A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization

(Paperback)

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ForeWord Reviews Mothers Day Staff Pick: Books Mom Will Love

A valuable historical reference guide. Publishers Weekly

This is a very ambitious and timely book, a book that many historians, literary theorists and story tellers who care about China and its Other Half of the Sky want to write, but Brian Griffith did it first, with such scope, ease and fun. WANG PING, author of The Last Communist Virgin and Aching for Beauty: Footbinding in China

This book is a most engaging and entertaining read, and the depth of its scholarship is astounding. Griffith vividly describes the counterculture of Chinese goddesses, shows that their fascinating stories are alive and active today, and points us toward a more inclusive and caring partnership future. RIANE EISLER, author of The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics and The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future

Touching on the whole story of Chinafrom Neolithic villages to a globalized Shanghaithis book ties mythology, archaeology, history, religion, folklore, literature, and journalism into a millennia-spanning story about how Chinese womenand their goddess traditionsfostered a counterculture that flourishes and grows stronger every day.

As Brian Griffith charts the stories of Chinas founding mothers, shamanesses, goddesses, and ordinary heroines, he also explores the largely untold story of womens contributions to cultural life in the worlds biggest society and provides inspiration for all global citizens.

Brian Griffith grew up in Texas, studied history at the University of Alberta, and now lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario. He is an independent historian who examines how cultural history influences our lives, and how collective experience offers insights for our future.

Reviews

ForeWord Reviews Mother's Day Staff Pick: "Books Mom Will Love" "Written in a readable first person and presented in textbook format with chapter subheads, this catalogue of goddesses ranges from the dawn of creation and the half-snake goddess Nu Wa, to 20th century heroines such as Deng Yingchao, wife of Zhou Enlai. In addition to serving as a valuable historical reference guide, Griffith's study sheds light on the evolution of women's roles in Chinese society." --Publishers Weekly "To read through this compendium of female icons in the Chinese culture is to appreciate the ebb and flow of the changing Chinese environment across the thousands of years and especially to appreciate the role women have played in such a changing culture." --New York Journal of Books

Author Bio

Brian Griffith grew up in Texas, studied history at the University of Alberta, and now lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario. He is an independent historian who examines how cultural history influences our lives, and how collective experience offers insights for our future. He is the author of The Gardens of Their Dreams: Desertification and Culture in World History, Different Visions of Love: Partnership and Dominator Values in Christian History, Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story, and A Galaxy of Immortal Women: The Yin Side of Chinese Civilization.