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ewg109's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting book, but I can't say I really got "into" it. Chang's research, observations, and writing are all impeccable, but I think on some level the book gets overwhelming. I wish I could have read the chapters as articles instead.
emmaleeslijst's review against another edition
4.0
There were parts of this book that I really loved. I admire Chang's commitment to getting to know the world of these girls (she followed their journeys for over two years) and it paid off in really interesting observations. The world that she describes is fascinating and it's hard not to be moved by the choices the main characters are faced with. However, Chang's attempts to link up her own family's history with the lives of these girls did not really work for me. I think that should have been a separate book or essay.
samanthalenore's review against another edition
4.0
It's incredible to imagine that the Chinese migration in the past decades from rural villages to factory cities has been three times the size of the European immigration to the United States. So this felt like an important story to read. It was written in a very engaging way, and I feel like I learned a great deal about Chinese factories from the migrant's perspective. I was happy to read such a balanced account-- the author looked at the workers' lives through Western eyes, but also had a deep understanding of the opportunities that are provided through factory jobs and the profound impact that this has on Chinese culture, especially for women.
My only discomfort with the book was the way in which the author juxtaposed her family's personal history with the stories of the women she was portraying. I felt like she did a lot of work trying to make them fit thematically, when I would have been happier to see her develop her personal history into a separate narrative. However, it was interesting, as well, and did provide a good review of modern Chinese history to those who might not be familiar with it.
All in all, I really do recommend this book. It was fascinating.
My only discomfort with the book was the way in which the author juxtaposed her family's personal history with the stories of the women she was portraying. I felt like she did a lot of work trying to make them fit thematically, when I would have been happier to see her develop her personal history into a separate narrative. However, it was interesting, as well, and did provide a good review of modern Chinese history to those who might not be familiar with it.
All in all, I really do recommend this book. It was fascinating.
florismeertens's review against another edition
Het ideaal van de American Dream is er een van pioniers; het is een onwankelbaar geloof in eigen succes (of misschien eerder, een verbetering van de huidige situatie) dat men ertoe zet nieuwe landen te ontdekken. Het is dan ook geen wonder dat in de VS dit geloof bij velen is uitgedoofd. De nieuwe broedplaats van dit ideaal is juist hun grote rivaal, China, en dan specifiek, de jongeren die duizenden kilometers reizen van hun geboortedorp naar de fabrieken in de grote stad.
Xi Jinping propageert al jaren het ideaal van de Zhongguomeng , de Chinese droom, die een beetje verschilt van de Amerikaanse: als je maar hard genoeg werkt, kan je de top bereiken, en daarmee help je de ontwikkeling van heel China. Dit vormt het kapitalisme om tot een op de staat gericht patriottisme.
De meisjes die worden beschreven in Factory Girls van Leslie Chang (en het is belangrijk te benadrukken dat dit echt meisjes zijn, vaak jonger dan 18 bij vertrek) hebben niets met dit ideaal, en hoeven China niet te helpen. Ze willen succes vinden voor zichzelf, en niemand anders. De politiek gaat ze niets aan; niemand kan je immers helpen, behalve jezelf. Deze hypermeritocratie is het een mengeling van de kapitalistische American Dream en de confucianistische zelfcultiveringsdrang.
De bizarre setting van dit boek is het ultradynamische Dongguan (dichtbij Hongkong en Shenzhen, de Chinese Silicon Valley), waar enorme aantallen arbeidsmigranten de goedkope arbeid verlenen voor de producten die over de hele wereld worden geëxporteerd. Hoewel deze wereld materialistisch, oneerlijk, onoprecht, vrouwonvriendelijk en zwaar is, is het niet alleen kommer en kwel: deze meisjes vinden hier een mogelijkheid om vrijheid te vinden in de grote stad, om zelf doelen te stellen. Ze zijn niet meer afhankelijk van hun vaders uit het patriarchale platteland. Vaak zijn zij nu de kostwinners, en hebben daarom meer te zeggen thuis.
Veel van deze meisjes zijn grandioos ambitieus: "the saddest person in the world is one without goals or dreams", heeft van hen als motto. Hun durf en aanpassingsvermogen zijn noodzakelijk in hun pionierende levens. Ze verhuizen van baan naar baan, liegen over hun CV, allemaal voor de droom van succes.
Dit boek beeldt allerlei absurde taferelen van het leven in Dongguan uit, van bijlesmachines voor Engels tot de zelfhulpretoriek die doet denken aan oude Chinese filosofie. Tussendoor weidt Chang uit over haar eigen familie, eveneens migranten, eerst naar Mantsjoerije, daarna de VS. Dit is niet per se heel relevant in het boek, maar wel interessant, en er zijn zeker parallellen te trekken.
