I Love a Broad Margin to My Life (Vintage International)

Hong Kingston's memoir is deeply inspiring. It shows how being an agent of change and being dedicated to creating a better world is a complex process. What I take away from her story is that peace is not a final state but a process; we have to enact peace in our communities in a collective effort. Her writing is brilliant.

A reflective tome on her life. As a long time Hong Kingston admirer, I enjoyed getting to know her better as a person

a joy to read and interesting. Definitely worth checking out. I am half way through and already wish it were longer.

A lovely work. Just what anyone familiar with her books would expect of this skillful and original writer. Highly recommended reading for any day of the week.

I read this book in one sitting. I had a hard time putting it down, and found myself not wanting to be interrupted by phone calls, or the vagaries of living. A memoir of reflections on her life as she faces her 65th birthday, the book travels to China, to Washington DC where she was arrested, to the fire that destroyed her home years ago. This is a gentle book, an inspiring book. Often, when I read such a book, especially as well written as this one, I thrill for having read it, and despair of ever writing anything again. This book has inspired me to write my own memoir as I face my 72d birthday coming sooner than expected ;-) I Love a Broad Margin to My Life is a free verse poem, filled with music as she writes about her life, where she's been, what she's done, the whys, and the wherefores. There are many tidbits of fun and useful information scattered freely throughout. Did you know the meaning of the word karma is work, not doom? She lists reasons to live and take joy in life. If you are a reader of Thoreau, as she is, you will recognize the title as a line from one of his books. The saying hangs over her desk. It will soon hang over mine, and this book will always be close to my hand, and bound within my heart. I am not sure what Thoreau meant when he wrote that line, or what MH Kinston meant when she adopted it, let alone what a 'broad margin to my life' means to you, but to me, it means to surround myself with space to think, to write, to create, to quilt, to learn, to be, to live. Thank you, Ms. Kingston for showing the way.

A beautiful memoir-in-poems that carefully documents and celebrates a milestone birthday. Some of my favorite moments: This well-deep outpouring is not for anything. Yet I look like a tortoise in a curly white wig. I am 35 years-to-go. Lately, I’ve been writing a book a decade; I have time to write 3 more books. The child doesn’t want to know that the parent suffers, the parent is far, far away. I look at you, my son, and you are every age. I saw you being born, face first. I saw your face, eyes, mouth tight, then maw! For me, you caught yang fever. You breathed poison. Skin and lungs breathed poison, sweated poison.

for many years sech exceptionable person carry on dis way likes if ordinery yello write sentence like dis it downgraded but u get starburst pow wow it comes artisitic it kind of refresh um and then runs on and emptily makes it worth studebaker course reading so no one's two days brave eno to say what days deserve. no be afraid haole cuz day no get back fo two star tee-hee-hee

Maxine opened my eyes to a China I never knew. Her beautiful poetic form takes you along as she travels through events and places of her heritage. As a challenge to myself to read something specifically from an Asian American writer, this book has been a delightful experience and one I am grateful for finding my way into these broad margins.