Firework wars, snake's blood, hungry ghosts, set to a techno-pop beat illuminate this travel memoir narrating the escapades of a a twenty-year-old woman living in Taiwan from 1988-89, a period when the Republic of China is making rapid progress socially, politically and economically. The author relishes her year-long emancipation from the vacuity of American suburban living. The autobiographical memoir delves into the relationships the author establishes with a well known male fashion model, a Taiwanese mother of twins and a fellow American student. The three relationships frame the author's acquaintance with Chinese food, language, folk practices, lunar festivals and her identity as a Western woman living is Asia.
A.S. Murray is an educator with 17 years of teaching experience. She has taught grades 6-12 in the areas of history and English as a Second Language. She has a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of California Santa Barbara and a Master of Arts in Education from Sonoma State University.