Mother Tongue

In 1984, when Linda Petrucelli arrives in Taiwan with her husband Gary Hoff, she assumes she will learn Mandarin Chinese. Instead, her local church partner, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, assigns her to learn Taiwanese, an eight-toned ancient tongue that few Westerners ever attempt. In her odyssey to communicate in the island's mother tongue, Linda learns the political implications of language, insight into her own ethnic identity, and the value of finding humor in her mistakes.

Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan offers wise counsel-not only for language learners, but for all those who desire to profess the greater grammar of love.