Strength of Water by Karin K. Jensen ~ a Review

by MK French

King Ying grew up in 1920s Detroit with her parents and sisters, helping out with their laundry. The increasing debts during the Great Depression meant her father sent her and her siblings to his mother in a remote village in Guangdong Province of China. There, the family battled extreme poverty, hunger, and lack of education as the Japanese invaded and the Sino-Japanese War broke out. She managed to return to America and struggled to build a life for herself there.

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November 2025; Sibylline Press; 979-8897409709
ebook, print (360 pages); memoir

This book is a biography written as a memoir. Karin Jensen had grown up with stories told about King Ying's early life, her parents, and what it was like in the village. Extensive research and conferring with the rest of her family meant that Karin felt very close to her and wrote the biography in memoir style, first person. That gives the book a sense of immediacy, as if she's talking with us directly. There is context given for aspects of Chinese culture, the village, or how others in a similar situation dealt with life. Those without any familiarity with China, the culture, or even how Americans dealt with those of Chinese descent will immediately understand what she was going through.

I took my time reading the book because I wanted to really absorb all of the details. The family genealogy is outlined, and we see how the war, poverty, and adverse events affected them. It's fascinating to see how she lived through major historical events, constantly trying to improve and build a better life for her children.

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Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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