Readers write: History of China, Middle East players, feminizing of words, small feature, big impact

History of China

Regarding the May 17 Books review “ ‘Our Story’ offers a graphic glimpse of a China that no longer exists” (CSMonitor.com): Thank you for this article. It seems so valuable. I have taught in Xi’an and have many friends who are from mainland China, but I know so little about that history and sociology. “Our Story” will be a valuable window on the past. I appreciate the way the book is reviewed and summarized. I am anxious to read it and will send this review to my Chinese friends. We have so much to learn about fortitude and courage from these survivors.

William Kilgour

Madison, Wis.

Middle East players

Regarding the May 25 Monitor Daily story “How new US stance is being heard in Tehran”: The Middle East has many players, and as the scene plays out, motives and possibilities may change. This brief outline of how this has happened with Iran, the United States, and Israel is helpful.

Virginia Stopfel

Beverly, Mass.

Feminizing of words

The June 4 “In a Word” column, “When words get ‘girl cooties,’ ” caught my attention because of my four grandchildren. Their names are Eli, Harper, Reese, and Pearce. Can you tell if they are girls or boys, based on their names?

Cynthia Johnson

Grayson, Ga.

Small feature, big impact

The June 1 Monitor Daily article “Sand dunes on Pluto drive scientists to reframe some ‘knowns’ ” was fascinating. I had no idea that a rather small feature like dunes on Pluto could be so important in the scheme of things. Planetary scientists are very interesting.

Dodie Reed

South Beach, Ore.