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ameliasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.75
When I first started this book, I struggled a lot with the writing. I was wondering why the publisher didn't do a better editing job to make this a more polished reading experience. I am a big fan of narrative nonfiction, so I am more used to that kind of style. But who am I to be snobbish about a book, that is nothing else than the proof for a deeply hurtful experience in own words? Sauytbay is not a professional writer and the decision to let the writing for in her own voice, makes total sense to me now. What she is describing, is beyond terrible and I had heard about a few things, which she is describing in this book before, but was obviously quite ignorant about the dimension of what China is actually doing to the Uigurs and the Kazakh people (and some other nations, but this is not what this book is about). And China does this in a much more clever way than e.g. Russia, they just keep everybody's mouth shot with money and valuable trade relations.
lisatz's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
am Anfang hat Sauytbay sehr häufig erwähnt ihre Familie sei nicht so wie andere muslimische Familien. Sie seien liberal und nicht konservativ, sie muss kein Kopftuch tragen etc. diese Aufwertung ihrer eigenen Familie durch die Abwertung anderer fand ich sehr unangebracht.
Da Sauytbay das Buch nicht selbst geschrieben hat sondern mithilfe eines Übersetzers und einer deutschen Autorin, weiß ich nicht inwieweit sie überhaupt für diese Teile verantwortlich ist.
Abgesehen davon ein unglaublich wichtiges Buch und entscheidend für ein besseres Verständnis der Lage der uigurischen und Kasachischen Bevölkekörung in Nordchina.
Da Sauytbay das Buch nicht selbst geschrieben hat sondern mithilfe eines Übersetzers und einer deutschen Autorin, weiß ich nicht inwieweit sie überhaupt für diese Teile verantwortlich ist.
Abgesehen davon ein unglaublich wichtiges Buch und entscheidend für ein besseres Verständnis der Lage der uigurischen und Kasachischen Bevölkekörung in Nordchina.
sonea_moon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
What it must have taken to write this book... what an incredible strength. I thought I was already quite well informed on the matter, but the experience of this woman is even so much more horrible than I had expected
We must spread the information on what is happening! Recommending this book to everyone I know
We must spread the information on what is happening! Recommending this book to everyone I know
emerxxi's review against another edition
5.0
If you only read one book this year please make it this one.
This book is hard to read, it's hard to be confronted with the stark realities of the Chinese concentration camps.
This was June's pick for the book club in work but it has taken me this long to get through it because it was emotionally draining to read it. I cannot begin to fathom have emotionally and physically draining it was to live it.
Please read this book and speak out about the plight of the Uighrs and Kazakh people in East Turkistan.
This book is hard to read, it's hard to be confronted with the stark realities of the Chinese concentration camps.
This was June's pick for the book club in work but it has taken me this long to get through it because it was emotionally draining to read it. I cannot begin to fathom have emotionally and physically draining it was to live it.
Please read this book and speak out about the plight of the Uighrs and Kazakh people in East Turkistan.
rstock's review against another edition
5.0
**ESSENTIAL READING**
We read countless books on the Nazi concentration camps and think how did these occur? These camps are happening right now in China. Their is a genocide happening and yet if I ask many of my friends if they know of this, they will say no. This brave woman needs to have her story heard. I don’t know what I can do as an individual, but the more ppl that are aware of this the better.
We read countless books on the Nazi concentration camps and think how did these occur? These camps are happening right now in China. Their is a genocide happening and yet if I ask many of my friends if they know of this, they will say no. This brave woman needs to have her story heard. I don’t know what I can do as an individual, but the more ppl that are aware of this the better.
emmycd's review against another edition
5.0
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
As a history teacher, one of the biggest messages to my students is that we are simply learning about a case study of a bigger concept. For example, World War 1 is just one example of a war. The Chartist movement is just one example of ordinary people protesting for increased rights and against inequality. As part of the KS3 National Curriculum, students must study the Holocaust, one of many (unfortunately) genocides that have blighted human history. Why did it happen? How did it happen? How can we ensure it doesn't happen again? This is something that every single person should know, but yet we seem to be letting it happen all over again.
The truth is there is a genocide happening right now in China. In fact, this isn't the only genocide occurring in the world at the moment, but I will focus on the persecution of Muslim minorities in China here. This has only recently been declared as a genocide even though it really has been known about for a good few years now. China has tried to stop talks about this by trying to get states to boycott UN events and detaining, threatening and killing anyone who speaks out against the CCP.
Sauytbay was born in East Turkestan (Xinjiang in Chinese) in the North-West of China. This memoir details the ever growing restrictions and humiliations dealt to Muslims and ethnic minorities in this region from the 1970s to the present day and mirrors to such a high degree the actions of the Nazi part in Germany in the 1930s and 50s. From increased surveillance, pledging allegiance to the CCP and suppressing "undesirable" non-Chinese culture, the people of East Turkestan have been systematically oppressed for years. In the past 5 years of so this has also led to concentration camps being built where Uighur and Kazakh Muslims are brainwashed, kept in appalling conditions and routinely raped and tortured.
Even after escaping this horrendous regime, Sauytbay was not safe. Through China's economic expansion and lending of money to many poorer surrounding nations, they have a big political influence in these countries and Sauytbay had to fight for her freedom away from Kazakhstan where she had initially sought asylum.
Sayragul Sauytbay is such a brave woman and individuals like her are ensuring that the truth comes to light. This is not something we can ignore. This must be acted on.
As a history teacher, one of the biggest messages to my students is that we are simply learning about a case study of a bigger concept. For example, World War 1 is just one example of a war. The Chartist movement is just one example of ordinary people protesting for increased rights and against inequality. As part of the KS3 National Curriculum, students must study the Holocaust, one of many (unfortunately) genocides that have blighted human history. Why did it happen? How did it happen? How can we ensure it doesn't happen again? This is something that every single person should know, but yet we seem to be letting it happen all over again.
The truth is there is a genocide happening right now in China. In fact, this isn't the only genocide occurring in the world at the moment, but I will focus on the persecution of Muslim minorities in China here. This has only recently been declared as a genocide even though it really has been known about for a good few years now. China has tried to stop talks about this by trying to get states to boycott UN events and detaining, threatening and killing anyone who speaks out against the CCP.
Sauytbay was born in East Turkestan (Xinjiang in Chinese) in the North-West of China. This memoir details the ever growing restrictions and humiliations dealt to Muslims and ethnic minorities in this region from the 1970s to the present day and mirrors to such a high degree the actions of the Nazi part in Germany in the 1930s and 50s. From increased surveillance, pledging allegiance to the CCP and suppressing "undesirable" non-Chinese culture, the people of East Turkestan have been systematically oppressed for years. In the past 5 years of so this has also led to concentration camps being built where Uighur and Kazakh Muslims are brainwashed, kept in appalling conditions and routinely raped and tortured.
Even after escaping this horrendous regime, Sauytbay was not safe. Through China's economic expansion and lending of money to many poorer surrounding nations, they have a big political influence in these countries and Sauytbay had to fight for her freedom away from Kazakhstan where she had initially sought asylum.
Sayragul Sauytbay is such a brave woman and individuals like her are ensuring that the truth comes to light. This is not something we can ignore. This must be acted on.
fayford's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape