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Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography
by
Peter Conn
4.15 · Rating details · 116 ratings · 16 reviews
Pearl S. Buck was one of the most renowned, interesting, and controversial figures ever to influence American and Chinese cultural and literary history--and yet she remains one of the least studied, honored, or remembered. In this richly illustrated and meticulously crafted narrative, Conn recounts Buck's life in absorbing detail, tracing the parallel course of American and Chinese history. This cultural biography thus offers a dual portrait: of Buck, a figure greater than history cares to remember, and of the era she helped to shape. (less)
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Paperback, 500 pages
Published April 28th 1998 by Cambridge University Press (first published January 28th 1996)
Original Title
Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography
ISBN
0521639891 (ISBN13: 9780521639897)
Edition Language
English
Literary Awards
National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Biography/Autobiography (1996)
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Sep 14, 2015Mikey B. rated it it was amazing
Shelves: biography, china, literature, united-states
One of the key ingredients of a biography is not only to tell the subject’s life, but to capture the spirit of the era they lived through. There is no doubt that this book accomplishes this undertaking and is an overwhelming success.
Pearl Buck lived during tumultuous times, particularly during the first forty years of her life, where for most part she resided in China. Although she was born in the U.S. in 1892, her parents took her to China after a few months to continue their missionary work.
Aside from attending college in the U.S., she lived in various cities and communities in China until 1934. During this time China was in a constant state of upheaval – with warfare (territorial wars and communists versus government), famine, and extreme poverty surrounding her daily existence. Although she spoke and wrote Chinese fluently (the author does not tell us which dialect), she was never able to fit in – and experienced the same outsider status when she relocated to the United States.
In her personal life she witnessed the complete subjugation of her mother to her father’s fire and brimstone fundamentalist take on Christianity. She became not only conscious of his intense misogyny, but also that of Chinese society where, for example, there was infanticide of female babies and foot-binding of girls.
She started writing in her late thirties – and with her second book “The Good Earth” she vaulted from obscurity to fame – and fortune. “The Good Earth” was (to simplify) about Chinese peasants living their daily lives and overcoming their many obstacles. Most of her subsequent books, which also sold well, were about China. She humanized the downtrodden. Her books were translated into several languages. She also put China onto the U.S. map due to the very wide circulation of “The Good Earth”. This became very significant with the later Japanese invasion of China proper which outraged many in the U.S.
After World War II, Pearl Buck became involved in many causes like racial equality and the fight for the equality of women. Unlike her parents she gave up on organized religion and adopted a very secular outlook. Pearl Buck was not one to take half measures – and she often irritated those who joined her many causes; she was abrasive.
One group she formed was for the adoption of racially mixed children left by American soldiers in Japan, South Korea, and later Vietnam. These children were outcasts in their country of birth – and due to the efforts of the foundation that Pearl Buck started, at least some found receptive homes in the United States.
Just a few more notes:
Pearl Buck, due to her involvement and writings on China, racial equality... generated a huge F.B.I. file. Once more we see how the resources of this nefarious organization were being used.
Her stories and characters were straight-forward. She won the Nobel Prize for literature and the Pulitzer Prize. Many in the “literary vanguard” felt she did not deserve this adulation. The “literary vanguard” feels that literature should not be popular, should be entirely introspective and never appeal to a mass public audience.
This is a wonderful biography.
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Apr 15, 2008Phoenix rated it it was amazing
What a treat to read the biography of my all-time favorite author. When I went to China i was going to "Pearl Buck's China," having fantasized about it for years through the vivid scenes painted for me in her novels. Her activism and advocacy came through loud and clear in the subject matter she tackled in her books. Her motives became even more clear after reading her biography, however. This is a biography I will re-read several times so that I don't forget any of it. Pearl is probably the woman I admire most. Notably she did not start writing until her 30s- there is still hope for me. She had many relationships, not all of them conventional. She suffered tragedies and sadness, and she spoke out for the underprivileged, and she left behind a legacy. (less)
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Aug 10, 2020Carole rated it it was amazing
Shelves: biography
This is a well written and thoroughly researched biography of this remarkable person. I knew little about her, other than The Good Earth and a somewhat controversial Nobel prize. Conn does a good job in presenting this full and complicated life. I was impressed by her strong commitment to racial equality, women's rights and social justice, issues that are current in today's headlines. She was ahead of her time, outspoken, and tireless in her pursuits. Conn explains her social energy as a reaction to her narrow minded, self absorbed and inflexible missionary father. It is a fact based biography, well illustrated and documented, worthy of this notable woman. (less)
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Jul 14, 2020Jane Mettee rated it it was amazing
I have long been a fan of Pearl Bucks novels. This biography is written by Peter Conn a long time professor of English at University of Pennsylvania. Pearl Buck’s home and headquarters for her many humanitarian
activities in the US is also in Pennsylvania. This is an extremely well researched biography of Pearl Buck who was not only a well known author but a humanitarian who launched several programs in the US and Asian countries to
assist with children and women’s issues, adoption and civil rights.
