{"product_id":"the-obedient-child-9781944952365","title":"The Obedient Child","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eOne woman's decision changed the course of her Ting family for generations\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen Chwen Erl got on a plane bound\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003efor the United States at the age of 19, not\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eonly had she never flown before, she had\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003enever been outside of Taiwan. Having\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003elived through the Japanese occupation\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eof her country, the second World War, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eand then Chinese government rule, she\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ewas no stranger to change. But with a\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003edream of an American education and\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ea scholarship to attend a university in\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eAtchison, Kansas, she left behind her\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003efamily and everything she knew and\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003estepped into the unknown under a new name, Joyce.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYears later, a chance meeting with notable author Alan\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eDrury sparked within Joyce Marleau a dream to write down her extraordinary\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003elife story in a book. \u003cem\u003eThe Obedient Child\u003c\/em\u003e is the realization of\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ethat dream, more than two decades in the making.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJourney with Joyce through Asia and the United States in \u003cem\u003eThe Obedient Child\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the Introduction: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It was hot and humid that morning on the train.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eHotter than I was used to. I had forgotten how hot Japan can be in the\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003esummer. But then again, it could have just been nerves. It had been so\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003elong since I had seen any of these people, over 40 years  How would they\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003efeel about me after all this time? What would we have to talk about?\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eWould I even still be able to remember the language?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe train stopped in front of a large department store. This was\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003emy stop. I knew if I cut through the basement, then ran upstairs to the\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003emain street, that I would be able to save myself some time and get to\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ethe meeting place quickly. I did not want to be late.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe basement was full of bolts of fabric, and I was weaving in and\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eout of them, making pretty good time, when all of a sudden something\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003estopped me in my tracks. I had caught the tiniest whiff of a smell, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003esomething familiar. I reached over and grabbed one of the bolts of\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003efabric. It was an inexpensive roll of dyed cloth, but the smell was so\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003estrong; that dye, that chemical, so familiar, but I just couldn't place it.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eI leaned my head against a nearby pillar, closed my eyes, and reached\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eback into my memory.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs I stood there with my eyes closed, holding the fabric up to my\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003enose, a wave of emotions swept over me. I finally recalled what it was.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eThis was the smell of my mother. This fabric, used to make everyday\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ecommon kimonos worn by Japanese women, was also worn by my\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003emother every time she took me shopping, when we went on outings, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eand when we met up with her friends who also wore these informal\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ekimonos and smelled like this. I had to hold on to the pillar for balance, \u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eas all of the memories came flooding back to my mind.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Stellar Communications Houston","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50495315149074,"sku":"9781944952365","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b18a5501-a639-409a-a649-6218f5c93838.jpg?v=1730680384","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-obedient-child-9781944952365","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}