In the Garden Behind the Moon, Alexandra A. Chan
In the Garden Behind the Moon, Alexandra A. Chan
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In the Garden Behind the Moon
A Memoir of Loss, Myth, and Magic

Author: Alexandra A. Chan

Narrator: Rachel Yong

Unabridged: 13 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/27/2024

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Alexandra Chan thinks she has life figured out until, in the Year of the Ram, the death of her father—her last parent—brings her to her knees, an event seemingly foretold in Chinese mythology. A left-brained archaeologist and successful tiger daughter, Chan finds her logical approach to life utterly fails her in the face of this profound grief. Unable to find a way forward, she must either burn to ash or forge herself anew.

Slowly, painfully, wondrously, Chan discovers that her father and ancestors have left threads of renewal in the artifacts and stories of their lives. Through a long-lost interview conducted by Roosevelt's Federal Writers' Project, a basket of war letters written from the Burmese jungle, a box of photographs, her world travels, and a deepening relationship to her own art, the archaeologist and lifelong rationalist makes her greatest discovery to date: the healing power of enchantment.

In an epic story that travels from prerevolution China to the South under Jim Crow, from the Pacific theater of WWII to the black sands of Reynisfjara, Iceland, and beyond, Chan takes us on a universal journey to meaning in the wake of devastating loss, sharing the insights and tools that allowed her to rebuild her life and resurrect her spirit.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mallory on May 23, 2024

Ok before I get started I think it is important to distinguish that I don’t think this book was ultimately for me. I’m not saying it was poorly written or that it isn’t worth reading, but it didn’t work for me. I think he writing could be found beautiful in a lyrical/poetic way, but to me the writin......more

Goodreads review by Susan on January 14, 2024

There are those among us who are compelled to articulate their journeys of healing and self-discovery, showing us how insight can be the fuel of self-actualization. Thank goodness Alexandra Chan is one of them! This is as beautifully rendered and potent a reflection as any I have read. Chronicling a......more

Goodreads review by FAITH on December 22, 2023

Alexandra Chan immediately draws you into this beautifully written and illustrated journey through grief and new beginnings. The book weaves together the stories of past and present showing how one cannot exist without the other. This ancestral journey will leave you wanting to return to the beginni......more

Goodreads review by Victoria on December 19, 2023

Brilliant!!! What a journey!!! The artistry and talent is beyond and the energy that surrounds this work is electric!!! This book is going to be huge!!! It felt like discovering a secret box in the attic of humanity. So much to uncover!!! Pure magic!!!......more

Goodreads review by Pauline on October 04, 2024

*Update: I just listened to the audiobook as well, and the narrator is brilliant! This is a must read book I received an ARC of In the Garden Behind the Moon by Alexandra Chan in exchange for an honest review. This book is truly one of the most beautiful, magical, life affirming, hope-filled, and ed......more