She received both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize for her writing.
She started the first interracial adoption agency in the US and adopted several children herself.
I read her memoir My Several Worlds. She reported on what was going on around her in China were she was raised and had lived much of her life. Also on her culture shock when moving to the US after about 40 years in China. She reported modestly on her work but very little on her personal life.
I enjoyed filling in the blanks with this biography which had a surprising
ending. This is women’s history at its best. There are over 80 pages of notes and index for anyone wanting to do some serious study. (less)
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Nov 12, 2020Nick rated it really liked it
Shelves: biography
The author has done the reading public a favor with this biography.
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Aug 06, 2018Gerri Bauer rated it it was amazing
Pearl S. Buck deserves to be rediscovered.
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Jul 31, 2019Virginia rated it really liked it
Very detailed story of Pearl Buck. I hadn't known how broad her career had been, and what a strong influence she had on our ideas of China. I intend to re-read many of her novels, so I can appreciate them more. (less)
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Apr 27, 2020SaraB added it
Very interesting, explains very well her awful vision of humans in most of her books, even though sadly she ended up repeating some of the mistakes she depicts.
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Nov 16, 2011Beth rated it liked it
I read The Good Earth in high school, and thus began my fascination with China. I read most of Buck's books and her autobiography. While I recognized she was not the greatest writer, she still opened whole new worlds to me. "My Several Worlds" (her autobiography) is fascinating. Her parents, Southern Presbyterian missionaries, traveled to China soon after their marriage in 1880, but returned to the United States for Pearl's birth. When Pearl was three months old, the family returned to China. Here is this girl, who speaks Chinese better than English, has her own Mandarin tutor and amah, and knows more about Chinese cultures than most of America in the early 1900s.
What I didn't know was how much of an advocate Buck was for women, blacks and Amerasian children.
What I also didn't know was that, like many aging women, she fell prey to a younger man who was a dishonest opportunist.
What I remember well, personally, was that, during the Cultural Revolution, Buck, as a preeminent American writer of Chinese village life, was denounced as an "American cultural imperialist." Buck was "heartbroken" when she was prevented from visiting China with Richard Nixon in 1972.
If you are interested in Pearl Buck, you could get by on a less erudite,intensive biography than this.
In 1949, outraged that existing adoption services considered Asian and mixed-race children unadoptable, Buck established Welcome House, Inc., the first international, interracial adoption agency. In nearly five decades of work, Welcome House has placed over five thousand children.
One of the children was the author's daughter.
Note: I cut and pasted a few sentences from Wikipedia in my review. (less)
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Sep 15, 2010MaryBliss rated it really liked it
Shelves: biography
Well written, well researched, accessible. I particularly appreciated Conn's knowledge of Pearl Buck's written works; her novels, essays and speeches and the way he was able to directly relate the former to Buck's unfolding life experience as they were written and published. The index could have been better and the book lacked a chronology of works published that would have been helpful to refer to. Those are my only complaints and keep me from making this a 5 star book. Highly recommended. (less)
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Aug 13, 2009Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition
When I read The Good Earth, I became fascinated with Pearl Buck and eager to read her memoir. It wasn't offered at my library, so I opted to read her biography instead. This is an excellent one, although I was more intereste in her personal life and childhood than I was about anything else. This book is focused on her professional life and how historical events affected her. There's also a great deal of information about her books. (less)
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Aug 22, 2009Sarah rated it it was amazing
Fantastic book! Very readable account of Pearl's lifetime. I learned a lot about China, missionaries, the McCarthy era, the stigma of having a mentally disabled child, the history of mixed race prejudice/adoption. She was an amazing woman, who has been somewhat forgotten in recent times. ...more
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Jan 25, 2008Amie rated it it was amazing
Shelves: non-fiction
Wonderful to read about a life well-lived and purposes well-served. My favorite parts are when she writes about her children and motherhood in general. I've enjoyed all of her books I've read and I loved to read about who she was and about her life growing up in China. (less)
