{"product_id":"in-the-pond-9780375709111","title":"In the Pond","description":"National Book Award-winner Ha Jin's arresting debut novel, \u003cb\u003eIn the Pond\u003c\/b\u003e, is a darkly funny portrait of an amateur calligrapher who wields his delicate artist's brush as a weapon against the powerful party bureaucrats who rule his provincial Chinese town. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShao Bin is a downtrodden worker at the Harvest Fertilizer Plant by day and an aspiring artist by night. Passed over on the list to receive a decent apartment for his young family, while those in favor with the party's leaders are selected ahead of him, Shao Bin chafes at his powerlessness. When he attempts to expose his corrupt superiors by circulating satirical cartoons, he provokes an escalating series of merciless counterattacks that send ripples beyond his small community. Artfully crafted and suffused with earthy wit, \u003cb\u003eIn the Pond\u003c\/b\u003e is a moving tale about humble lives caught up in larger social forces.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Vintage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/21\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780375709111\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.99h x 5.19w x 0.51d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/14\/2000 pg. 42\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader Quiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e44552 \/ In the Pond\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.4 \/ \u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Upper Grade \/ \u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 7\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ha Jin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45302218817717,"sku":"9780375709111","price":12.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_f6e225af-095b-42ac-8118-779f40477ee3.jpg?v=1744724694","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/in-the-pond-9780375709111","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}