Book Report: The Teahouse Fire

Ellis Avery's The Teahouse Fire offered me a true getaway mixed with a bit of learning. This was, no matter how hard I tried, not a quick read - there was too much to pay attention to in each chapter. I tried to 'gulp' it down - it was really quite good - but I couldn't because there was too much to savor. Avery's descriptions of the transition of men to women forming the responsibility for this historical ritual of tea, and the challenges of class systems and a population's hatred of those people who are "different" - who had to practice their own lives in secret was so thought provoking. One of the things I found really shocking was being an American, I never thought about how the Japanese may have once found us less than human; to them we were the savages. Avery really gets you to mold into this book and understand what it means to be an outcast trying to live in the popular culture, never understanding why you don't truly fit in until you make your own path.

What I loved most about the book was its inspiring undertones about how you make your own destiny and luck. Perhaps I've had luck on the mind lately - just getting back from Las Vegas with all its gambling and the people trying to strike it rich... watching all my friends and family make decisions to move or get married or have a family. This seems like such a great time to make your own decisions and form your future. And no one can do it for you. You can decide to stay in the city as its burning down, or hop on a carriage and take a chance on a new destination. You can decide to take the life that your parents plan for you (in this book, to marry) or fight back and make your own path. Its such a liberating feeling to know that we have some control over our own destinies, even if I still believe God has the ultimate say.

Needless to say, I quite enjoyed this book. It threw a couple more challenges at me than some of the beach books I've read recently, but I think the balance between a good story and a challenge was wonderful.