大山背的野孩子 – Highly recommended

Posted by: serene13 on: June 19, 2013

• In: About Parenting | What I've Read
• Leave a Comment

Finished reading this book “大山背的野孩子” which is indeed a page-turner.

Too funny and too interesting. Just like listening to my Grandpa telling story. The background of the story is the time Japanese invaded Taiwan. The author 刘兴钦 is one of the famous cartoonist and inventor in Taiwan. He shared his childhood stories about how he learn to solve the problems in his life using brain, living in a poor village, in a time where everything were lacking, some more with the conquer and control of the Japanese.

I highly recommend this book to teenagers (even adults), as it will be an eye-opener for them to know what happened last time, during the World War II time, when a country was being conquered by Japanese, and how the people living in that era overcome all sort of hardship in life. Despite all this sad background, the author composed the stories in such a funny and interesting way, that you hardly feel sad reading it. (ya, I don’t like reading sad story). For me, the book is an utter delight, and a joyful nostalgia.

Some snapshot:

When I was 6 and a half years old, one day, during meal, father saw that I was able to finish one bowl of rice, he said, “Good. Now that you can finish a bowl of rice, then you must start to help the family with the household chores. We are a big family and have so many family members, no one can eat without contributing; no one can eat without needing to work. Tomorrow you will start working.”

“What shall I do ?”

“Pasture the cow.”

And father reminded me seriously, “Remember, no matter what happen, cannot let the cow run away. If you die, our family just need to feed one less person. But if the cow run away, no cow to plow the field, our whole family will starve to death.“

The cow ran away. No choice, I went back to tell father, “Father, the cow ran away. It is too strong. I couldn’t get hold of it.”

Regardless of my injury, father slapped me hard, and said, “IT IS A COW. if you are strong enough to pull it, then you are stronger than it, and might as well ask you to plow the field.”

Mission failed. I looked down, dare not speak a word to defend myself.

“It’s a cow. We cannot compete with it using strength.  We must compete with it using brain, wisdom.” He used his hand to knock on my head, “Everything must use brain, must figure out the solution yourself.”

Later, they found the cow, but what my father taught me – “Everything must use brain”, influences the rest of my life.

Another book in my library which I hope my girls will pick it up.