Book of Mind Reading

Author: Ping Lu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: One of the most outstanding female writers in contemporary Taiwan, whose works have won the United Daily News Novel Award, the China Times Essay Award, and the Playwriting Award. Regardless of creative techniques, the refinement of language, the diversity of form, or the depth of subject matter, her works demonstrate a powerful ability to transcend time and space, pioneering new frontiers. Life is like a road, full of ups and downs. The (unevenness) lies in the fact that time demands our submission, and fate compels us to act against our will. Our bodies carry emotions and love, adrift in the fleetingness of life, rising and falling like the turbulent moods of an uneven heart and a rugged road. Only with meticulous and kind-hearted thoughts, constantly put into practice, can the uneven road become smooth. Thus, The Book of Reading Hearts aims to guide oneself while also offering guidance to others. "The style reflects the person" is my observation. Because of her depth of feeling, her writing is tender and lingering. Delicate, sensitive, and self-reflective, her personality shines through her prose. She uses a whispering, almost neurotic tone to repeatedly narrate the surrounding environment and her inner state. She writes about the helplessness of unfulfilled expression, the sorrow of man's struggle against fate, the interplay of loneliness and melancholy, and the struggle and hesitation of being trapped with no escape. I have carefully studied the structure of Ping Lu's essays. She observes with a detached eye yet participates with enthusiasm, employing precise psychological insights and orderly statistical analysis, which serve as two great strengths. Her emotional expression and rational exploration are perfectly balanced! Though she indulges in details without becoming verbose; though she delves into profound subjects without becoming (stagnant and obscure), when I read Ping Lu's essays, apart from their sharp and incisive nature, there is also an unspeakable sorrow hidden beneath the surface. Every essay often requires multiple sittings to finish. As I read on, I find myself struggling for breath, needing to pause and catch my breath, to reset and then continue.
Liao Yuwei
This is a beautiful collection of essays. In the book, her thoughts are divided into categories: cities, love, loneliness, and time. The "cities" section reflects her experiences as the Director of the Cultural News Center at the China Cultural Center in Hong Kong over the past year, connecting with the people, events, and culture of the city—there's SARS, there's Michelle Yeoh, there are Hong Kong films, plants, and the sea, and even mentholated oil. The "love" section explores her connection with cats, dogs, goldfish, childhood and youthful memories, and the recurring idealized image of a partner, shattered and rebuilt time and again. The "loneliness" section delves into the intricate mind of Ping Lu, uncovering the solitude of a writer facing absent readers and the loneliness of an ordinary person confronting physical illness. The "time" section is particularly moving. Ping Lu uses her words to portray her aging parents, meticulously describing how the two elderly individuals try to hide their signs of aging but cannot conceal them entirely, revealing the helplessness of middle-aged children as they struggle to recapture the golden days of family unity.