In this book Adeline Yen Mah does well to blend proverb etymology with her life story and Chinese history. At times though, the historical component lacks dimension (and perhaps could have been shortened). Still, a good read if you like proverbs.

I learned a lot about the Warring States period and the first Chinese empire while reading this book. Truly a fascinating read.

Fascinating read.

I found it a bit difficult to keep track of the Emperors/Warriors because so many of the names are similar. Thoroughly enjoyed the history of China's history and cultural and the meanings behind so many proverbs. Interesting how each action taken by a warrior or Emperor changed the course of Chinese life and as a result a better understanding of where they are today. I was taken back by the cruelty that was forced upon so many for such simple acts; as well as the decent to many with the expectation of suicide to save face! WOW! "To save face" is so hard for me to comprehend when it leads to death without cause. I loved Yen Mah's Falling Leaves best, but A Thousand Pieces of God .... was a wonderful mini history lesson.

Adeline Yen Mah has become one of my favorite author. After reading her novel "Falling Leaves," I was fascinated by her storytelling and how she recalled her childhood experiences. In "A Thousands Pieces of Gold," Yen Mah provides the history and culture of China combined with her own personal experiences and the proverbs learned from her Ye-Ye(grandfather). In the book, she writes about the first and second emperors of China and as well as two warriors and constantly compared Mao Zhe-Dong with them. Yen Mah also explains how the proverbs can be used in the situation with her family. From reading this book, I learned a lot more about the Chinese history and culture and how China came to be today.

Really enjoying the Chinese history behind the proverbs. The intermixing with her life parts were fine, but the proverbs and their historical origins were fascinating.

The library houses this volume in the "folk literature, fairy tales, and proverbs" section, which somehow piqued my curiosity. I would say it falls more into either autobiography or history of China, but had it been in either of those places I would never have picked it up. The author is best known for her two autobiographical works FALLING LEAVES and CHINESE CINDERELLA.

I found her personal applications of the proverbs her grandfather taught her which spring from the time of the 1st Emperor and the wars following his death to be fascinating. I especially appreciate learning that to know a country and its people one must have an understanding of its proverbs or sayings. It is the "salt in the stew" -- invisible to the untrained eye or palate, but seasoning all.

The time of the 1st Emperor approximates the time of the Roman Empire. It was a period of massive construction--the Great Wall of China and many roads and canals. There was also great violence done to the people.

The author shows many parallels to this emperor and Mao Tse Tung. Her account is drawn from an ancient book of Chinese history she calls SHIJI, which was written at great sacrifice to its author.

I feel it imperative that we in the West be more cognizant of the ways of the East and this little volume makes this more possible.

By and large quite a beautifully written work — I especially appreciated Yen Mah’s thesis of how Chinese proverbs are just as applicable to modern diasporic experiences as they were to the ancient fables from which they stemmed. I was especially taken by her recollection of an all-too-Chinese experience: being a young child in her grandfather’s study, watching him practice calligraphy and being an earnest recipient of his wisdom. The anti-Communism felt forced and difficult to disentangle from the resentment Yen Mah has toward her family and upbringing. Then again, this was written by a physician and not a political scientist — regardless, I was grateful to connect and reconnect with the ancient Chinese proverbs around which this work is organized.

This book is actually pretty good, I don't know why it took me so long to read it. Perhaps it was because of its own style, that alternates between Adeline's story and tales of the Chinese Warrying States period.
I enjoyed how she put each proverb into context with either her own life, the war or even the Cultural Revolution, but at some times I struggled to understand why the hell she decided to put the Chinese phrase rather than the translated version. It gave me the same feeling I have whenever I see the meme of "Everything is going according to the keikaku*. *Translator's note: keikaku means "plan"."
I did read Yen Mah's book "Chinese Cinderela", so I already knew a bit about the things that happened to her when she was younger and, in a way, I'm actually glad I read that book before I got this one. Her story is very intriguing and this book read like a good addition to that story. Plus, I really liked to know a bit more about the Warrying States era.

This is an incredibly sweet and wonderful book. The author weaves her personal life into a collection of famous Chinese proverbs, at the same time taking the reader through the early history of China, including the coming to power of the First Emperor of China, and ending with the establishment of the Han Dynasty. Oh, and did I mention that the author relates the book to current events in history, and an evaluation of Mao Zse Tung? Breathtaking! And it's the kind of book that I love: history, biography, intimate, and Chinese. I find Chinese culture fascination, and this book is a wonderful window into the Chinese world. Highly recommended!

I would rate this book 1.5 stars only because it provided a good introduction to the history of the Warring States period. I was not very interested in the author's family history and I had issues with her interpretations on China's history and some of her editorial comments on Mao. Maybe it's because I had not read the author's autobiography, Falling Leaves, and therefore was not familiar with the back stories on her family their actions.

Amazing! I found this so insightful and engaging. It tickled my linguistic brain and I was very interested in the proverbs. Overall, I really enjoyable read.