The Chinese edition for readers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) already appeared last fall, and you can buy it here or if you’re located in China, you can buy the book inside China, where it’s already considered a “classic”, according to some reviewers.
Here’s the introduction I hand-wrote for the publication of both versions of the Chinese book (many Chinese readers like to see the handwriting of their author).
I’ve provided an English translation, for those who can’t read Chinese characters.
Welcome readers to my story called The Eagle Tree.
I am very excited to have you on this journey of discovery with me and with my main character, March Wong. As you will discover, March is a boy who is half-Asian and half-American. The United States is a mixing pot of people from many different heritages and many different lives, and my story tells of that reality.
I also share in that story myself, and I hope that I bring that “outsider” perspective to this story of a young man who is finding his own voice in a difficult world that often does not understand him.
I am proud to say that I was born in China and grew up in Chinese schools, speaking Mandarin in my early years just at the same time I was learning to speak English. Yet I was caucasian and a foreigner in China. My family lived in Taiwan for many years, although my parents were from the United States originally. I love the culture of China and I continue to study the language and powerful cultural history of China.
It was interesting to discover that when my family came to the United States, I was also a foreigner here! For I was someone who did not grow up here, and did not fit into the cultural norms of the United States.
Some might consider my story to be a story of difficulty. I do not. I found it to be a rich experience that gave me insight into different ways of seeing the world, and gave me unique and different stories to tell.
I found that I was able to “step into” other people’s shoes and see thru their perspective. I have used that experience to be able to tell a story about a boy who sees the world in a new and different way.
March Wong also sees the damage that we are doing to the natural world, and he tries to open our eyes to this reality. I am so happy that you are able to read this book, and I welcome you to look thru the perspective of March Wong as he opens our eyes to a new way of seeing.