On Discovery | Literary Criticism & Book Review

On Discovery Critical Overview

China Men, in which "On Discovery" appears, was highly acclaimed. Nominated for the 1980 Pulitzer Prize, it won the American Book Award and the National Critics Circle Award. The title of the book comes from the derogatory term "chinaman," which is considered an ethnic slur. Kingston divides the word into its two parts, "china" and "men," thus restoring the dignity of her forebears who came to America as she prepares the reader to listen to the stories of men of Chinese descent in America.

Upon its publication, China Men received impressive reviews from all the major literary review ers. In the New York Times Book Review, Mary

Gordon observed that "China Men is a triumph of the highest order, of imagination, of language, of moral perception." John Leonard wrote in the New York Times, "Four years ago, I said [Kingston's] The Woman Warrior was the best book I'd...
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