22nd, 23rd USCPFA Nat Convention,
Foothill Authors Series,
Book Group Expo 2008,
East of Eden Conferences,
S.F.Conservatory of Arts,
CT English Middle School,
China Hands Association,
Mendocino Writers Conf,
Kaleidoscope Books, IA,
Lake Forest Academy,IL,
Sidley & Austin Law Off,
Villa Montalvo Arts Ctr,
De Anza Community Coll,
Milpitas Lit Luncheon,
Saratoga High School,
Barnes&Noble Bookstore,
The Elliott Bay Book Co,
Books Without Borders,
Paulina Springs,
Sunriver Books & Music,
Public Libraries:
Milpitas,Campbell,
San Francisco,
Evergreen, Saratoga,
Martin Luther King-SJ
I lived in Asia for fifteen years and wrote for media in seven countries, including National Public Radio, Writer's Digest, Hemispheres (United Airlines), Islands Magazine, Singapore Straits Times, Japan Times and dozens of others. I was an editor at ALC Publishing in Tokyo when I met my husband, a native of southern China. We then lived in Singapore, frequently visiting his family in Fujian province, China.
I now live in the Santa Cruz mountains of California with my husband and our four children. I'm a dedicated member of the Chinese-American community, and the past President of the Southbay chapter of the U.S.-China People's Friendship Association. I'm also the author of two novels set in Asia--My Half of the Sky (2006) and Blossoms and Bayonets (2012).
We called a dear friend, assuming she was still living in Tokyo. She said she had returned to Koriyama (hometown) which is near Fukushima. Would we come visit? We immediately said we would, then wondered about radiation. Surely, the radiation couldn't be too bad if she was living there. We hopped on the shinkansen. She picked us up and mentioned that life in Koriyama had been hard since the earthquake, with thousands of people leaving the city (esp. young children and expectant mothers). Businesses had suffered, schools had suffered.
I said, "It is safe, isn't it?"
"Oh sure," she said. "But if you're worried...." She handed me a paper mask to put on my face. Hmmmm. That afternoon, she took us to see some 80-million-year-old caves. The kids kept asking if we were moving closer or further from Fukushima. But once we got to the area, all concern was lost as we explored the wonders of the caves. And for the first time since the trip began, we were actually cold. What a feeling. At the exit to the caves, I saw something that looked like a time capsule. Turned out it was a radiation detector, and it gave out the radiation levels for the day. These radiation detectors popped up everywhere we went--and always made one a bit nervous. What did the level mean? My tech savvy kids figured out that up to 11 on the detector was safe (we never saw past 1.2).
Koriyama, by the way, used to be a backwater. Full of people just scraping by. It wasn't untl a hundred and thirty years ago, when some innovative types (including a foreigner) came in and showed the people how to irrigate the land. It is now a lovely and thriving area. Or it was....until the meltdown.
My Half of the Sky was the BookSense Pick for August 2006as well as a Forbes Book Club Pick.
"McBurney-Lin tells a wonderfully entertaining story with the traditional coming-of-age theme (which is experienced universally)...weaving in the cultural challenges of growing up in China's rapidly changing social system." Mary Warpeha, co-President of the Minnesota Chapter of US-China Friendship Association March 2010
"The novel ...includes many of the tales and the folk ways of the people living in the rural areas of South China, still followed provincially. The story takes place in current China, but could relate the dilemma of any young woman in rural China through the ages." Kitty Trescott, National Board of the Midwest Region of US-China Friendship Association. March 2010
"A lot is expected of a young Chinese girl. My Half of the Sky by Jana McBurney-Lin is the story of Li Hui, a young girl who has just achieved marriageable age. She seeks to make the most of herself, but the expectations all around her make it difficult, as her parents seek to use her as pawn to their advantage, she is faced with what she believes to be true love. She must balance career, romance, and family, all to somehow make everyone happy, a tough endeavor indeed. An engaging and entertaining read from beginning to end, "My Half of the Sky" is a poignant tale of the modern Chinese woman, and recommended for community library collections. --Midwest Book ReviewNovember, 2008
“It is a rare women’s novel that sensitively describes the life of a young educated woman in modern-day China in its full complexity, without resorting to unnecessary sentimentalism. Jana’s deep knowledge of the realities of life in China and Singapore makes the reading extra rewarding. In fact, with every new page the novel gets harder to put down and you find yourself gobbling it up before you know it. Finally, the author has given a voice to the Li Hui in all of us, as we struggle for the golden middle between tradition and the modern momentum of our world.” Isabella Sluzek Friends of the Museum Book Review 2008 Singapore
You'll be rooting all the way for Li Hui as she struggles, ahead of the curve, to be her own woman in an emerging, modern China. Jana McBurney-Lin's My half of the Sky is a beautiful, witty, touching debut novel. Thomas B. Sawyer Head Writer TV Series "Murder, She Wrote," Author - The Sixteenth Man
A complex and mesmerizingly original tale of a young Chinese woman caught between the modern world and the pull of her ancient culture. McBurney-Lin’s intimate portrait of China sparks with insights and is peopled with characters so rich and alive, they seem to breathe on the page. Dazzling and unforgettable. Caroline Leavitt, Author - Girls in Trouble
McBurney-Lin's debut novel is a gift. Li Hui is a memorable heroine, a young woman torn between her heart and her culture.Her daunting journey is a trip into China's complicated soul, and a deeply moving exploration of love, honor, duty, and loss." Frank Baldwin, Author - Balling the Jack
My Half of the Sky is a wonderfully-crafted story that was obviously written with a piece of McBurney-Lin's heart. A masterpiece." Lee Lofland, Author - Howdunit: Police Procedure and Investigation
My Half of the Sky heralds the arrival of a fantastic new storyteller. With artistry and precision, Jana McBurney-Lin's clear-eyed prose takes the reader on a new journey into a past world that speaks to a modern sensibility, a modern world, a modern woman. This is a book to be treasured. Emily Rapp, Author - The Poster Child
Through vivid descriptions of sights and smells, Jana McBurney-Lin's My Half of the Sky is a haunting, emotional journey of what it means to be an honorable female in modern China. Jill Ferguson, Author - Sometimes Art Can't Save You
"Oh sure," she said. "But if you're worried...." She handed me a paper mask to put on my face. Hmmmm. That afternoon, she took us to see some 80-million-year-old caves. The kids kept asking if we were moving closer or further from Fukushima. But once we got to the area, all concern was lost as we explored the wonders of the caves. And for the first time since the trip began, we were actually cold. What a feeling. At the exit to the caves, I saw something that looked like a time capsule. Turned out it was a radiation detector, and it gave out the radiation levels for the day. These radiation detectors popped up everywhere we went--and always made one a bit nervous. What did the level mean? My tech savvy kids figured out that up to 11 on the detector was safe (we never saw past 1.2).
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