Citation: Oh, E. & Chapman, E. (2018). A thousand beginnings and endings: 16 retellings of asian myths and legends. Greenwillow Books.
This book is an anthology of 15 stories, each written by an Asian-North American author. Throughout these stories are tales, myths and legends from different Asian cultures, reimagined and updated in creative and interesting ways.
By its own admission, this book strives to be similar to other YA fiction based on western folklore, meant to fill the apparent lack of Asian representation in those other novels. Though it includes comments on the original folklore, some may wish to read the “original” instead. Still, fans of legends and folklore will enjoy these stories, with special attention to the diasporic Asian community that may feel represented by them.
The inventive stories included in this anthology are a fantastic way to connect to one's culture, and to understand the ways in which other cultures are similar to our own.
Check out our other reviews of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings here and here.