6.15 : Are you travelling?

You learn a lot by travelling!

Do you like to travel? So do we. Here's how to get the most out of your travels!

Historical fiction is an easy way to learn about the people, culture, politics and history of the places you visit.

Some of you know that I've visited Asia a number of times in the past few years, spending time at universities in China, Japan and Korea. Every time I go, I remember with gratitude Professor Lili Chen and the year-long comparative literature course I took with her in college, on European and Asian novels of the twentieth century. At the time, it seemed a rather odd way to spend one's time. Today, it seems prescient.

I continue to read contemporary fiction written in or about the countries I visit. Here are a couple of impressive novels that will teach you something about China.

Hong Kong

The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y.K. Lee, is "a gripping tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong" (publisher's announcement, amazon.com). The author vividly portrays the intrigue, betrayal and desperation both inside and outside the internment camp in which foreigners were held by the Japanese occupation forces.

It's hard to see how people or countries can get over such experiences. This novel will instruct you about events that still trouble relations in Asia today, from government policies to business dinners.

Shanghai Girls

Shanghai was known as "the Paris of Asia" during the glory days of the 1920s and 1930s. 

Chinese-American author Lisa See captures the glamor and the sordidness of the era of "Shanghai girls," the beautiful young women who adorned advertisements of everything from soap to cigarettes.

Two such Shanghai girls are teenage sisters whose world falls apart when their father tries to marry them off to pay his gambling debts, just as the Japanese forces arrive.

I must confess that every time I eat watermelon on the Bund, I think of a certain detail from this novel. Watermelon sellers injected their fruit with river water to increase the weight of the melons. The water could be contaminated with dysentery, typhoid or cholera.

Athena Advises

You learn a lot by travelling, but you'll learn even more if you read.

Load up your smartphone with audiobooks before you go. Audio books are perfect for travel, as they weigh nothing, block out the airplane noise and get you through those exceedingly long flights to the other side of the earth.

They're also useful in filling odd moments, rainy days, or unexpectedly boring stretches, like the hydrofoil to Macau.

The only problem with audio books is that it's harder to skip over the truly disgusting parts about the war. So let me mention that while these books each feature women on the cover, they are novels of wartime, and not for the faint of heart.

Are there novels you would recommend to people headed to faraway destinations? Athena Mentor is always happy to learn about books you enjoyed and think other teenagers would, too.

Please let us know your favorites by clicking here to send a message to Athena Mentor.

Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sites