Dream Variations

Weihua Zhang, an English Professor and African American literary scholar, a published writer and photographer, lives in Savannah, Georgia. In Dream Variations, Zhang takes us along her journey from China to the United States of America. Whether recalling her early years in a tumultuous China or sharing her bittersweet days in America, Dream Variations presents a candid picture of one Chinese American woman's journey across two continents."Weihua Zhang takes us on her journey across two continents, 12,000 miles, and half a lifetime, as she charts what it is to be Chinese-American. She discovers that while she has made a new life for herself and her family in the States, this 'sojourner daughter' is never far from her Chinese roots. Her vignettes and photographs give a poignant sense of triumph, sacrifice, and homesickness. She allows the reader to develop a real appreciation for the immigrant experience and for the many meanings of 'home.'" Mary Doll, author of Like Letters in Running Water: A Mythopoetics of Curriculum"In Dream Variations, Weihua Zhang provides mesmerizing accounts of her experiences in two vastly different worlds. She vividly describes her tormented childhood in China amidst the tension of the deteriorating marriage of her parents and her harrowing experiences as a young girl caught in service of Mao's tyrannical Little Red Guard. Zhang's candid narratives provide insightful reflections of her often painful and awkward experiences as a 'Chinese in America,' the difficult choice between her homeland and her adopted country, and her continuing transition and commitment to being an 'American of Chinese background.'"John Jung, author of Southern Fried Rice: Life in a Chinese Laundry in the Deep South and Sweet and Sour: Life in Chinese Family Restaurants"The U.S. has inspired many stories of immigrants' struggles, adaptation, and success. But we've heard few stories of how someone who is now a U.S. citizen grew up in China in the 1960s during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. Dream Variations is a personal story about China and America that all Americans should know, and Weihua Zhang tells it vividly and well."Peter Schmidt, Professor of English Literature, Swarthmore College