3 Review(s)

Winner at the 2010 President's Book Awards Bars of Steel is the true story of a beautiful, young Filipina who, in order to help her family financially, leaves her home in the quiet Philippines countryside to work as a dancer in Hong Kong's red-light district of Wan Chai. This book will hold special appeal for readers interested in the Asian bar world and will also serve as a companion guide for students of social and cultural studies, gender studies, or spirituality. Here is the "untold story" of faith, friendship, and sacrifice but also of triumph and forgiveness. About the Author Brandon Royal is an award-winning educational author whose authorship includes The Little Red Writing Book, The Little Gold Grammar Book, The Little Green Math Book, and The Little Blue Reasoning Book, as well as the fictional tale Pleasure Island: You've Found Paradise, Now What? A Modern Fable on How to Keep Your Dreams Alive. A Canadian by birth and graduate of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, his interest in writing began after completing fiction and scriptwriting courses at Harvard University. Since then he has authored ten books and written across a diverse spectrum, penning fiction, nonfiction, short stories, essays, news articles, speeches, poetry, and personal quotations. Reviews of his books have appeared in Time Asia magazine, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal of America, Midwest Book Review, The Asian Review of Books, Choice Reviews Online, Asia Times Online, and About.com. In 2010, he won the International Book Awards and two gold medals at the President's Book Awards. Paul Strahan is the author of several children's books including The Farm Girl and the Butterflies (Bronze Medal Winner - 2009 Moonbeam Book Awards), The Woodcutter Prince, and The Never-Ending Bag of Crisps. After a globe-trotting career as a corporate executive for giants such as AIG, Philips, and Bank of America, Strahan now lives in Hong Kong where he spends his time revitalizing a long-held passion for creating works of fiction. An accomplished poet who describes himself as "a storyteller rather than a writer," he continues to draw inspiration from everyday life, as well as from a wealth of experience gained from working in technology and traveling the world.