Reviews

Swimming to Freedom: An Untold Story of Escaping China and the Cultural Revolution by Kent Wong

jaspott's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

trkravtin's review

Absorbing, fearless and eye-opening. Recommended for anyone wanting a perspective of what living in China was like during the Cultural Revolution. Admirable resiliency and personal accomplishments resound throughout this memoir.

katieweaverj's review

5.0

I love Cultural Revolution memoirs and this one did not disappoint. Thank you Kent for telling your story! It's priceless.

marshaskrypuch's review

5.0

Reading a memoir from this survivor of Mao's China makes me thankful for everyday comforts, freedoms and dignities that people in the west often take for granted. Kent Wong and his family lived through the horrors of mass repression during the Hundred Flowers Campaign, then the starvation of 36 million during the Great Leap Forward (chillingly similar to Stalin's first 5 year plan and the Holodomor), and years later, the Cultural Revolution. Determined to find freedom for himself and his family, Kent becomes one of the thousands of young people who try to escape by swimming to Hong Kong, and when he fails and is imprisoned, he tries again and again. He finally succeeds and ends up coming to the US, being accepted into Harvard Medical School and becoming a physician. Such hard work and determination. I highly recommend this enthralling book!
Thank you #netgally

vi_king's review

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Despite the very heavy subject matter, this memoir is a tool for sympathy and greater understanding without being to difficult for me to read all day.

vdubalongo's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

marie_thereadingotter's review

emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

Everybody needs to read this book.

alexanderh's review

5.0

I don't know what I was expecting with this book, but it definitely exceeded any expectations. The story was so well written that I bit all my nails off. It was compelling and inspirational. I want to thank Kent Wong for sharing this story and making it extremely easy for people like me to understand the reason certain language was used. Wong went the extra mile when he didn't have to and I am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity/privilege of learning so much about Freedom Swimmers.

evilyn's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

dezz's review

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5