For example, the entire text of tonight’s book reads:

Ten
Ten buttons
Ten needles
Ten pins
Ten pieces of cloth
Ten zippers
Ten pom-poms
Ten costumes

So what’s the plot in this case? Someone is assembling the materials to sew ten costumes?

This “take-home reading” project has been going on for several months. When it began, the teacher told us that the books she would be sending home would be below A.J.’s reading level “to build confidence.” Although I appreciate the intent, I think these books may be so far below A.J.’s reading level that he is becoming bored. At home he is reading the “Magic Treehouse” and “Curious George” series independently, as well as Dr. Seuss books. (The Sneetches is one of his favorites.) I don’t think confidence in his reading skills is a problem with him. But perhaps he is having trouble demonstrating those skills to his teacher?

“Again, the tingling, more like a vibration sweeping over him.” (“The Sleeper,” by Roger Zelazny, in Wild Cards Volume I, edited by George R.R. Martin)

Tonight I’ve been rereading one of my favorite books, Patricia McKillip’s The Changeling Sea. It’s a children’s book, but it is a wonderful little story. I love Patricia McKillip’s writing in general; reading her books is like having a beautiful, strange dream. I’m never quite sure what’s going to happen in one of her stories, but I don’t mind because her writing is so beautiful.

On a more serious note, today I picked up a copy of a book about Osama bin Laden’s family. As Sun Tzu says, to win a war, one must know one’s enemy as well as oneself.

Of course I have been doing some packing as well. First, though, I had to get some decent luggage. Saturday morning my husband and I dragged out our good suitcases from the closet. After taking a look, I decided there was no way I was going to be able to pack three week’s worth of necessities, plus leave room for souvenirs, in anything less than a full-size suitcase. My husband needed a lot of space too, though, and claimed the full-size suitcase first. After some consultation, I decided to go out shopping for my own luggage. I was hoping to find a good suitcase for less than $100. I ended up doing a lot better than that; I lucked into a huge sale at a local department store and came home with a five-piece set — a 28″ suitcase, a 25″ suitcase, a 21″ suitcase, a 15″ tote bag and a toiletry bag — for a grand total of $62.99. Not bad for my first luggage purchase! Even better, the luggage set is red — my favorite color!

In addition to packing, my husband and I have been doing some reading. Right now I am working on two books. The first is a very scholarly book called Becoming “Japanese”: Colonial Taiwan and the Politics of Identity Formation, by Leo T.S. Ching. The main thesis is that Japan’s 50-year colonization of Taiwan from the Sino-Japanese War through the end of World War II, combined with the physical separation of Taiwan and China, has made Taiwan develop an identity that is separate from China. Taiwanese still consider themselves Chinese ethnically, but many do not regard themselves as politically being Chinese.

The analogy I have come up with as I have been reading this book is that Taiwan is like a young child from a poor family who was kidnapped by a rich one and lived with them until he/she was nearly an adult, then was returned to the poor family. Although the child might acknowledge that he/she belonged to the poor family, the child might feel some shame or other negative feeling about the lower economic and educational status of his/her original family. The child might try to continue identifying with his/her kidnappers or try to obtain recognition as an independent adult rather than allowing the poor family to regain authority over him/her. The way in which the original family and other parties handle the child’s reintegration will determine whether or not the child will accept the family as his/her own fully some day.

On a lighter note, I also have started reading Culture Shock! Taiwan: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, by Chris and Ling-li Bates. I bought this book for my husband to help him mentally prepare for our trip, and he said after he finished it that he sees my family doing a lot of the things mentioned in the book. He urged me to read it as well, so I’m trying to finish it before we leave Saturday. I may already know a lot of this stuff, but I don’t consciously notice it. It will be a curious experience to go through this book, I think.