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Apr 25, 2007Elizabeth rated it it was amazing
This woman's life is so much more complex and interesting than one might think. A pioneer in women's rights, understanding China and caring the handicapped, Pearl Buck should not be forgotten. This well-written biography deserves wider distribution. (less)
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Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography Reprint Edition
by Peter Conn (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
ISBN-13: 978-0521639897
ISBN-10: 0521639891
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Pearl S. Buck was one of the most renowned, interesting, and controversial figures ever to influence American and Chinese cultural and literary history--and yet she remains one of the least studied, honored, or remembered. In this richly illustrated and meticulously crafted narrative, Conn recounts Buck's life in absorbing detail, tracing the parallel course of American and Chinese history. This "cultural biography" thus offers a dual portrait: of Buck, a figure greater than history cares to remember, and of the era she helped to shape.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Peter Conn's fine book, at once scholarly and readable, should do much to awaken awareness of her [Buck's] significant place in twentieth century American history....Drawing on his academic training in American Studies, he sets the events of her life against a rich background of Chinese and American political and social history. The impressive range of his research can be seen in the extensive notes, which fill almost seventy pages....His richly detailed and informative book should do much to encourage the reassessment of the life of this remarkable woman." Elizabeth Johnston Lipscomb, Magill's Literary Annual
"Conn examines almost every piece of work Buck ever wrote and explains why it's important today....[he] has gone far beyond merely touting Buck's literary merits to portray a consistent, believable and immensely fascinating woman. This is biography at its best: informative and entertaining....Conn has done an amazing amount of research....a compelling biography, a must-read for people interested in China, the publishing world, awe-inspiring women, the struggles of people of color, or, the day-to-day dramas of human life." The Los Angeles Times
"At last! A fascinating biography of Pearl S. Buck, vividly written, vigorously researched....a gripping, stunning read." Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt
"...A considerable achievement." Jonathan Spence, author of The Search for Modern China
"...expertly written, not only as a biography but also as a political history." Library Journal
"This brilliantly conceived biography steers a sympathetic yet intelligently balanced course, revealing in fascinating detail the gripping life story of a compelling woman." Publishers Weekly
"This biography is the best available scholarly discussion of a remarkably popular author and Nobel laureate who has been neglected by most literary historians....Highly recommended as a valuable addition to all public and academic library collections." Choice
"Peter Conn has written a very readable biography of one whose life reflects much of the complexity of her time." Catherine Kord, The American Review
"Nevertheless, she certainly was a major figure of her time, and to follow her life in Conn's finely detailed narrative is to encounter a powerful and moving 20th century experience...All these facets of Buck's life are sensitively described by Conn, who never allows his admiration for his subject to blind him to her frailties and her mistakes in judgement." Lousville, KY Courier-Journal (the reviewer is Richard Bernstein, with The New York Times)
"Meticulously researched, well-written, thorough and fair in its assessment of one of the most popular American writers of the century, this scholarly treatise is more than a biography, It is a cultural history of East-West relations." Reese Danley-Kilgo, Huntsville, AL Times
Book Description
'An elegant, absorbing book.' Washington Post
Book Description
Described by the Washington Post as an 'elegant absorbing book', Peter Conn's critically acclaimed biography retrieves from the footnotes of literary and cultural history one of the most popular novelists of the twentieth century, winner of a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for Literature and an active social and political campaigner.
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Product details
Publisher : Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (January 28, 1998)
Language : English
Paperback : 500 pages
ISBN-10 : 0521639891
ISBN-13 : 978-0521639897
Item Weight : 1.64 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#709 in American Literature (Books)
#5,067 in American Literature Criticism
#9,680 in Author Biographies
Customer Reviews: 4.0 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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Peter Conn
My two most recent books are The American 1930s: a Literary History (Cambridge University Press, 2009), and Adoption: a Brief Social and Cultural History (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). I have also produced a video course on American Bestsellers for The Teaching Company.
