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TIES THAT BIND, TIES THAT BREAK Lensey Namioka Hardcover Delacorte Books for Young Readers | May 1999 | $15.95 | 0-385-32666-1| Ages 10 up

Four-year-old Ailin watched her older sister as she painstakingly peeled off the white strips of cloth that bound her feet. Shocked, she saw that the toes of her sister’s foot had been broken and folded under, forcing her foot into the shape of a small wedge. Ailin looked at her sister as if to ask, “Why?” Her sister shrugged her shoulders in response and told her that men liked women with small feet. Even as young as she was, Ailin knew she didn’t want any part of this painful Chinese tradition.

One day her mother and governess took her to her room and Ailin saw the cloths laid out on her bed. Instantly, Ailin knew they were for her. She ran past them, hiding out in the bushes until her mother agreed to put off the binding for a little while longer. Several months later, her father announced that it was an outdated custom and would not be forced on the young girl. At her young age, Ailin couldn’t even begin to understand what this would cost her later in life—a marriage, a career, and her society’s respect. Is there any way for Ailin to find success and happiness after turning her back on a thousand-year-old tradition? Perhaps . . .

COPYRIGHT

Prepared by Brenda Day, Library Media Specialist, Crowley Middle School, Crowley, TX

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