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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
A rather quick read for such a heavy subject. Min writes with an odd matter-of-factness so that all the details of her life both good and bad are given equal weight as she reports them. It is difficult sometimes to judge how things affected her. I come away feeling I have learned more about the Cultural Revolution but Min still remains a mystery.
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Fascinating. This is the (true?) story of a woman growing up in Communist China: it's difficulties and unfairness, how the Party came before humanity on a basic level. Shocking in it's reality, the story shouldn't be possible. Yet it is.
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
A good peek at a turbulent history: the years of China's cultural revolution.
This was an extremely enjoyable book. I liked the story and how it was told. This book again pointed out two things that I have been noticing in my reading a lot lately.
First, I have a really bad understanding of a lot of foreign history. I have always had a love of history, I like understanding how things were. It's like a large puzzle with many pieces, figuring out how everything fits together. I apparently have a large hole in my Chinese history. I don't know if that is because it just wasn't covered, or it just didn't sink in. This book covered a time period that I just don't know that much about. I love when a book illuminates things for me like this book did.
Second, different is different, not necessarily good or bad just different. It's easy to read through a story like this and impart upon it what I was raised with. That just isn't fair to the book, or story. How am I to judge if soy, cow, or yak milk is tastier? I was raised with one, but being lactose intolerant may choose another, and I don't think I have ever had the third. If I was raised someplace else I might have a different view. It's all about you and what you bring to the equation. This book has a lot of different in it for me. My first instinct is to judge, but when I put that out of my mind, the story was just so enjoyable.
This book reminded me not to judge to much, just enjoy. Things aren't always what they look like, or seem.
First, I have a really bad understanding of a lot of foreign history. I have always had a love of history, I like understanding how things were. It's like a large puzzle with many pieces, figuring out how everything fits together. I apparently have a large hole in my Chinese history. I don't know if that is because it just wasn't covered, or it just didn't sink in. This book covered a time period that I just don't know that much about. I love when a book illuminates things for me like this book did.
Second, different is different, not necessarily good or bad just different. It's easy to read through a story like this and impart upon it what I was raised with. That just isn't fair to the book, or story. How am I to judge if soy, cow, or yak milk is tastier? I was raised with one, but being lactose intolerant may choose another, and I don't think I have ever had the third. If I was raised someplace else I might have a different view. It's all about you and what you bring to the equation. This book has a lot of different in it for me. My first instinct is to judge, but when I put that out of my mind, the story was just so enjoyable.
This book reminded me not to judge to much, just enjoy. Things aren't always what they look like, or seem.
I found the author's style to be somewhat difficult to follow. The truth about China's not so distant past is very hard to digest. I find it very upsetting that this was happening a mere 25 or 30 years ago, and very likely is still occuring on some level even now. I think I'm done with reading about the cultural revolution for now!