending the night with a paper cut out of Jessica Alba.

Unfortunately, this will never be read. On the off chance you do read this Mrs. Bell, I would like to discuss Wild Ginger with you. However, I believe that this has all been for naught.