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Saratoga Sampler
Two book groups share experiences with McBurney-Lin
By Mary Ann Cook
PACIFIC-RIM GATHERING: Jana McBurney-Lin, author of My Half of the Sky, a story about a young woman trying to please both her Japanese father and the dictates of her own heart, spoke to a particularly empathetic group recently.
Hostess Maryln Mori gathered two different book groups together to hear her. Of the 19 women gathered, a full half had lived in Tokyo or Singapore, so there was much sharing of experiences.
McBurney-Lin met her husband in Tokyo and told what inspired the book. In the book a young woman college grad tries to find a job in a large city because of her father's insistence. But when the employment practices won't permit it, she returns to her village. The adjustments and experiences she faces make the book a page turner, Mori reports. Mori herself lived in Tokyo from '85-'87.
The book club is a spinoff of a support group for ex-pats called Tokyo Women's Group in the Bay Area. It was one way to continue to have regular get-togethers--and with purpose. "It is more difficult to readjust to living in the USA after living abroad because one doesn't believe there will be any adjustment necessary," Mori explains. The group reads mainly Asian authors.
The second book group is based in Palo Alto, has no name, and is composed of Japanese American women.
McBurney-Lin lives in Los Gatos, has four children, and this is her first book. The publisher is Komenar of Walnut Creek. The first chapter of My Half of the Sky won the 2005 Short Fiction Competition sponsored by Byline Magazine.
McBurney-Lin was president of the local California Writers Club for five years and founded Writers Camp for Kids in 2001, a summer program.
CREATING MEMOIRS: Mike Brozda, who grew up in Saratoga, now lives in Santa Cruz and has formed a new business in the memoir field. His free memoir site is called Greatlifestories.com and it shows people how to encapsulate their life into 12 chapters.
Titles range from In the Beginning through Triumphs and Tragedies and concluding with Funnybones, Words of Wisdom and Thank Yous. Brozda's version of memoir writing is modestly priced, but you do need to know your way around a computer or hire someone who does.
If you hire a professional to write your story it can cost from $3,000 to $30,000. A video or DVD of your life can be turned into a 15-minute movie for something like $350. So Brozda's template is definitely an economical choice.
"Your family will thank you," Brozda told his Saratoga Senior Center audience. The number is 831.234.5854. His father, Joe, was a physician, and his mother , Helen, the memoir creator, ran an antique store in Saratoga.
BULLIES DISARMED: Assistance League will hold a program at Olinder School on Oct. 22 to encourage a love of reading, promote health and fitness and stave off bullying. Kids on the Block puppet show will be shown to third-graders to help youngsters deal with bullying.
Students will also receive a book on bullying prevention. Lynda Anderson and Susan Weber are two of the volunteers who will read to second-graders. Two books will be donated to class libraries and volunteers will also read and donate books to these same classes three other times this school year. The event is a joint effort with the San Jose chapter.
RE-OPENING: A grand re-opening of the McWilliams House will be held Oct. 20, 11 a..m.-3 p.m., at Saratoga Historical Park next to the History Museum. Activities include docent-led tours and demos of how to make cornhusk dolls, fabric flowers and lace. A calliope will be on hand, too. The contact is 408.867.4311 and Peggy Schoppe and Marilyn Marchetti are co-chairwomen.
LAWYER OF YEAR: Los Gatan Ann Miller Ravel has been named Public Lawyer of the Year by the Bar Association's Public Law section. Ravel has been Santa Clara County counsel for 10 years and has worked for the county for 30 years.
She is particularly proud of the work she has done in the elder abuse field, recovering millions of dollars from those who have exploited that vulnerable section of society. Besides her professional work, Ravel also volunteers for schools, helping with various projects and serving on boards.
She is a graduate of Hastings College of Law, 1974, and has worked in the public law field since her graduation. She has won half a dozen awards testifying to her outstanding professional work, as well as her service on state and local bar committees.
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