Pearl Buck's Good Earth

I stumbled upon Pearl Buck's Good Earth via a very indirect means. I had loaded the app OverDrive on my iPad and began loaning books from the National Library of Singapore. I was thrilled to find a novel from Tracy Chevalier since I enjoy historial fiction. I then came across Anchee Min's 2010 book entitled Pearl of China. 

As I began to read this book, I started to realize that the character 'Pearl' was the famous Pearl Buck. After the first few pages, the outline of the story began to fall into place and I started comparing historical notes with Pearl Buck's life in China.

I find the lives of those early pioneers who ventured into China fascinating, more so with Pearl Buck since she grew up there. I would love to find a movie file where Pearl was speaking Chinese. Searching on YouTube, I did find an old movie reel from the 60's where Pearl was interviewed promoting her work in South Korea and war orphans. The first thing that struck me was how British she sounded even though there was a distinct American accent there. The second point I noted was how prophetic she was in her judgement on China and the world today. 

After I finished Anchee Min's Pearl of China, I naturally was keen to read Pearl Buck's Good Earth. How bizzarre that her books were never prescribed reading during my college degree. The story of Wang Lung and his connection to the earth affirms China's agrarian culture especially in the period that it was set. What a contrast to today's China where the urban influx is rapidly tipping the balance of urban versus rural dwellers. Wang Lung's link to the earth resonates on an even more global level. Wang Lung always sought solace with the land and the crops it grew. It was and still is a timely reminder of our relationship with the environment. This is even more poignant considering China's current economic growth and the disastrous effects that is having upon China's own environment. 

Pearl Buck's Good Earth is a book worth reading.  Reading the follow up entitled Sons, it is interesting to contrast the shift in generation attitude between Wang Lung and his sons. Here is Pearl Buck being interviewed in 1966.