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Baby
Maxine's aunt has had had her baby in a pigsties.
"She got to her feet to fight better and remebered that old-fashioned women gave birth in their pigsties to fool the jealous, pain-dealing gods, who did not snatches piglets." Pg. 14 -
Going to school
Maxine mother tells about going to school to become a doctor. ""I studied far in advance," says my mother. "I studied when the breathing coming from the bes and coming through the wood walls was dee even." Pg. 64 -
Attack
Maixne's mother, Brave Orchid was attacked ny a ghost. Her and her friends from school decide to destory it by setting fire to the room. "The alcohol burned a floating blue. The tarry oil, which someone had bought from her village witch, fumed in black clouds." Pg. 75. -
Maxine learns bout her aunt.
Maxine's mother has decided to tell her about her father's sister that killed herself to make sure that Maxine does not bring anymore shame on her family by telling Maxine that her aunt to the family is treated like she was never born. "In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born." Pg. 3 -
Following the Bird
Maxine has turned seven years old and follows a bird into the mountians where she finds an elderly couple and they hsve fed her and ask her to live with them for fifteen years and learn to become a warrior. ""Little girl you have spent almost a day and a night with us," the old women said. In the morning light I could see her earlobes pierced with gold. "Doyou think you could stay with usfor fifteen years? We can train you to become a warrior."" Pg.22 -
Dragon Training
After Maxinr returns from the White Tiger Mountians she is put to the dragon training. "After I returned from my survival test, the two old people trained me in th dragon ways, which took another eight years." Pg.28 -
The mountians
Maxine has been led into the mountians by the elderly people and left to see is she will survive after seven years of them training her. "During the seventh year (I would be fourteen), the two old people led me blindfolded to the mountiansof the white tigers." Pg.24 -
Learning about being a girl
Through out all the training that Maxine had in the mountians she had no one telling her about the being a girl. She had not learned that once she become of age she would bleed for a while and was worried that she had hurt her self. "I had thought that I had ct myself when jumping over my swords, one made of steel and the other carved out of a sigle block of jade." Pg. 31 -
Eating
Maxine hears the story about the monkey brains that her mother tells so that she will eat all of her food. Then she tells about how left overs were placed back on the table day after day so all of it would be eaten. "We'd have to face four- and five-day-old leaftovers until we ate it all." Pg. 92 -
Maxine's aunt
Maxine's aunt (mother's side of the family) has come to America to get her husband back but when she gets here she learns that he has married another. ""I have a new wife," said the man." Pg 153 -
Having a Child
Maxine and her husband have a child while she is fighting to safe her village. But this does not stop her sshe sends the baby with him back to his parents.."Then I gave my husband the baby and told him to take it to his family, and I gave him all the money we had taken on raids to take to my family." Pg. 41 -
Aging
Maxine has went to visit her mother, she is the age of eighteen (eighty in China) and her mother is telling her about how hard that she works. ""I work so hard," she said. She was doing her stare-at what? ... "The tomato vines prickle my hands; I can feel their little stubble hairs right through my gloves..."103
