New book by Chinese author to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty

NEW BOOK BY CHINESE AUTHOR
TO CELEBRATE THE 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

As part of the activities to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, the National Park Service will host, at 11 AM, February 16 at the Immigration Museum of Ellis Island in New York, a very special publication ceremony of a children��s book The Holy Spark: Rogel and Goddess of Liberty by Yu Li, an author from China who was inspired to write the book when, twenty years ago, she saw Lady Liberty on Chinese television covering the monument��s centennial. The co-sponsors of the event include the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, and Asian Cultural Center of New York, among others.

According to Frank Mills, Assistant Superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Moment and Ellis Island, there will be two versions of the book to be released simultaneously: an English edition published by the New Jersey-based Homa & Sekey Books (www.homabooks.com) and a Chinese edition by the Beijing-based People��s Literature Publishing House. A special collector��s edition of The Holy Spark with signatures of the United Nations officials and representatives from more than 180 countries has already been presented to the Museum of Ellis Island, which becomes the only item the museum has ever sourced from China since World War II.

The Holy Spark tells how an angel named Rogel from Paradise Star meets Kally from the Blue Planet, who wanted to conquer the earth but was subdued by the guards of the Goddess of Liberty, resulting in his three thousand years of imprisonment in a heavenly lake. Touched by the sincerity of Rogel, Kally confessed and regretted his follies. Rogel decides to help Kally regain his freedom. With his friend Yoyo, a red-haired little fox, Rogel starts his journey to look for the Goddess of Liberty who has the power to free Kally from the imprisonment. On their way, Rogel and Yoyo defeat numerous monsters and devils who try to stop them and save many kindhearted people. In the end, Rogel succeeds in obtaining the Holy Spark and lights the torch in the hand of the Goddess of Liberty at her birthday. With a golden key from the Goddess of Liberty, Rogel unlocks Kally��s bondage and sets him free.

Yu Li was a designer and manager of a glassware company in China. She spent several years writing the fantasy-filled novel The Holy Spark and had its Chinese edition published in 1993. With the help of an American diplomat in China, Yu Li came to the United States in 2001 to present the special collector��s edition of The Holy Spark to the Museum of Ellis Island. One can find an interesting parallel in the book and the author, in the novel, Rogel experiences a rough journey to look for the Goddess of Liberty; in real life, Yu Li had to travel a long way before she could realize her dream of getting her book published in America, home of the Statue of Liberty.

Newsday calls the book ���� a message of love, peace and freedom to the peoples of the world.�� Barry Moreno, historian and author of The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia writes in the foreword to the book that ��The Holy Spark is a splendid novel in the great tradition of Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and The Chronicles of Narnia. It is perfect for young readers and will keep them highly entertained for hours.��

After the book release event, the Statue of Liberty National Monument will launch an essay competition to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The competition is targeted at middle and elementary school students in the greater New York area with one of the themes being ��My Thoughts on The Holy Spark.��

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Book Information
The Holy Spark: Rogel and Goddess of Liberty by Yu Li
Published by Homa & Sekey Books, February 1, 2006
Hardcover, 260 pages, $16.99, ISBN: 1931907420
Available at Baker & Taylor Books, Amazon.com,
and from the publisher www.homabooks.com
If you would like to invite the author to speak
at your school or organization, please contact Iris Zhou at the above.