{"product_id":"the-foremost-good-fortune-9780307594068","title":"The Foremost Good Fortune","description":"\u003cp\u003eSusan Conley  her husband  and their two young sons say good-bye to their friends  family  and house in Maine for a two-year stint in a high-rise apartment in Beijing  prepared to embrace the inevitable onslaught of new experiences that such a move entails. But Susan cant predict just how much their lives will change.  While her husband is consumed with his job  Susan works on finishing her novel and confronting the challenges of day-to-day life in an utterly foreign country: determining the proper way to buy apples at a Chinese megamarket; bribing her little boys to ride the school bus; fielding invitations to mysterious sweater parties and tracking down the faux-purse empire of the infamous Bag Lady; and getting stuck in an elevator  unable to call for help in Mandarin.  Despite the distractions  there are many occasions for joy. From road trips to the Great Wall and bartering for a starter Buddha at the raucous flea market to lighting fireworks in the streets for the Chinese New Year and feasting on the worlds best dumplings in back-alley restaurants  they gradually turn their unfamiliar environs into a true home.  Then Susan learns she has cancer. After undergoing treatment in Boston  she returns to Beijing  again as a foreignerbut this time  its her own body in which she feels a stranger. Set against the eternally fascinating backdrop of modern China and full of insight into the trickiest questions of motherhoodHow do you talk to children about death? When is it okay to lie?this wry and poignant memoir is a celebration of family and a candid exploration of mortality and belonging.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45118306123829,"sku":"ByrdShop_0307594068","price":24.35,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780307594068.jpg?v=1776106584","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-foremost-good-fortune-9780307594068","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}