The Soong Sisters

Name: The Soong Sisters
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Emily Hahn
ISBN: 9781982583484

Author: Emily Hahn

Narrator: Nancy Wu

Unabridged: 13 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 12/18/2018

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Historical Biography, History, Asian & Pacific Islander History, Women, Political Science, Women In Politics

Synopsis

In the early twentieth century, few women in China were to prove so important to the rise of Chinese nationalism and liberation from tradition as the three extraordinary Soong Sisters: Eling, Chingling, and Mayling. As told with wit and verve by Emily Hahn, a remarkable woman in her own right, the biography of the Soong Sisters tells the story of China through both world wars. It also chronicles the changes to Shanghai as they relate to a very eccentric family that had the courage to speak out against the ruling regime. Greatly influencing the history of modern China, they interacted with their government and military to protect the lives of those who could not be heard, and they appealed to the West to support China during the Japanese invasion.

About Emily Hahn

Emily Hahn (1905–1997) was the author of fifty-two books, as well as 181 articles and short stories for the New Yorker from 1929 to 1996. She was a staff writer for the magazine for forty-seven years. She wrote novels, short stories, personal essays, reportage, poetry, history and biography, natural history and zoology, cookbooks, humor, travel, children’s books, and four autobiographical narratives: China to Me (1944), a literary exploration of her trip to China; Hong Kong Holiday (1946); England to Me (1949); and Kissing Cousins (1958).

About Nancy Wu

Nancy Wu has narrated audiobooks since 2004, winning three AudioFile Earphones Awards. A New York theater, television, and film actor, she has recorded in studios all over the world—from Italy to Switzerland to Thailand. Her credits include Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Hope & Faith, All My Children, Made for Each Other, and the Oscar-nominated film Frozen River.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Patricia

Because I had just read Jung Chang's biography of the Soong Sisters (Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China), I thought it would be interesting to go back and re-read their biographies in the 1940 book by Emily Hahn, a prolific author who ended her......more

Goodreads review by Dawn

I took an interest in The Soong Sisters after learning their curious story from my employer. He spoke of Madame Sun being one of the greatest women in Chinese history. After reading the story it appears that all three sisters made an amazing contribution to present day China. All three sisters were......more

Goodreads review by Emma

Although interesting as a primary source in its own right, this book was something of a slog to get through - I thought it was lacking in actual analysis of the Soong sisters and too heavily focused on summaries of general current events. However, I understand it was targeted towards an early-1940s......more

Quotes

“First-rate reportorial job on three distinguished women, whose activities are detailed down to the present…Crisp.” Kirkus Reviews