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Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.</div></div></div> </div><div id="gbss"> <h1>Results from Google Books</h1> <p>Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.</p> <div id="gbss_content"></div> </div><div class="content reviews"><input type="hidden" name="cgtag_lb_title" value="CoverGuess Tags" id="cgtag_lb_title" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="work" value="13521" id="work" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="book" value="215890281" id="book" class="" > <table class="wrapper" width="100%" border=0> <col width="160"> <col> <col width="210"> <tr> <td class="left"><div id="maincover" class="mainleftimage"><a href="#" onclick="si_info('isbn_014010870X'); return false;"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png" class="icon"></a><a href=""><img width="180" id="mainCover" class="workCoverImage" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX360_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX540_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt="Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng" data-adaptive-background="1" ></a></div><div class="leftnav workleftnav alwaysblue noline"><ul><li class="first"><a href="/work/13521/summary/215890281">Main page</a></li> <li class="gap"><a href="/work/13521/workdetails/215890281">Work details</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/details/215890281">Book details</a></li> <li class="gap selected"><a href="/work/13521/reviews/215890281">Reviews</a> <span class="count">(19)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/recommendations/215890281">Recommendations</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/members/215890281">Members</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/descriptions/215890281">Descriptions</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/conversations/215890281">Conversations</a> <span class="count">(39)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/commonknowledge/215890281">Common Knowledge</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/popularity/215890281">Popularity</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/covers/215890281">Cover images</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/13521/editions/215890281">Editions</a></li></ul></div> </td> <td class="middle" id="middleColumn"> <div id="loading">Loading...</div><div class="headsummary"><h1>Life and Death in Shanghai <span class="date">(original 1986; edition 1988)</span></h1><h2>by <a href="/author/chengnien">Nien Cheng</a> (Author)<hr></h2></div><div class="wslcontainer"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wsltable"><tr class="wslheader"><td width="18%" class="firstchild">Members</td><td width="18%">Reviews</td><td width="18%">Popularity</td><td width="22%">Average rating</td><td width="25%" class="lastchild">Mentions</td></tr><tr class="wslcontent"><td valign="middle" class="firstchild"><a href="/work/13521/members">1,516</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/13521/reviews">19</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/13521/popularity">12,694</a></td><td valign="middle"><nobr><a href="/work/13521/members"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif" style="margin-bottom: -2px;"></a> <span class="dark_hint">(4.2)</span></nobr></td><td valign="middle" class="lastchild"><a href="/work/13521/conversations">39</a></td></tr></table></div><div id="u_56b30cdf" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle" style="margin-left: .75em;">KyleneJones's review</span></div></div><div class="simpleSection" id="shareid" style="max-width: 100% !important;"><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_215890281" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/0" data-workid="0" class="" ><img src="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/be/50/be50cb8a8dcd004597745414141426b41414141_v5.jpg" srcset="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/d2/ea/d2ea7476099ba1d597745414141444941414141_v5.jpg 2x, https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/01/37/013749e2b880e21597745414141417341514141_v5.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>What an interesting book. The writing is not great but it is not a novel. It is her memories of the time including 6 years of imprisonment. She is definitely a strong woman and a role model for standing up for what you believe in no matter what the cost. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss6.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_215890281" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_215890281"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_215890281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_215890281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_215890281"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/KyleneJones" target="_top">KyleneJones</a> | Apr 25, 2022 | <a href="/review/215890281"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div></div> <div id="u_bb218476" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle" style="margin-left: .75em;">All member reviews</span></div></div><div id="wp_reviews" class="simpleSection"><div class="workSection"><div class="review_showing_pages"></div><div id='mainreviews_reviewnav' class='reviewnav'><div