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Salliezoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Biography and a history lesson too
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2010
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I just finished reading this biography and was very impressed. Certainly I had heard of Pearl Buck over the years but somehow missed reading any of her novels. What a terrible loss that would have been! While reading Conn's biography, I decided to put it aside briefly and read Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth." What a fascinating novel. I was truly mesmorized by her timeless and beautiful prose. I continued on with Conn's biography of Ms. Buck and was equally impressed by the true life story of this remarkable woman. Without a doubt, she was a woman well ahead of her time. As a bonus, Conn provides a relatively in-depth discussion and analysis of world events during Buck's lifetime. As interesting as it is informative. After reading Conn's bio, I have begun reading the many books that Pearl Buck has authored. She was a prolific writer so this will be no easy undertaking, but I am eager for the challenge. Now that I know more about her life, I believe it will add a great deal more to the reading experience. Conn's writing style is straight forward and easy to read. He brought Pearl Bucks personality and accomplishments to life for me...and for that I will be eternally grateful. There is something for everyone here because of the breadth of the material. Its definitely worth the read.
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Donna S. Meredith
4.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile biography of an outstanding woman
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2017
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I learned quite a bit about Pearl Buck from this bio, but was disappointed there wasn't more about her time in WV, my home state. She was an amazing woman, a leader in women's issues well ahead of her time. Her work with mental and developmentally challenged children and also orphans was also outstanding. I didn't find the writing style particularly engaging, however.
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Sandra J. Dunlap
5.0 out of 5 stars Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2011
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The author has presented Pearl Buck warts and all. Unfortunately, we expect our cultural icons to be without normal human problems and afflictions. By this reasoning we miss understanding the methods they use to overcome their own 'humanism.' Instead of apologizing for their 'warts' I would prefer to understand how they achieved what they did in spike of said warts. Other than that, this is a great book about an amazing human being who should have been listened to very carefully by our country's leaders.
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Pamela Zappe
2.0 out of 5 stars Not as expected.
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2019
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Poor quality book, difficult to read.
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Susan Bertken
4.0 out of 5 stars I found the first half very engrossing: it tells ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
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I found the first half very engrossing: it tells of Pearl's growing up in China as the daughter of missionaries. The latter part of the book where she lives in the United States was not so interesting to me.
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emily
5.0 out of 5 stars a very revealing biography!
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2013
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Pearl Buck is an underrated persona--not just for her writing, but her humanitarian efforts. This book probes further than the surface-level story you usually get on Buck; it also includes a thorough history of Pearl Buck's China.
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Phyllis J. Moore
3.0 out of 5 stars Where is West Virginia?
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013
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The portions of Buck's life in West Virginia, her birthplace, the place she "joined" the church at age ten, the place she considered her ancestral link to the USA, is barely mentioned. It is a biography with a hole in it.
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Millie Samuelson
3.0 out of 5 stars Stunned by Conn's acrimony
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2005
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I've just finished reading this compelling biography about one of my favorite authors. I can't it rank five stars, even though I'd like to, because I'm STUNNED by Conn's acrimonious protrayal of Christianity and Protestant missionaries in China. He's totally accepted Pearl's often limited and onesided perceptions, and then gone even further off track. Of course, what both of them say is true to a minute degree, but there's so very much more to the whole picture that they omit. I feel qualified to make this observation since I'm writing a trilogy of novels inspired by my family's century of close ties with China. The first book, based on my grandparents who moved to China in 1892, is entitled Hungry River: A Yangtze Novel, which is now available on Amazon. My father was born in China in 1904, as was I in 1942. I have a son born in Taiwan in 1968. My family rejoices in our international Christian heritage, which joins that of thousands of Chinese. I wonder if Conn is aware that today there may be as many as 80 million Christians in China in spite of decades of horrific persecution? That one statistic alone should be enough to balance his frighteningly negative analysis. In conclusion, I do agree with Conn's evaluation of the place Pearl's writings should have in American and world literature. I hope his biography will help her once more achieve her rightful literary stature. At the same time, I do regret deeply his evaluation does not bring fair balance to her extreme views of Christianity and Protestant missionaries among the Chinese in China. I hope he reads Hungry River!
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Ioca
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Pearl Buck lovers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2011
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After reading a lot Pearl Buck's books, the realistic and biographical perspective that this book gives about the author, brings another look to her stories.
I was very unsatisfied with the shop. I bought a used version that should be in very good condition. Nevertheless, before receiving the item I got an email saying that the book would be in not so good condition and that they would refund me the money and send the book any way. I got the book indeed. Some pages were missing and it was not totally edited. The book was a preliminary version not the final one. However never got the money back.
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solquest
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2017
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really beautiful
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EF
2.0 out of 5 stars boring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2015
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didn't manage to read it, donated to Oxfam.
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Marina A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Received book on time
Reviewed in India on September 16, 2021
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Received book on time
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