Each year, a text is selected for the entire incoming class to read as part of the First Year Reading Program. Through a variety of events and activities–including a visit by the author–incoming freshmen will have the opportunity to explore this book with their peers, instructors, and the broader campus community.

This year's required reading for incoming Stony Brook undergrads is Sounds of the River by Da Chen, who will be the featured presenter for Undergraduate College Commons Day, Wednesday, October 21, 2009. For more information regarding Undergraduate College Commons Day, click here >>

Sounds of the River

In post-Cultural Revolution China, educational opportunities are hard to come by and Da Chen knows it. That's why, despite his fierce pride and loyalty to his rural Fujian Provincial roots, he's boarding a slow train to the Beijing Languages and Culture University. Sounds of the River, the second of Da Chen's memoir trilogy picks up where his best-selling Colours of the Mountain left off, at the beginning of his Beijing University days. Read an excerpt >>

In this "equally beguiling sequel to his acclaimed memoir, Colors of the Mountain" (Kirkus Reviews), teenager Da Chen takes his first train ride away from the farm he was raised on to his new university life in Beijing. He soon faces a host of ghastly challenges, including poor living conditions, lack of food, and suicidal roommates. Undaunted by these hurdles, and armed with a dogged determination to learn English and "all things Western," he competes to win a chance to study in America–a chance that rests in the shrewd and corrupt hands of the almighty professors.

Poetic, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Sounds of the River is a gloriously written coming-of-age saga that chronicles a remarkable journey–a travelogue of the heart.

Reviews

"A story about suppression, humiliation, vindication and, ultimately, triumph."–New York Times Book Review

"Readers will already be looking forward to the next installment."–Kirkus Starred Review

“Chen’s books do not merely record an interior life; they also document the harsh and startling beauty of China’s physical landscape." —Newsday

"Da...is certainly likable. And his transformation from country boy to big city college professor moves briskly and entertainingly along."–San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

First-Year Seminar 101, some WRT classes: If you are enrolled in a class that is using this text and have not received the book, contact the Student Orientation Office (Room W-3519, Melville Library, 632-6710) or Student Affairs (Room 348, Administration Building, 632-6700) to receive a copy.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Da Chen

Da Chen grew up in the deep south of China, running barefoot in muddy fields and riding the backs of water buffaloes. In his tiny Fujian village, water was fetched from an ancient well swimming with snakes, and the only lights that burned in most households were hissing kerosene lanterns. As the grandson of a disgraced landowner, he was a victim of communist political persecution and hollowing poverty during the Cultural Revolution. His family was beaten, his father thrown in reform camp, and young Chen, at the age of nine, was threatened with imprisonment.

Unfailing family love helped him survive in a dysfunctional society and he found unexpected love and friendship with four other hoodlum outcasts, but dreams made him soar above the poverty and persecution. His first encounter with a Christian woman, a Baptist professor, was life changing. She taught him English and opened the possibility of another world. He excelled in college at Beijing Languages and Culture University, and stayed on as a professor of English after graduating top in his class. Da arrived in America at the age of 23 with $30 in his pocket, a bamboo flute, and a heart filled with hope. He attended Columbia University School of Law on a full scholarship, and upon graduating, worked for the Wall Street investment banking firm of Rothschilds, Inc.

Sounds of the River, the sequel to his first memoir, was published to rave international reviews. The Los Angeles Times says, "Chinese literature has brought to these shores many new and interesting voices—the haunting lyricism of Ha Jin, the harsh worldview of Anchee Min, the righteous indignation of Adeline Yen Mah. Da Chen’s voice comes from the soil of China…his exuberance for life and its possibilities set him apart from others in the genre." USA Today states that "Da Chen’s latest book confirms that he is an extraordinary individual." Da’s first fiction for young readers, Wandering Warrior, by Random House Children’s Books, is described by USA Today as "China’s answer to [Harry] Potter." The movie rights were optioned by Warner Brothers.

His books are used as textbooks in Yale, Vassar, Wellesley, in the New York State University system, and in high schools and middle schools throughout the country. He lives in upstate New York with his wife, Sunny, and their two young children.