It's my 1100th review.
On this momentous, tremendous occasion, I'll look at a little book that's a little different.
'Watercress' is something not quite typical for me to read, but it's still vital in its themes and message:
It's a realistic, semiautobiographical picture book about China, Chinese immigration, Chinese Americans, poverty and famine. It's about family, and appreciating the nature around you, and what you have in the world, for free. It's about understanding what your parents (and grandparents, and previous generations) went through, when they did not have the luxuries and freedom that you take for granted now, and saving what you can now, regardless of whether they cost money, so that no one will go hungry again.
It's a timeless, universal message.
'Watercress' is a quick, but important read for everyone.
It ends up being heartbreaking, yet hopeful and loving, not bittersweet - thanks to the power of memory, communicating said memories and sharing them, listening to others, learning from history, never repeating the human errors and devastating tragedies of the past, and empathy.
True value and worth comes from human beings and what keeps them alive, not from things. Not from materialism.
Nobody should be made to think "Free is bad" in any context. Ever.
Anticapitalism is definitely a theme here. It is impossible to separate it from poverty, famine, and racism, and how those exist.
The art is magnificent - a triumph. It reminds me of the classic Shirley Hughes children's books I read as a child, only with Asian characters.
Thus ends my non-spoiler review of 'Watercress'. A quick overview of a quick, harrowing and beautiful children's picture book. It deserved every award it received. Highly recommended.
Now I want to eat some watercress.
Happy 1100th milestone for me, and a happy, safe, satisfying, sustainable day for everyone else and their families, on earth.
Final Score: 4/5
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