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quickolive32's review against another edition
5.0
The author details his life before during and after the CCP's "crackdown" on the Uyghur community. Living in Xinjiang goes from being able to pray daily and study Islam as a kid to being sent to "study" (read: prison) if you even have possession of a Quran. He talks about a single night where a whole apartment building full of people throws their religious texts down the sewer drain one by one.
After his family finally gets away, people that helped him escape are also sent to prison. His own parents have to sign statements saying that they will not contact him again after a single phone call from abroad.
I've heard general news about the happenings in Xinjiang but this book talks about the author's own experience. Its told from a first person perspective. It makes it that much more powerful.
The author, a poet and a creative, has a few poems sprinkled throughout the text.
Its not all bad, he does write about a fondness for his culture and his place of origin. Unfortunately, this is a place that will probably never exist again.
After his family finally gets away, people that helped him escape are also sent to prison. His own parents have to sign statements saying that they will not contact him again after a single phone call from abroad.
I've heard general news about the happenings in Xinjiang but this book talks about the author's own experience. Its told from a first person perspective. It makes it that much more powerful.
The author, a poet and a creative, has a few poems sprinkled throughout the text.
Its not all bad, he does write about a fondness for his culture and his place of origin. Unfortunately, this is a place that will probably never exist again.
yuhanlin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
lbelow's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
5.0
I stepped into this book knowing nothing about the ongoing Uyghur oppression in China. Having read this book, I can think of nothing else. This is not a happy story and it does not have a happy ending. I find myself thinking of all the people who did not escape China, the people in those "study" camps and labor camps. The people left behind to wonder where their lives ones are, if they are alive, if they will ever come home. This is such an intimate and moving read. I'm glad it included some of his poetry, too! I hope to one day be able to read an English-language translation of his poems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Islamophobia, Colonisation, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
srm's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
The writing is clear and compelling, while the story is heartbreaking and painful. So worth reading.
Content Warnings
dictatorial regime