class="right"><strong><a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','13521','',false, null, 'profile');return false;">date<span class="sortArrow"> ▼</span></a></strong> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,2,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','13521','',false, null, 'profile'); return false;">votes</a></div>Showing 19 of 19 </div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_219662191" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Először nézzük magát az elbeszélőt. Nien Cheng kvázi kapitalista buborékban élt a kommunista Kínában jó ideig: a Shell multicég alkalmazásában tengette napjait Sanghajban, három cseléddel és olyan lakhatási körülményekkel, amelyek drasztikusan különböztek a mezei kínaiak lehetőségeitől. Na ja, akkoriban még Maónak szüksége volt - legalábbis mutiba' - pár külföldi cégre, mert önerőből nem tudott beszerezni olyan nélkülözhetetlen termékeket, mint például a rovarirtó szerek. Aztán persze ez a hatvanas évek derekára megváltozott – nem mintha ekkorra képes lett volna minőségi vegyipari termékeket előállítani, egyszerűen nem érdekelte, hogy van-e használható rovarirtó, avagy sem. Úgyhogy elzavarta a Shell-t, szegény Nien Cheng úrhölgy pedig ott találta magát a maga burzsoá allűrjeivel a proletárparadicsomban. Puff neki. Viszont ellentétben legtöbb sorstársával, ő nem hagyta el magát, hanem minden lelkierejével és ravaszságával szembeszállt a rezsimmel. Pedig a rezsim aztán ebben az időszakban elég komoly erőfeszítéseket tett, hogy megkeserítse az életét.<br><br>Merthogy ez volt az ún. „kulturális forradalom” évtizede. Történt ugyanis, hogy a bölcs Mao, akinek kis piros könyvecskéje a cuki idézetekkel szériatartozéka volt minden kínai állampolgárnak, a "nagy ugrás"* kudarca után kénytelen volt visszavenni az arcából. (Még önkritikát is kellett gyakorolnia saját pártvezetői előtt, bizony!) Ekkoriban vette át a gyeplőt a miniszterelnök, Csou En-laj, aki néhány reformmal stabilizálta azt, amit a főnök elpacsált. Csak hát Mao nem az a karakter volt, aki huzamosabb ideig képes meghúzni magát, és elsősorban feleségére, Csiang Csingre támaszkodva átnyúlt a kommunista párt struktúrája fölött, és közvetlenül elkezdett a néphez szólni, arra buzdítva őket, hogy lázadjanak, forradalmárkodjanak kedvükre, mert a pártba beférkőztek a „kapitalista úton járók”, és csak az istenadta nép tudja őket megfékezni. Ez lett a nevezetes „kulturális forradalom”, amelynek során a csőcselék szanaszét díbolta az országot, miközben a fegyveres testületek óvatosan, távolról figyelték az attrakciót. A helyzetet úgy képzeljük el, hogy amennyiben felhúztál egy vörös karszalagot, akkor nyugodtan berúghattad a szomszéd ház ajtaját, megverhetted és kirabolhattad a tulajt, ő egy szót se szólhatott, mert még imperialista ügynöknek bélyegzik. Aztán ha már kirámoltad haverjaiddal az összes házat a városban, hát felpattantál egy vonatra, és elkezdted ugyanezt egy másik városban művelni – jegyet sem kellett váltanod, hisz a kalauzok hülyék lettek volna kekeckedni veled. Nos, beláthatjuk, ez a szituáció a teljes káosz állapotába zúdította vissza az országot: fegyveres bandák száguldoztak mindenfelé, a termelés, az oktatás, az egészségügy és a tömegközlekedés gyakorlatilag megszűnt, az értelmiségieket és egyéb gyanús egzisztenciákat megölték vagy vidékre száműzték, és az lett az élet császára, aki a leggátlástalanabbul vetette bele magát a forgatagba, és a legszemérmetlenebbül tudott bármilyen bűncselekményt egy Mao-idézettel legitimálni.<br><br>Ennek a katyvasznak esett áldozatul Nien Cheng is, akinek először szétkapták az otthonát, aztán jól börtönbe is csukták, merthogy imperialista kém. (Ami ebben a kontextusban azt jelenti, hogy látott már elő fehér embert, és ráadásul szebb ruhája van, mint nekünk.) Folyamatosan vegzálták, tegyen vallomást, de Nien Cheng tökösebb ennél – szent meggyőződése volt, hogy ha egyszer vallomást tesz, akkor utána már nincs visszaút, elveszíti esélyét a rehabilitációra. Ártatlannak vallotta hát magát, kerül, amibe kerül. A börtönidőszak leírásának legerősebb jelenetei ezek: a kihallgatók gyakran szürreális igyekezete, hogy kimondassák vele: „Bűnös vagyok!”, bevetve mindent, marxista érveket, nyilvános megszégyenítést, kínzást, ám a hölgyben emberükre találnak. Nien Cheng minden neki szegezett Mao-idézetre Mao-idézettel felel, okosan, taktikusan, kitartóan áll ellent az offenzívának, sőt, gyakran erőt merít a kihallgatásokból, melyek felpezsdítik a magánzárkában eltöltött unalmas órák után. Közben pedig bízik benne, hogy a külvilág pártharcai egyszer végre a javára dőlnek el, és árgus szemmel figyeli a börtönbe beszűrődő politikai híreket, amelyekből a sorok között olvasva néha kihüvelyezhetőek a változások.