Chang is altijd erg begripvol in haar beschrijvingen, maar weet haar rol als buitenstaander ook met veel humor te vervullen. Ze beoordeelt de meisjes niet, en deze komen dus ook helemaal niet onsympathiek over: het enige wat ik voelde was verbazing en een vreemdsoortig ontzag.
Het is nu meer dan 10 jaar later, en de situatie is vast op veel punten anders nu. De enige constante aan Dongguan (en het leven van de fabrieksmeisjes), is dat het nooit hetzelfde blijft. Dit boek is het zoveelste bewijs dat het moderne China eindeloos spannend en dynamisch is.
Xi Jinping propageert al jaren het ideaal van de Zhongguomeng , de Chinese droom, die een beetje verschilt van de Amerikaanse: als je maar hard genoeg werkt, kan je de top bereiken, en daarmee help je de ontwikkeling van heel China. Dit vormt het kapitalisme om tot een op de staat gericht patriottisme.
De meisjes die worden beschreven in Factory Girls van Leslie Chang (en het is belangrijk te benadrukken dat dit echt meisjes zijn, vaak jonger dan 18 bij vertrek) hebben niets met dit ideaal, en hoeven China niet te helpen. Ze willen succes vinden voor zichzelf, en niemand anders. De politiek gaat ze niets aan; niemand kan je immers helpen, behalve jezelf. Deze hypermeritocratie is het een mengeling van de kapitalistische American Dream en de confucianistische zelfcultiveringsdrang.
De bizarre setting van dit boek is het ultradynamische Dongguan (dichtbij Hongkong en Shenzhen, de Chinese Silicon Valley), waar enorme aantallen arbeidsmigranten de goedkope arbeid verlenen voor de producten die over de hele wereld worden geëxporteerd. Hoewel deze wereld materialistisch, oneerlijk, onoprecht, vrouwonvriendelijk en zwaar is, is het niet alleen kommer en kwel: deze meisjes vinden hier een mogelijkheid om vrijheid te vinden in de grote stad, om zelf doelen te stellen. Ze zijn niet meer afhankelijk van hun vaders uit het patriarchale platteland. Vaak zijn zij nu de kostwinners, en hebben daarom meer te zeggen thuis.
Veel van deze meisjes zijn grandioos ambitieus: "the saddest person in the world is one without goals or dreams", heeft van hen als motto. Hun durf en aanpassingsvermogen zijn noodzakelijk in hun pionierende levens. Ze verhuizen van baan naar baan, liegen over hun CV, allemaal voor de droom van succes.
Dit boek beeldt allerlei absurde taferelen van het leven in Dongguan uit, van bijlesmachines voor Engels tot de zelfhulpretoriek die doet denken aan oude Chinese filosofie. Tussendoor weidt Chang uit over haar eigen familie, eveneens migranten, eerst naar Mantsjoerije, daarna de VS. Dit is niet per se heel relevant in het boek, maar wel interessant, en er zijn zeker parallellen te trekken.
Chang is altijd erg begripvol in haar beschrijvingen, maar weet haar rol als buitenstaander ook met veel humor te vervullen. Ze beoordeelt de meisjes niet, en deze komen dus ook helemaal niet onsympathiek over: het enige wat ik voelde was verbazing en een vreemdsoortig ontzag.
Het is nu meer dan 10 jaar later, en de situatie is vast op veel punten anders nu. De enige constante aan Dongguan (en het leven van de fabrieksmeisjes), is dat het nooit hetzelfde blijft. Dit boek is het zoveelste bewijs dat het moderne China eindeloos spannend en dynamisch is.
ngochan11's review against another edition
4.0
Đó là một buổi trưa trời nắng đẹp và tôi đi bộ từ ngoài cổng trường vào nhà A. Để vào toà nhà, tôi hay đi con đường dốc thoải thoải, mà cho tới giờ, khi có mặt ở Úc rồi, tôi mới nghĩ là "có thể đó là đường mà kiến trúc sư xịn của trường mình thiết kế ra để cho người tàn tật đi". Hôm đó ở đỉnh dốc, (gọi là dốc thôi chứ người ta hay ngồi bạ ngồi bừa ở bất kỳ chỗ nào trong sự thoai thoải đó), H ngồi, đang đọc một cuốn sách mà cậu đã giới thiệu cho tôi vài ba ngày trước đó. H đọc đầy đam mê, như cách tôi có thể cảm nhận được qua những lời khen đậm đặc mùi xuýt xoa của cậu. Tôi tính ngó qua chào một câu, và lên lớp, nhưng khi ngồi cùng H rồi, cậu nói tôi ngồi lại bên cậu một chút.
Và đó là tất cả những gì tôi nhớ lại về "Gái công xưởng" trước khi tôi quyết định sẽ đọc cuốn sách ở bên này, bản tiếng Anh, giữa những chộn rộn về nữ quyền, năng lực lãnh đạo, giữa tình yêu mới và những điều mới mẻ khác.
