Reading this book brought back memories of my parents and my childhood living in the Bay Area. My parents were from the same area and the terms like "ji-ji ja-ja" made me smile and laugh, it was said in our household. The soups my mom made were of the same ingredients, unfortunately I did not learn how to prepare them. I do know of the "medicinal" value of each of them. The stories of Chinatown reminded me of how my values were developed by my parents. Those values helped me survive the temptations presented in my life and still respect my elders.
William's book has provided additional insight to my parents heritage and deeper understanding of how we, the children perceive our parents as we "grew" up in a different world of "Western" values.
Thank you William Poy Lee for making it important enough to write and share this tribute to your mother. It is also a tribute to mine.
Oakland, CA...CLim

This was one of the most thoughtful personal readings that I have read in a long time. It gives insight into our culture as we know it. Many of us, myself included, have had one or both parents come to the U.S. from Hong Kong area. As children we may have not fully understood what they were trying to impart regarding their experiences growing up. Yet we held on to these oral histories. It is refreshing to see that someone has chosen to reduce the oral histories to written stories and share with others. I found that there is re-affirmation,common experiences and comfort in this book. It was well worth the read and is worth re-reading. Thank you.

a wonderful and moving memory of mother and son, of Toisan and San Francisco, looking into the future from the past.

I was drawn to The Eighth Promise, as I automatically veer towards any books related to China. Then I realized that this wasn't just about China, but about America as well. The author grew up in San Franscisco's Chinatown during quite volatile times--the Vietnam war, Civil Rights protests, Chinatown wars. I was fascinated by this history which he so vividly brought to life. Then, a terrible thing happened to his family, a terribly unjust, unfair thing that you would hope doesn't happen in America. I was moved to tears by the grace with which they dealt with this horrible injustice.
The Eighth Promise is an insightful book about Chinese Culture, American history during the 60's, 70's, and most importantly, grace in the face of injustice.

What a great book. I just finished reading it. There were so many layers to his story that I found so interesting: the American immigrant story of being uprooted into a strange land and customs, the attention to detail about Toisan food , the history of Chinese immigration to America and the racism they faced, and the racism faced by Asian Americans in contemporary America, the unveiling of the facade of Chinatown as a tourist postcard , the author's coming of age during the chaotic turmoil of the 60's and 70's, his relationship with his brother , and of course hearing his mother's story and the "Eighth Promise".
It's just a great story overall and he ties everything together well.
On a personal note, being a Korean American man , it's wonderful seeing more Asian American male voices that are being heard in literature today.