What's up next, ladies?

more at twiigs.com...

F is for Footbinding.

At last night's bookclub I got to meet these so-called Bookworms Gone Wild and gone wild they had. We gathered to discuss Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. I think overall there was one message that we all agreed upon and it was that we're all glad that we didn't live in nineteenth century China (for one or more reasons). Most of our reasons surrounded on the practice of foot-binding. Personally, I almost fainted when I read the chapter of the main character's foot binding. It got us talking about what foot binding actually looks like, its origin, and when it was started. Below is my brief attempt at research of this ancient (or not so) practice.

In its most extreme form, footbinding was the act of wrapping a three- to five-year old girl's feet with binding so as to bend the toes under, break the bones and force the back of the foot together. Its purpose was to produce a tiny foot, the "golden lotus", which was three inches long and thought to be both lovely and alluring.

From what I've found, the historical origins of footbinding are unknown, although references suggest that small feet for women were preferred as early as the Han dynasty; which began in 206 B.C. The first documented reference to the actual binding of a foot is from the court of the Southern Tang dynasty in Nanjing, which celebrates the fame of its dancing girls renowned for their tiny feet and beautiful bow shoes. The practice apparently became the standard for feminine beauty in the imperial court, spreading downward socially and geographically as the lower classes strove to imitate the style of the elite.

More disturbing images of footbinding can be found here, here, here, and here.

Book Review: The Americano - Fighting with Castro for Cuba's Freedom

I am one of the few, one of the proud (no, not a Marine) Americans who has been able to travel to Cuba legitimately. As most of you know, I traveled to Cuba in the summer of 2000 for a study abroad program. The program was about Urban Design and Planning in Cuba and was guided by a professor of mine from undergrad who was married to a Cuban woman who came over during the Freedom Flights and had never been back. However, he had been taking students on guided tours through Havana, Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Veradero and cities in between for over 27 years. [He's also written a book about Havana and the changes that the Cuban capital has seen - very interesting.] This is all to give a little back story about why I'm so interested in Cuban history (because I've been there, duh).

This book appealed to me for a few reasons: 1) The Morning News wrote about this book in one of their book digests back in August and 2) The idea of an American fighting for democracy in a land so close to his own yet so far was truly fascinating. Plus, who has heard of William Morgan? [Answer: No One] And why hasn't anyone heard of him?

William Morgan, an American of upper-middle class upbringing and a troubled youth was in and out of trouble throughout his life. He was discharged from the Army and struggling to make a life for his family that was honest. Through a series of encounters with members of the mob, he began to help smuggle arms to Cuba. Those arms were on their way to the hands of the men he would eventually fight alongside of in the mountains of the Escambray. Morgan came to Cuba to fight Batista and made his way up the ranks in the rebel army. He became #2 of the Second National Front of the Escambray, which were a large group of rebels who found the Cuban Army in the middle of the island [while Fidel, Che & Co. were in the Sierra Maestra]. I could write a dissertation on this book, on the revolution, on Morgan's place in that world, but I'm not prepared. I'm just prepared to tell you that if you're at all interested in Cuba and its history and the rise of Fidel Castro, this is an amazingly fascinating book.