From "Who's Irish?" by Gish Jen

I can't get this smart, complicated story out of my brain.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"You think the Opium War was bad, how would you like to live right next door to the British"

"I am so fierce, the gang members who used to come to the restaurant all afraid of me, but Sophie is not afraid."

"A daughter I have, a beautiful daughter. I took care of her when she could not hold her head up. I took care of her before she could argue with me, when she was a little girl with two pigtails, one of them always crooked. I took care of her when we have to escape from China. I took care of her when suddenly we live in a country with cars everywhere, if you are not careful your little girl get run over. When my husband die, I promise him I will keep the family together , even though it was just two of us, hardly a family at all."

I respected this story and the mother narrator for always telling her truth. Jen captures the characters voice so convincingly, I never questioned it. The emotions are raw and exposed, not always pretty or agreeable, but deep and real.