Shanghai Boy, Shanghai Girl: Lives in Parallel

by George Wang, Betty Barr, Tess Johnston (Editor)

2002, trade paperback, Old China Hand Press, Hong Kong, 278 pages. In English.

Genres: China

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sherrie Huan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of the five books that Betty and George wrote. Thank you George and Betty for sending me all your books after they were published.

I met Betty when I was working for the British Council (Shanghai) 1995 - 1999. We worked and traveled together and became great friends. I then came to know George as well. We have been keeping in touch throughout the last 15 years, after I moved to Auckland, Canberra then settled in Sydney.

In May 2014 after I returned home after spending several days in the hospital, I found George and Betty's 4th and 5th book waiting for me in the letter box - the best "welcome home" gift I had ever received.

I am amazed by George and Betty's life stories. A great couple.

With love

[Eileen]

George Wang reminded me of Charles Dickens in his ability to succeed under dire circumstances. Since English is his second language, Wang's writing does not compare with Dickens, but his ability to transcend problems of time and place is impressive. Betty Barr's parallel life enhances the book and helps us understand Shanghai in doing so.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I was born too stupid to be sly.”

Even though I found this an average book, it still sparked many emotions and reflections in me.

I picked up this book because I wanted to join a book club in Shanghai and this was the pick for Feb 2020. I thought it would’ve been sick to meet the authors in person. Alas the date was shifted to a weekend where I wouldn’t be in town. Also, I like the concept of how seemingly different lives end up somewhat parallel.

This book made me misty eyed at many occasions, especially while reading about the sacrifices George’s family had to make as they were growing up: separation from his sister (she had to be married off at a young age), mother aborting her own daughter right after childbirth so they would have one less mouth to feed, death of his father, the turmoil of losing your possessions. Their hardships and poverty also made me think of my aunt and her parents, the customs they must have brought back from their hometown in China to save money in Singapore.

This book also got me excited because some of the roads were so familiar to me, like how one of George’s dwellings and Betty’s school is near where I stay now, the Majestic theatre is still there, but some roads have been renamed. The government here scrupulously renamed Avenue Joffre to the, still iconic, Huaihai Road.

Betty’s experiences in Longhua Camp which has really captured my bf’s imagination is interspersed with images from Empire of the Sun: the Longhua pagoda, “No mama, no papa, no whiskey soda”, and the fondness of the British/Americans for playing bridge.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, these are not professional authors. The book is very uneven — Bart’s part is 1/4 that of Wang’s. She plays it off as being younger, so not remembering as much, but I think it was really just his project. Also, looking beneath the surface of how old each was when Japan attacked Shanghai in 1937, and how their experiences differed on their wealth and status, I think the real difference is how much more sheltered Barr was — as a girl, a Westerner, with educated, although not wealthy, parents. She didn’t have to pay attention in the same way a boy in a poor family needed to. I can’t blame either author for that, even if I wish Barr could have rounded out her memories a bit more.

[Liz Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took some time to obtain this book in the United States but I'm so glad I was able to. As someone who is curious about other cultures and time periods, it was fascinating to read about George's childhood in China before communism -- his family's struggles and joys and his upbringing. I particularly appreciated learning about his two marriages and the brief section about his and Betty's travels. Betty's family's experience in China during the second World War was as fascinating as George's upbringing. I am grateful I was able to find and read Shanghai Boy, Shanghai Girl.