This time, the book is The Scavenger's Daughters, book one in a series of 3.
Author Kay Bratt lived in China for 5 years, and you can tell she brought a huge piece of China home in her heart. Her talented writing drips with local color. Being recently home from China myself, it's easy to imagine myself back there, as I get caught up in the story. You can feel her understanding of Chinese culture in phrases like, "...in China, the mother usually had the last word--or more accurately whispered it in her husband's ear and let him speak it."
The story starts with a glimpse into a young man's suffering during the Cultural Revolution, and then cuts to modern day, with a suspenseful secret that happened sometime between. The main characters are endearing, and I found myself rooting for them to overcome the challenges they face.
Maybe it's because compassion for orphans is a cause so very near and dear to my heart that this book left such an impression on me. It exposed to me a group of people I hadn't previously thought about much: those in China who do what they can to care for orphans outside an orphanage setting. I was reminded of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QijM72iwSs
In our society, where people seem driven to acquire more and better stuff at all costs, this book was a beautiful picture of what truly matters: family. One can be happy with very little of the stuff we chase after, if you are surrounded by people who love you.
The list price for The Scavenger's Daughters is $14.95. Amazon carries the paperback version for $8.79 or the Kindle version for $5.99. I am looking forward to Tangled Vines (Tales of the Scavenger's Daughter, Book Two)
when it comes out around Christmas time to see what happens next in this special family. 
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