The Good Earth
An Oprah's Book Club selection By Pearl S. Buck

I was captivated both by the atmosphere and imagery of traditional China evoked in this novel—it was the beginning of my fascination with Chinese culture. I was twelve when I read this, and my very good friend was Angela Wang. Her family would take me with them to Chinatown to see the Peking Opera and to Chinese New Year's celebrations. When I got to college, I chose Chinese studies as my major, and after I graduated I lived in China. Like Anne Frank's diary, this book influenced so many decisions I made later on.