Những ngày đầu đọc sách cũng là những ngày đầu tôi bắt đầu đi làm ở một nhà máy, với vai trò công nhân. Tôi, lúc đó, cũng là một gái công xưởng. Nhưng ở một quốc gia khác. Ở một chế độ khác. Một hệ thống khác. Phong cách khác. Vậy nên đọc Gái công xưởng, phần nhiều tôi nhảy sang một bên của diễn biến nhân vật, để nghĩ về mình (cũng là gái nhà máy của vài ba năm về trước), rồi lại là mình của một vài năm sắp tới.
Gái công xưởng quả tình tới giờ không xuất sắc như ngày đó tôi mường tượng (qua những cái xuýt xoa của H, chuyện này xin đổ lỗi cho H), nhưng mang lại cho người đọc một cái nhìn nhiều vị mặn về một góc không hề nhỏ của thế giới, khi mà chuyện biết viết (và viết đep), cũng là một giá trị cao cấp.
Mặn tới mức đọc xong tôi chỉ muốn trở thành một cái cây.
Và đó là tất cả những gì tôi nhớ lại về "Gái công xưởng" trước khi tôi quyết định sẽ đọc cuốn sách ở bên này, bản tiếng Anh, giữa những chộn rộn về nữ quyền, năng lực lãnh đạo, giữa tình yêu mới và những điều mới mẻ khác.
Những ngày đầu đọc sách cũng là những ngày đầu tôi bắt đầu đi làm ở một nhà máy, với vai trò công nhân. Tôi, lúc đó, cũng là một gái công xưởng. Nhưng ở một quốc gia khác. Ở một chế độ khác. Một hệ thống khác. Phong cách khác. Vậy nên đọc Gái công xưởng, phần nhiều tôi nhảy sang một bên của diễn biến nhân vật, để nghĩ về mình (cũng là gái nhà máy của vài ba năm về trước), rồi lại là mình của một vài năm sắp tới.
Gái công xưởng quả tình tới giờ không xuất sắc như ngày đó tôi mường tượng (qua những cái xuýt xoa của H, chuyện này xin đổ lỗi cho H), nhưng mang lại cho người đọc một cái nhìn nhiều vị mặn về một góc không hề nhỏ của thế giới, khi mà chuyện biết viết (và viết đep), cũng là một giá trị cao cấp.
Mặn tới mức đọc xong tôi chỉ muốn trở thành một cái cây.
benrogerswpg's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good read on life in China for workers.
A bit outdated now-a-days, but still fairly recent.
Pretty sad read at times.
3.8/5
A bit outdated now-a-days, but still fairly recent.
Pretty sad read at times.
3.8/5
nakedsushi's review against another edition
3.0
Factory Girls is a non-fiction book written by an Chinese-American journalist. It focuses on the stories of girls who immigrate from rural Chinese villages to factories in more urban areas of China. The girls work in shoe factories, purse factories, factories that make one specific plastic piece for a larger item, and a lot of other factories, but their stories are all the same — they left the village for better opportunities.
I’m glad that someone finally wrote a book like this. People in America like to focus on poor working conditions of factories in China, but what they don’t realize is that a lot of the people working in those factories would rather work 14 hour days sitting in an assembly line and earning 10x the amount they make doing back-breaking work on a farm. The author does a great job showing the lives of these girls who leave their village without imparting any judgement on them or their bosses.
I enjoyed reading the stories of the handful of girls who worked at one factory, jumped to the next, jumped to another job, and so on, but I thought the author’s own story of her family felt a bit tacked on. It made the book feel like it was trying to be two separate books. The author’s story could have gone in a separate book about families affected by the Communist Revolution.
The book is easy to read. Even though the factory girls’ stories started sounding similar toward the middle of the book (that was the point), it never felt like a chore to read. I’d recommend the book to anyone interested in the side of the story that doesn’t usually get covered in western newspapers.
I’m glad that someone finally wrote a book like this. People in America like to focus on poor working conditions of factories in China, but what they don’t realize is that a lot of the people working in those factories would rather work 14 hour days sitting in an assembly line and earning 10x the amount they make doing back-breaking work on a farm. The author does a great job showing the lives of these girls who leave their village without imparting any judgement on them or their bosses.
I enjoyed reading the stories of the handful of girls who worked at one factory, jumped to the next, jumped to another job, and so on, but I thought the author’s own story of her family felt a bit tacked on. It made the book feel like it was trying to be two separate books. The author’s story could have gone in a separate book about families affected by the Communist Revolution.
The book is easy to read. Even though the factory girls’ stories started sounding similar toward the middle of the book (that was the point), it never felt like a chore to read. I’d recommend the book to anyone interested in the side of the story that doesn’t usually get covered in western newspapers.