After much consideration I’ve decided to make the entire manuscript of my novel I am Falun Gong available online. I do this for many reasons, foremost that I wrote it to be read and I would hope that by making it available someone might get some enjoyment out of reading it. But I also do it because I am no longer sure if there is any meaningful difference between putting a PDF file online and going through the process of having the book published by more traditional means. Let’s be frank, I am Falun Gong is probably not a best seller and I am almost certain to get a similar financial reward (that is nothing) from either enterprise and at this point would just rather have the damn thing out there than languishing on my computer (as it has been for years) waiting to hear back from this agent or that publisher. And while it would be nice to have something I could hold in my hand, a tangible bound reward for the many years of labor I put into this book, I guess I can make do with its appearance on a Kindle or whatever else. So, without further ado, here tis, I am Falun Gong.
Description Follows:
I am Falun Gong is a short novel about two people involved with the Chinese religious movement Falun Gong. The group came to some notoriety in early 2001 when several members lit themselves on fire during a demonstration in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square (an act that has since been disputed by the group as a fabrication concocted by the Chinese Communist Party). This event, and the fact that it has been disputed, provide much of the thematic grist for the book.
I am Falun Gong tells the story of the movement from both sides of the debate as the main character moves from being a government apparatchik working for The People’s Voice, a state publication, to a follower of the teachings of Falun Gong and an important figure in the group’s leadership. In the last third of the book, he realizes the incongruity of both positions and settles on a “middle way”—though likely not one of which the Buddha would approve—rooted in his immigration to New York City. The parallel story is about a girl who was supposedly killed in the fire in Tiananmen, but in my version of events escaped the fire and eventually immigrated to Montreal.
I believe it a work of importance in our particular time, as it deals with China’s ascension, the United States’ perceived decline, and the increasing fragmentation and subjective character of media. I will say up front that the book could be judged as somewhat experimental; it uses a variety of voices and styles to communicate its ideas.