<br><br>A türelem pedig ebben az esetben is rózsát terem, a forradalmi éveket ugyanis valóban felváltja a konszolidáció vágya. Csiang Csing és a „négyek bandája” lassan visszaszorul, és újra előtérbe kerül Csou En-laj a maga reformer-mentalitásával. Nien Cheng hat és fél év után újra beleszippanthat a friss levegőbe – ami persze nem annyira friss, mint amilyen az Alpok ormain lenne, de azért a cellához képest mégiscsak felüdülés. Ezzel pedig kezdetét veszi a kötet második etapja, amelyben a főhős immár szabad emberként feszül szembe a diktatúrával, küzd egyfelől a rehabilitációért, no meg azért, hogy megtalálja azokat, akik felelősek lánya haláláért. Míg a börtönfejezetek egy zárt térben játszódtak, a magányos egyén lelkierejére helyezve a hangsúlyt, addig itt értelemszerűen szélesebb freskót kapunk a korabeli Kínáról, és ez – ha lehet – még tanulságosabb. Ez a Kína ugyanis a folyamatos politikai belháború színtere: hol Csou En-laj gárdája kerül nyerő helyzetbe, és akkor kicsit könnyebb az élet, hol pedig a „négyek bandája” nyer teret, és akkor félni kell**. Ez az ingamozgás, ez a kiszámíthatatlanság természetesen nem tesz jót a kínai gazdaságnak sem, következésképpen a polcok jobbára üresek, a szolgáltatások pedig csapnivalóak. De semmi gond, mert itt van a „kiskapuk” rendszere, ami a kádárista Magyarországról is ismerős lehet. Ami azt jelenti, hogy ha fáj a fogad, akkor nem csak úgy besétálsz a fogorvoshoz, mert akkor sose kerülsz sorra, hanem keresel valakit, akinek ismerőse a fogorvos, teszel neki valami szívességet, és akkor ő cserébe soron kívül bevisz téged hozzá. Ha meg vízvezeték-szerelőre van szükséged, akkor keresel egyet, adsz neki pár karton külföldi cigit, és ő munkaidőn kívül rendesen megcsinálja a melót. Mert munkaidőn belül csak nem rendesen szokta. És ennek a sajátos működésnek a leírásában Nien Chang egyszerűen verhetetlen.<br><br>A memoárirodalom egyik jelentős produktuma ez a könyv. Főleg azért, mert írója nem pusztán passzív elszenvedője a diktatúrának, hanem cselekvő személy, aki nem csak arra képes, hogy szépen haljon meg, hanem még (korlátozott) sikereket is elér. Ez, akárhonnan is nézzük, nagyon felemelő. Másfelől pedig Nien Cheng nem elégszik meg annyival, hogy vádiratot szerkeszt Mao ellen, hanem igyekszik megértetni velünk a hatalmas Kína bonyolult belső folyamatait is, és az állampolgárok túlélési stratégiáit, akik a „hajlik a széllel, hogy túlélje a vihart” közmondás szellemében zokszó nélkül csinálták mindig azt, amit mondtak nekik. Nien Cheng nem is kárhoztatja őket ezért – de hogy ő jobb és erősebb ember volt legtöbbüknél, az számomra vitán felül áll.<br><br>* <a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagy_ugr%C3%A1s" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagy_ugrás</a><br>** A kötélhúzás közöttük egészen addig zajlik, amíg Mao végre kegyeskedik feldobni a tappancsot. Ekkor lesz elég ereje Teng Hsziao-pingnek (Csou En-laj utódjának – a miniszterelnök ugyanis rákban korábban elhunyt), hogy leszámoljon Mao özvegyével. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_219662191" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_219662191"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_219662191" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_219662191" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_219662191"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Kuszma" target="_top">Kuszma</a> | Jul 2, 2022 | <a href="/review/219662191"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_215890281" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>What an interesting book. The writing is not great but it is not a novel. It is her memories of the time including 6 years of imprisonment. She is definitely a strong woman and a role model for standing up for what you believe in no matter what the cost. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss6.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_215890281" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_215890281"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_215890281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_215890281" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_215890281"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/KyleneJones" target="_top">KyleneJones</a> | Apr 25, 2022 | <a href="/review/215890281"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_162714395" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This would have to be the most profound book I have read on what it was like to live in Communist China during the Mao Tze-tung years. This remarkable woman gives an account of her life and experiences, including 6 and a half years spent in a detention centre, where she was subjected to repeated interrogations but her resilience and intelligence refused to be broken. Upon her release she discovers her only daughter has died at the hands of her over-zealous captors. Throughout, the reader never doubts her love and devotion for her beloved China. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_162714395" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_162714395"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_162714395" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_162714395" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_162714395"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/HelenBaker" target="_top">HelenBaker</a> | Dec 5, 2018 | <a href="/review/162714395"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_8029074" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>At one time Cheng's husband used to be a diplomatic officer for the Kuomintang government. Due to the entrance of the Communist army, his appointment soon led him to a career with the British Shell International Petroleum Company. Upon his death, his widow, Nien Cheng, became the assistant to the new general manager. Cheng's bilingual skills were invaluable to the organization and she soon filled in for the general manager. In addition, she had many international friendships and relationships. All these facts were seen as disloyal during the Cultural Revolution. Ultimately, she was accused of being a spy and imprisoned for six and a half years where she was treated to inhumane conditions and sometimes tortured. Despite everything, Cheng was able to use her fast thinking wit to turn Mao teachings against her captures as they tried time and time again to get her to confess to being a spy. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_8029074" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_8029074"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_8029074" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_8029074" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_8029074"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/SeriousGrace" target="_top">SeriousGrace</a> | Sep 6, 2016 | <a href="/review/8029074"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_117608144" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Life and Death in Shanghai is Nien Cheng's memoir of her harrowing and tragic life under Communist rule in China. It's a long book that might have been shortened up by a third to improve focus and readability. Although I've rated it at 4 stars, I cannot recommend it as an enjoyable or easy read. In addition to reading about the author's life, you will receive excellent information about the workings of the Communist Party and the continual shifts of power within the leadership and how this affected the Chinese people in their daily lives.<br><br>One issue I had was the author's rather dry reportage style, which I concluded might be a reflection of her stoicism. Although she is the hero of the story, she appears remote and steely. Perhaps these characteristics, combined with her fearlessness, were exactly what allowed her to survive her ordeal. I really can't blame her for allowing herself to feel self pity and to complain about her circumstances from time to time.<br><br>Her reactions at first seem naive and unrealistic given she had already lived through many phases of the Revolution under Mao's takeover before she is imprisoned. She knows how the system works, but of course, it rapidly deteriorated especially after the failure of the Great Leap Forward.<br><br>The author was privileged before the Revolution, and continued to receive special treatment throughout her time in China. It does appear at times that she feels entitled to better treatment than others around her and this lends an air of arrogance to her story. <br><br>Ms. Cheng's painstaking details of her possessions, her imprisonment, her frequent interrogations, struggle meetings and mistreatment by her guards may weary certain readers. <br><br>I found as I continued to read the story, my admiration for her intelligence, determination, unwavering declarations of innocence and her cunning grew. <br><br>The memoir is slow to wind up after the author's release, subsequent reintegration into society and decision to leave China. <br><br>This is a serious, lengthy and sober study of one woman's survival in a murderous and chaotic time and place that seems very alien to Westerners. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_117608144" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_117608144"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_117608144" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_117608144" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_117608144"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Zumbanista" target="_top">Zumbanista</a> | Apr 18, 2016 | <a href="/review/117608144"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_120909587" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Excellent book about the injustices of Mao's Cultural Revolution in China. Would have given it 5 stars, but it really was longer than it should have been. The descriptions of prison life and the inquisitions are repetitive and could have been scaled back a bit. Still, an excellent book. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_120909587" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_120909587"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_120909587" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_120909587" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_120909587"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/valorrmac" target="_top">valorrmac</a> | Aug 19, 2015 | <a href="/review/120909587"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_117028980" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>A great read, well written. Solitary confinement for over 6 years for being accused of being a spy. Poor woman. Would read again <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_117028980" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_117028980"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_117028980" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_117028980" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_117028980"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Tony2704" target="_top">Tony2704</a> | Mar 17, 2015 | <a href="/review/117028980"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_111186987" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Compelling story of the violence and cruelty of the Cultural Revolution <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_111186987" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_111186987"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_111186987" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_111186987" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_111186987"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/BondLamberty" target="_top">BondLamberty</a> | Jul 29, 2014 | <a href="/review/111186987"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_86037737" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Life and Death in Shanghai is a very interesting memoir, capturing a critical time in China's history. Cheng's intimate participation in the Cultural Revolution comes with its own limitations, of course, but also gives a unique perspective. <br><br>It's 1966, and the Cultural Revolution is intensifying across China. The wealthy widow of a Kuomintang official, former worker for Shell Oil in Shanghai and frequent overseas traveler, Nien Cheng stands out for all the wrong reasons, and it isn't long until the Red Guards are knocking at her door. <br><br>What follows is an incredible story of deprivation and injustice - all the more incredible for being so common at the time. Cheng shares with us her incarceration, and much else, over the many years of Cultural Revolution.<br><br>As a Westerner looking back some forty-odd years into the past, I can't help but marvel at the collective insanity of the Revolution. Cheng captures its meaningless banality, empty slogans and hopeless denunciations, but also how the Revolution, and communism in general warped the mindset of Chinese at the time. <br><br>Her retrospective analysis, and the crude Sinology she is forced to engage in - a stumbling attempt to ascertain what is going on in the CCP at the time - mirrors what so many were doing. <br><br>There's nothing especially clever about Life and Death in Shanghai - it's not that kind of book. Rather it is a no-holds-barred testament. A powerful, strident voice shouting out the truth. <br><br>And yet, Cheng's decades of having to guard her thoughts is not so easily shaken it seems. Fiercely anti-Communist, there is nonetheless a feeling of careful construction to the memoir. She recalls so much, so perfectly, and her thoughts are always so... right. As a character she is faultless. <br><br>But I was left with a feeling that part of Cheng's survival came at the expensive of a certain type of self-reflection or even self-knowledge. This manifests most obviously in her (seeming) complete unawareness of either her incipient danger, or - for a woman with tens of thousands of dollars in domestic and overseas bank accounts; three servants; a house to herself filled with precious art and ceramic - curious inability to see herself as the Party (rightly, in this one case) saw her: a bourgeois member of the elite. <br><br>In some ways, this second layer - not Cheng as rebel, but Cheng as Chinese, and Cheng as representative of former elite - deepens the book considerably, adding a far more allusive and ambiguous set of questions the reader can ask. The answers, of course, are not supplied - at least not on the surface - but I wouldn't be surprised if the book ignites a hunger for more 20th Century Chinese history in anyone who reads it. Just this one voice is so compelling, and there are millions more. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_86037737" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_86037737"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_86037737" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_86037737" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_86037737"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/patrickgarson" target="_top">patrickgarson</a> | Feb 16, 2013 | <a href="/review/86037737"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_91493029" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>When I first went to teach English in China, I brought with me lots of books written in English. I was down to my last one and it was Frankenstein. I kept it. While there, I read it three times (because I had nothing else to read). I found this book at a garage sale and have read it twice, even though I have many books on my shelves. Teaching English in China changed my life. This book changed me as well. Reading it I felt as if I knew Cheng Tai Tai. I recently Googled her and found that she was living here in the US and would accept visitors who just showed up on her doorstep. I also read that she had passed away only recently. I have such regret that I didn't search her out sooner. I would have loved to sit and have a cup of tea and her her speak of China prior to the Cultural Revolution. I often tell my American students (I am American) that they are "tai pang, tai lan" (too fat and too lazy) and that they should read to understand how easy they have life here. This book is but one of the reasons I will retire in my "adopted" homeland of China.<br><br>Dr. Michael Cubbin<br>www.speakenglishwithme.org</div><div id="rfd_91493029" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_91493029">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_91493029" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_91493029" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_91493029" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_91493029"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/drcubbin" target="_top">drcubbin</a> | Nov 10, 2012 | <a href="/review/91493029"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_68062245" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>hard to read because her time in jail was so demoralizing. inspiring because her old age was so traumatic- death of her only child, emigration. very good story of china at that time. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_68062245" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_68062245"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_68062245" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_68062245" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_68062245"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/mahallett" target="_top">mahallett</a> | Dec 24, 2010 | <a href="/review/68062245"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_55179097" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I thought the late 60s in the US were a time of radical change, but they're nothing compared to how Mao's Red Guards turned China upside down. I live in Shanghai where this memoir took place. Surprisinly, there's very little local history preserved. No walking tours, nothing much in the Shanghai Museum. While reading I wanted to run out and find her former house and the prison where she spent six years. No luck yet finding them. The author does a great job of blending her personal narrative with enough background history lessons that when you're done reading her story you come away with a much deeper understanding of why and how thousands of Chinese were persected. But for me, I have more questions about Communism than ever before. What Mao preached as class struggle and a new revolution was just the usual dictatorship diatribe. Maybe after reading up on it and comparing the Chinese revolution with the Cuban revolution I'll understand Communism better.Read this book. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_55179097" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_55179097">4</span> <img title="4 members found this review helpful" id="rvi_55179097" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_55179097" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_55179097" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_55179097"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/techszewski" target="_top">techszewski</a> | Jan 10, 2010 | <a href="/review/55179097"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_29036802" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>a memoir of the author's life during the Cultural Revolution when she was incarcerated for 6 years for the "crime" of belonging to the so-called elite and capitalist class. this is one of those "unputdownable" books i've read lately. one can't help admire the strength and poise with which this remarkable woman endured all that. written in unsentimental prose, and for all the tragedy that she had to go through (losing her daughter to the Red Guards among others), she manages to be somewhat detached from events - a fact which allows her to observe the events around her with as much objectivity as she could. thus she is able to provide the reader a context and analysis that is more logical in its approach rather than sentimental. i felt, however, that she adopts an almost condescending tone, both with the people she dealt with, and somewhat in the tone of her storytelling, as if she believed she was better than most and above all "these toiling masses." the book gives a very good insight too of the turmoil in China during this period. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_29036802" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_29036802"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_29036802" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_29036802" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_29036802"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/deebee1" target="_top">deebee1</a> | Oct 30, 2009 | <a href="/review/29036802"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_43937899" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Eye-opening experience when reading this book. Loved it. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_43937899" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_43937899">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_43937899" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_43937899" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_43937899" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_43937899"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/edog5948" target="_top">edog5948</a> | Apr 11, 2009 | <a href="/review/43937899"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_39706105" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Having read this a second time recently for a book group, I was struck again by how graceful Cheng's writing is. For someone who has endured what most would call a slice of hell, she has a grace and strength present from start to finish. It is a wonder that she is able to recall the smallest details that she writes about, but with the time of her hands spent in isolation, it's no small wonder that she had time to hone her storytelling. A beautifully written book. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_39706105" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_39706105">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_39706105" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_39706105" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_39706105" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_39706105"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Naberius" target="_top">Naberius</a> | Feb 27, 2009 | <a href="/review/39706105"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_38966371" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>An amazing story of the power of the human spirit to survive adversity. While the story of a woman in solitary confinement during the height of China's cultural revolution may seem to be a story that would depressing and difficult to read, this woman's story is infused a tremendous amount of humanity and courage and steadfast belief in right and the ultimate triumph of right -- so much so that the book is continually uplifting and inspiring. Here is a woman to be considered a true hero. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_38966371" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_38966371">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_38966371" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_38966371" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_38966371" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_38966371"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/michaelskelley" target="_top">michaelskelley</a> | Dec 10, 2008 | <a href="/review/38966371"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_25850638" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Nien Cheng ended up in prison during the Cultural Revolution. Given nothing to read but the Little Red Book. She would use statements from the book to baffle and confuse her Red Guard interrogators. She would use the book to contradict her interrogators who could not argue with statements by Chairman Mao. A good compliment to [Wild Swans].</div><div id="rfd_25850638" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_25850638"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_25850638" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_25850638" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_25850638"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/LamSon" target="_top">LamSon</a> | Sep 6, 2008 | <a href="/review/25850638"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_35405485" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I could not put this book down. An amazing story of courage and determination of a feisty woman living and surviving the horrors of the cultural revolution in China from about 1947 to 1980's. Imprisoned as a spy because she and her husband worked for an oil company, she had only Mao's little Red book to read and she used it as a weapon to fight with during her many interrogations. She had everything and lost it all except a foreign bank account but never gave up and eventually won her freedom.<br><br>Her story is told from the position of a wealthy Chinese woman in Communist China. So far in addition to reading this book I have read "Red Azalea" by Anchee Min (a similar time period told from the perspective of a young woman from the age of about 5 from a middle class family) and "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" by Jung Chang (a story of a family of a communist guerrilla leader who rose through the ranks only to be betrayed).<br><br>These are must-reads if you want to understand the character of Chinese people today. After reading these books (and others that I intend to find here) you can appreciate the changes in modern day China that I saw 3 years ago when I visited Shenzhen, China.<br><br>Amazing reads of survival in an almost apocalyptic period. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_35405485" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_35405485"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_35405485" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_35405485" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_35405485"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Lynxear" target="_top">Lynxear</a> | Aug 31, 2008 | <a href="/review/35405485"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_72866293" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/13521" data-workid="13521" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/014010870X.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>What a fantastic book of true stories! This book is a summary of NPR's National Story Project, which brought together books from all over the nation. Something to read from every part of life's full range of emotion and drama!Available at Teton County Library on CDBook, call number CD Book 973.921 I <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_72866293" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_72866293"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_72866293" title="Flagged as not a review" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-blue.gif"> <img id="rfi2_72866293" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_72866293"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/csmirl" target="_top">csmirl</a> | May 1, 2011 | <a href="/review/72866293"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class='reviewnav'><div 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