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Tofu Quilt

Review
By Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup

The thirty eight luminous poems, told in Yeung Ying’s lively, engaging voice, are brimming with candid observations and telling, authentic details which reveal a young writer in the making. Russell’s lovingly crafted, spare verses flow effortlessly and resonate with simple truths. . . . I love the elegant simplicity of Russell’s verse, the total accessibility of Yeung Ying’s inner and outer worlds, the realistic depiction of childhood joy, fear, yearning, hope, and disappointment, and above all, the revelation, time and again, that small, seemingly inconsequential events or experiences can play a significant role in shaping a young person’s future. From the very first poem, the words melted away; the carefully chosen images allowed me to enter the world of this tender memoir instantly. Yeung Ying’s voice rings true, and her ingenuous, oftentimes humorous remarks are irresistibly endearing and wholly childlike. . . . I give this rich and inspiring book my highest five spoon rating. I know that when you read it, you will understand why I nominated it for a 2009 Cybils Award. —<a href=”http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com/” “target=”_blank”>Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup</a>