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Ocean of Words: Stories

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By Ha Jin
Publisher Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group - (Vintage)
Ocean of Words: Stories
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Winner of the PENHemingway Award The place is the chilly border between Russia and China. The time is the early 1970s when the two giants were poised on the brink of war. And the characters in this thrilling collection of stories are Chinese soldiers who must constantly scrutinize the enemy even as they themselves are watched for signs of the fatal disease of bourgeois liberalism. In Ocean of Words, the Chinese writer Ha Jin explores the predicament of these simple, barely literate men with breathtaking concision and humanity. From amorous telegraphers to a pugnacious militiaman, from an inscrutable Russian prisoner to an effeminate but enthusiastic recruit, Ha Jins characters possess a depth and liveliness that suggest Isaac Babels Cossacks and Tim OBriens GIs. Ocean of Words is a triumphant volume, poignant, hilarious, and harrowing. A compelling collection of stories, powerful in their unity of theme and rich in their diversity of styles.New York Times Book Review Extraordinary...These stories are shot through with wit and offer glimpses of human motivation that defy retelling...Read them all.Boston Globe An exceptional new talent, capable of wringing rich surprises out of austere materials.Portland Oregonian

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62693 words62,693 words
224 pages224 pages
Lexile 790LLexile 790L

On Grade Vocabulary:

Hear it tense Hear it suspend Hear it generous Hear it convenient Hear it resist Hear it bolt Hear it former Hear it procession Hear it accent Hear it compound Hear it volume Hear it sum Hear it hollow Hear it reel Hear it paste Hear it confess Hear it swarm Hear it cooperate Hear it plow Hear it flesh Hear it groom Hear it grease Hear it ripe Hear it squeal Hear it hunger Hear it dim Hear it participant Hear it issue Hear it comrade Hear it temper Hear it current Hear it mule Hear it gobble Hear it assemble Hear it policy Hear it distant Hear it requirement Hear it lecture Hear it secure Hear it presence Hear it desire Hear it rare Hear it scrap Hear it status Hear it relieve Hear it interpreter Hear it ward Hear it militia Hear it gain Hear it reliable Hear it author Hear it portion Hear it squat Hear it propose Hear it complex Hear it braid Hear it unfinished Hear it depart Hear it criticize Hear it fellow Hear it turnip Hear it assure Hear it disturb Hear it dwarf Hear it contribute Hear it precious Hear it binocular Hear it fantasy Hear it significance Hear it outlook Hear it satisfy Hear it revolutionary Hear it brand Hear it duty Hear it flock Hear it stock Hear it previous Hear it whack Hear it wireless Hear it liver Hear it spare Hear it appropriate Hear it superior Hear it deny Hear it clinic Hear it incident Hear it deed Hear it elder Hear it inspect Hear it invisible Hear it penicillin Hear it radiator Hear it appreciate Hear it alcohol Hear it promote Hear it pebble Hear it chamber Hear it canteen Hear it scholar Hear it peasant
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Challenge Words Vocabulary

Hear it contagious Hear it intense Hear it reform Hear it suspend Hear it citation Hear it convenient Hear it spacious Hear it dispose Hear it quotation Hear it resist Hear it precedent Hear it mute Hear it liberalism Hear it divisional Hear it unstated Hear it volume Hear it stout Hear it commune Hear it gong Hear it commissar Hear it induce Hear it reel Hear it sentry Hear it paste Hear it orderly Hear it scribe Hear it unreliable Hear it successive Hear it cooperate Hear it chivalric Hear it platoon Hear it flattish Hear it groom Hear it capacity Hear it bitter Hear it demobilization Hear it sincere Hear it commendation Hear it parallel Hear it womanizer Hear it crisp Hear it granduncle Hear it counterrevolutionary Hear it paratrooper Hear it arouse Hear it confidential Hear it townsman Hear it refined Hear it scheme Hear it telegraphic Hear it assemble Hear it occupy Hear it administer Hear it decode Hear it neutral Hear it regimental Hear it reactionary Hear it requirement Hear it soybean Hear it accompany Hear it morale Hear it presence Hear it reinforce Hear it slim Hear it spiritless Hear it bargain Hear it watchword Hear it occurrence Hear it mobilize Hear it caper Hear it transcriber Hear it bicker Hear it enamel Hear it status Hear it interpreter Hear it preliminary Hear it trance Hear it squat Hear it adjacent Hear it basin Hear it propose Hear it untrustworthy Hear it complex Hear it melodious Hear it militiaman Hear it internal Hear it undergo Hear it unfinished Hear it doggerel Hear it battalion Hear it depart Hear it unrestrained Hear it grenade Hear it obstruct Hear it coolheaded Hear it considerable Hear it ignorant Hear it ideological Hear it fastidious Hear it dwarf
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Book ISBN:

9780375702068

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