Scan barcode
vrog12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
easytocrash's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
harrietbrown's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
3.0
I just found some of the things Ai Weiwei wrote specifically about his interactions with his son to be somewhat unbelievable (I’m sure this isn’t true)
nacho_lvn's review
5.0
I really liked Ai Weiwei’s memoir because it shines light on the pathway he has followed, the reasons that justify this particular road and the impact it has had in his life- although he reflects on the impact he has had on the world the fact that he focuses on how his path has impacted him and shaped his worldview us very important.
This book is also fundamental because it reminds us how each of us as individuals can make a decision between being complacent or facing off with an unjust system. Weiwei stresses that “when people blur what is right and wrong, what takes over is pragmatism and preoccupation with the expedient.” As a response to this, he posits the importance of freedom as a choice of the individual: “freedom is not a goal but a direction, and it comes into being through the very act of resistance.” It is our choice if we resist, or as has been elsewhere-ludicrously proposed- we exercise our “negative” freedom.
This book is also fundamental because it reminds us how each of us as individuals can make a decision between being complacent or facing off with an unjust system. Weiwei stresses that “when people blur what is right and wrong, what takes over is pragmatism and preoccupation with the expedient.” As a response to this, he posits the importance of freedom as a choice of the individual: “freedom is not a goal but a direction, and it comes into being through the very act of resistance.” It is our choice if we resist, or as has been elsewhere-ludicrously proposed- we exercise our “negative” freedom.
caleb_tankersley's review
5.0
A beautiful memoir of a very brave man. The books combines a personal family narrative (Ai Weiwei's father's story, and hopes for his son) with a political history of twentieth-century China. I also loved the philosophical musings on the possibilities for art not to exist in galleries or dusty shelves but to engage with the living world.
drgnhrt968's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
One of the best memoirs I have ever read. Well-written and well-translated. Inspiring, informative, and emotional. Provides a personalized understanding of pre-CCP China, life and art under Mao Zedong's regime, and the difficulties of fighting for freedom of speech and artistic freedom in CCP China. Ai Weiwei wrote a poignant account of his life during some of the most tumultuous decades in China's modern history and how his art was created within and informed by his personal and political experiences.
_tourist's review against another edition
A compelling narration of Ai Weiweis life; entertaining, engrossing. Poetic, and well translated. Beautifully illustrated, and littered with captivating images (both textual and illustrated).