{"product_id":"the-middle-heart-9780449912324","title":"The Middle Heart","description":"\"TRULY MOVING . . . BETTE BAO LORD IS AT HER STRONGEST.\"\u003cbr\u003e--The Boston Globe \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1932, as China shamefully kowtows under Japanese occupation, three unlikely companions are fatefully bound by their steadfast patriotism: Steel Hope, heir to a once-great aristocracy; Mountain Pine, his crippled, scholarly servant; and Firecrackers, a poor gravekeeper's daughter. In a youthful pact, they call themselves \"Brothers of the Middle Heart,\" vowing to defend their country to the end. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYet as war and, later, the Communist Revolution ignite, cruel circumstances separate them. One becomes a political leader, one a writer, one an actress. But despite incessant historical upheaval, their lives continue to intertwine in poignant, often tragic, ways. Enmeshed in a love triangle, they will live to see their loyalty to one another tested again and again. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough these three richly drawn characters, Bette Bao Lord re-creates the stirring drama of twentieth-century China. In vivid, haunting prose she evokes the outrages that marred fifty years of the Chinese people's existence--and illuminates the remarkable resilience that defines them to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ballantine Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/14\/1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780449912324\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 408\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/20\/1997 pg. 32\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNY Times Notable Bks of Year\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/1997 pg. 97\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/16\/1997\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bette Bao Lord Enterprises Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38399749390517,"sku":"9780449912324","price":19.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_735b4b06-b23f-4aa4-ba5d-3b1d596763dc.jpg?v=1612159987","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-middle-heart-9780449912324","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}