Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale is a 2010 biographical comic book by Belle Yang. It is a memoir about her relatives' experiences in China in the mid-20th century.
The book initially takes place in the modern day, when Yang, an aspiring artist, [1] who had recently graduated from university, goes to her parents' residence in Carmel, California, [2] to escape a former boyfriend and stalker she names "Rotten Egg". [3] Her father, Zu-Wu Joseph Yang, [1] tells her about the life of her grandfather in mainland China and how the family was affected by the Second Sino-Japanese War/ World War II as well as the Chinese Civil War and subsequent establishment of the People's Republic of China. [2] Her grandfather fought in the first conflict while in Manchuria. [1] Ryan Holmberg of Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art stated that the author "is predictably and entirely unsympathetic to the Communists." [4]
The story alternates between the past and the present day. [3] Holmberg described it as "symptomatically a book without a present tense" as Yang only briefly lived in Asia. [4]
Yang initially wanted to write a narrative with occasional pictures in color. The book was rejected by publishers several times and her agent became no longer willing to promote the book; another agent suggested to her that she should make it a comic book instead. As part of the publication process Yang rewrote the work several times. There was a fourteen-year gap between the conception of the idea and the publication of the final product. [1]
Holmberg stated that her art style as "a flat, naïve, semi-folkish mode so common in literary comics memoirs since the success of French artists Satrapi and David B." [4] The artwork has references to King Lear and The Scream. [3]
Meredith May of the San Francisco Chronicle stated that "Yang's ancestral story is earning strong praise for its epic yet intimate account of one family's hardships in 20th century China." [1]
Publishers Weekly stated it was "a riveting true-life tale of ancestral jealousies and familial woes from her father's recollections of growing up in China." [2]
Kirkus Reviews stated that the book is "A transformational experience for author and reader alike." [3]
Forget Sorrow: An Ancestral Tale is a 2010 biographical comic book by Belle Yang. It is a memoir about her relatives' experiences in China in the mid-20th century.
The book initially takes place in the modern day, when Yang, an aspiring artist, [1] who had recently graduated from university, goes to her parents' residence in Carmel, California, [2] to escape a former boyfriend and stalker she names "Rotten Egg". [3] Her father, Zu-Wu Joseph Yang, [1] tells her about the life of her grandfather in mainland China and how the family was affected by the Second Sino-Japanese War/ World War II as well as the Chinese Civil War and subsequent establishment of the People's Republic of China. [2] Her grandfather fought in the first conflict while in Manchuria. [1] Ryan Holmberg of Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art stated that the author "is predictably and entirely unsympathetic to the Communists." [4]
The story alternates between the past and the present day. [3] Holmberg described it as "symptomatically a book without a present tense" as Yang only briefly lived in Asia. [4]
Yang initially wanted to write a narrative with occasional pictures in color. The book was rejected by publishers several times and her agent became no longer willing to promote the book; another agent suggested to her that she should make it a comic book instead. As part of the publication process Yang rewrote the work several times. There was a fourteen-year gap between the conception of the idea and the publication of the final product. [1]
Holmberg stated that her art style as "a flat, naïve, semi-folkish mode so common in literary comics memoirs since the success of French artists Satrapi and David B." [4] The artwork has references to King Lear and The Scream. [3]
Meredith May of the San Francisco Chronicle stated that "Yang's ancestral story is earning strong praise for its epic yet intimate account of one family's hardships in 20th century China." [1]
Publishers Weekly stated it was "a riveting true-life tale of ancestral jealousies and familial woes from her father's recollections of growing up in China." [2]
Kirkus Reviews stated that the book is "A transformational experience for author and reader alike." [3]