Pearl Buck and Her Groundbreaking Novel The Good Earth (Book Talk)

Location: Academic II, Room 2111

Presenter: Dr. Liya Li

*Co-Sponsoring Event by Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Committee and The Faculty/Staff Book Group

Born to missionary parents who preached the Gospel to peasants living in the countryside of a small town called Zhenjiang 镇江, Jiangsu 江苏 province of China in the late 1800’s, Pearl Sydenstricker Buck took on a Chinese identity during her forty years living in China and became an instrumental writer who ushered in the Chinese Identity and Culture to the world stage. Her Chinese name, 赛珍珠，Sai Zhenzhu, literally translates to “Better Than Pearl.” Her best-selling novel, The Good Earth, vividly captures the lives of peasants, caught in a turbulent time in Chinese history, the collapse of the Qing Dynasty around 1910 and the fighting among warlords on the eve of the founding of the Republic of China in 1912.

More about Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month