The next event in the Wittenberg Series will feature best-selling author Maxine Hong Kingston at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10 in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center (HPERC). The event is cosponsored by the Wittenberg Guild.
In 1976 while teaching at a private high school in Hawaii, Kingston published her first book, "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts," which became a critically acclaimed success. This book combined autobiography and fiction to tell the story of a girl born of Chinese immigrant parents growing up in America during the 1950s. "The Woman Warrior" is also filled with stories about earlier generations of Chinese women, their tragic lives in the extremely male-dominated society of China, and her attempts to break away from their smothering shadows. The book became a best seller and received the National Book Critic's Circle Award. It is often used in high schools and colleges across the country.
Kingston was born in 1940, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who operated a gambling house in Stockton, Calif. In fact, she was named after a particularly lucky blonde gambler. Kingston was the first of six children born in America and her childhood consisted of long, hard labor working in the family laundry business alongside her siblings. She grew up listening to the stories of other immigrants and has used her well developed storytelling skills in her own writing.
A gifted student, Kingston received 11 scholarships, allowing her to enroll at the University of California, Berkeley. She began her studies as an engineering major, but soon changed to English literature, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1962.
Kingston's other books include "China Men," "Hawaii One Summer" and "Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book." After her presentation, the author will take questions from the audience, and there will be a reception immediately following the program.
As with all Wittenberg Series events, it is free and open to the public. For more information, call Gwendolyn Scheffel, coordinator of the Wittenberg Series, at (937) 327-7918.
