BOOKS REVIEWS AND SPOTLIGHT
Worthy account of
the U.S. Exploring Expedition
Nathaniel Philbrick has written a fascinating book
Sea of Glory is Nathaniel Philbrick's worthy account of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, the first major attempt by the United States to catch up with European countries in the areas of exploration, discovery and scientific advancement. From 1838 to 1842, six vessels surveyed 280 far-flung South Pacific islands; surveyed and mapped the coasts and inland areas of what are now Oregon and Washington, and climbed and studied Mount Kilauea in Hawaii. The maps and charts created were still in use more than 100 years later. Scientists collected native artifacts and geological, botanical and animal specimens which later served as a nucleus for the holdings of what would later become the Smithsonian Institution. The commander of this enterprise, monumental for its time, was Lieut. Charles Wilkes. Unpredictable and unsure of himself, he had sailors flogged for real as well as imagined reasons, and toward the end of the expedition flogged and placed in irons the detachment of marines aboard his ship because they did not want to "re-up" when their enlistment ended. Wilkes also ordered and carried out the massacre of natives on Malolo in the Fiji Islands in retaliation for the murders of two expedition members. Today, Wilkes is largely forgotten. But the Exploring Expedition he commanded deserves to be remembered, and Sea of Glory, which is fascinating reading, is a commendable step toward that goal.-Norman Brown.AP
Before she was
empress, she was Orchid
Anchee Min uses imagination fo fill in gaps of Tzu Hsi's life
Empress dowager Tzu Hsi ruled in the second half of the 19th century. Some blame her stubborn grip on power for the downfall of China's last monarchical dynasty, while others paint her as a victim of events beyond her control. The fact that Tzu Hsi remains a notorious enigma allows author Anchee Min to fill in the gaps through historical judgment and imagination in her latest novel, Empress Orchid. Before she became empress, she was Orchid, the 17-year-old daughter of a low-ranking official. Headstrong and intelligent, she becomes a fourth-class concubine in Beijing's Forbidden City in an era when China is plagued by rebels, widespread opium addiction and a host of foreign countries pressuring the emperor to open ports and sign unfair treaties. The practical Orchid finds the extravagance, courtly etiquette and intrigue of the Forbidden City confining. She is puzzled by its inhabitants' faith both in China's worldwide pre-eminence and the infallible divinity of the emperor. Empress Orchid, the first in a planned trilogy, shows Tzu Hsi rising in rank through her ingenuity, beauty, and luck as the bearer of the emperor's only son. Min, whose bestsellers include Red Azalea and Becoming Madame Mao, meticulously recounts sumptuous details of life as it was in the Qing court. The supporting cast of characters is colourful, well-researched and substantive.-J. Lee.AP
