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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
y'all I read a book with an index and cried.
If it were not for my dumbass thinking this was a fictional saga of women from three generations, I would not have overcome my prejudice against nonfiction and read this. it is true however that the book largely reads as a linear narrative of the individual people and their lives, which is what kept me going.
every single word in the blurb is accurate when describing this book. Chang does an amazing job of simultaneously addressing history on a larger scale along with the account of the people around her, mainly her mother, grandmother and to some extent her father and her siblings. again, did I mention that the book left me crying by the end? she does not stay in her own bubble, and the extensive research she did for this book is evident. she is an amazing writer, who transitions from personal accounts to experiences of others under the Maoist regime very smoothly. despite it being a long book, (and might I add again, a work of nonfiction; my immature ass will flex about this, till the day I actually grow up), I found it really hard to put it down every time I picked it up. this was not just an account of Chinese history under the Mao's regime, but an account on ideology, family, human nature and its relationship with the state, and much more.
loved it. mwah.
If it were not for my dumbass thinking this was a fictional saga of women from three generations, I would not have overcome my prejudice against nonfiction and read this. it is true however that the book largely reads as a linear narrative of the individual people and their lives, which is what kept me going.
every single word in the blurb is accurate when describing this book. Chang does an amazing job of simultaneously addressing history on a larger scale along with the account of the people around her, mainly her mother, grandmother and to some extent her father and her siblings. again, did I mention that the book left me crying by the end? she does not stay in her own bubble, and the extensive research she did for this book is evident. she is an amazing writer, who transitions from personal accounts to experiences of others under the Maoist regime very smoothly. despite it being a long book, (and might I add again, a work of nonfiction; my immature ass will flex about this, till the day I actually grow up), I found it really hard to put it down every time I picked it up. this was not just an account of Chinese history under the Mao's regime, but an account on ideology, family, human nature and its relationship with the state, and much more.
loved it. mwah.
I'm unsure how to rate this. It was engaging and taught me the bare-bones of Communist China, but I am also aware of the inaccuracies and biases.
The story itself is relentless, to say it puts things into perspective would be an understatement.
The story itself is relentless, to say it puts things into perspective would be an understatement.
Não se trata de uma obra que irá lhe dar um farto conhecimento sobre o regime comunista na China: autoritarismo, influência da Direita no mundo oriental ou outro tópico que claramente deve existir em vários artigos mundo afora, mas de como o Partido Comunista foi instaurado e decaiu na visão de 3 gerações de mulheres que lutaram bravamente. Caso um dia esse livro passe pelas suas mãos, procure ler imaginando um camponês que teve sua vida comandada por Mao (líder comunista por mais de 20 anos na China), alguém privado de informação e utilizado como marionete por um grupo de poucas pessoas que alienou de forma injusta e desproporcional centenas de milhões.
Tinham atraído o apoio de milhões de pessoas prometendo governo limpo, mas alguns funcionários começaram a aceitar subornos ou a conceder favores às suas famílias e amigos. Outros davam banquetes extravagantes, o que é uma fraqueza tradicional chinesa, quase uma doença, e uma maneira ao mesmo tempo de receber e exibir-se — tudo às custas e em nome do Estado, numa época em que o governo se achava extremamente desprovido de fundos.
Você por acaso recordou atitudes semelhantes entre os políticos brasileiros? Cisnes Selvagens trata a corrupção, troca de favores e demagogia tão próxima da realidade, que é inevitável não assemelhar a realidade brasileira que se repete e se reforma a cada golpe e estratégia covarde dos poderes que regem a nação. É curioso pensar que tanta corrupção que inunda o nosso país se ocorre também em diversas nações ao redor do mundo e ao longo da história.
“Um dia um camponês invadiu sua sala e jogou-se no chão, gritando que tinha cometido um crime terrível e pedindo para ser punido. Acabaram sabendo que ele matara e comera seu próprio bebê. A fome agira como uma força incontrolável, que o levara a pegar a faca. Com lágrimas escorrendo pelas faces, a autoridade mandou prender o camponês. Depois fuzilaram-no como uma advertência aos matadores de bebês.”
A fome é algo presente em quase todas as páginas do livro. A China comunista foi construída sob um povo subnutrido, pobre, alienado e sem educação alguma, o único acesso a palavras escritas se dava nos livros vermelhos que citavam as frases de Mao — que eram interpretadas ao bel prazer dos aplicadores da lei -, e nas placas vexatórias que se multiplicavam na China. Era comum encontrar uma placa em sua casa com os dizeres: “inimigo de classe”, sem motivo algum, por mera vingança. Os líderes do Partido Comunista não passavam fome e moravam em casas luxuosas, assim como os seus filhos.
A Revolução Cultural é um dos fatores mais deprimentes de todo o legado de Mao. Com seu pensamento degradante destruiu vestígios da China milenar, queimou livros, reprimiu pessoas, matou centenas de milhões e prosseguiu com seu objetivo de destruir qualquer pensamento capitalista, comandando os meios de comunicação e proibindo qualquer influência ocidental.
“Tinha experimentado o privilégio e a denúncia, a coragem e o medo, vira bondade e lealdade, e as profundezas da feiura humana. Em meio ao sofrimento, ruína e morte, tinha acima de tudo conhecido amor e a indestrutível capacidade humana para sobreviver e buscar a felicidade.”
A magnitude da história ultrapassa gerações e sua escrita é de uma riqueza cultural e humana formidável. Analisa-se como um povo se curva de todo o coração para um líder — o protetor Mao — que promete salvá-los.
A liberdade que possuímos hoje é algo que precisamos preservar e proteger. Há um poder de transformação social gigantesco em nossas mãos, mas o curioso é que parece que temos um Mao sobre nós (brasileiros) que nos deixa inerte em meio a tantas injustiças sociais e jurídicas, só que não há. Seria então algum interesse? Com certeza.
Foram 648 páginas de tortura, lágrimas, injustiças, demagogias, mas também as mesmas páginas eram recheadas de atitudes honrosas de humanidade, solidariedade e harmonia. Cisnes Selvagens me fez compreender como se deu todo o processo de instauração do regime comunista e como a estratégia do líder Mao se fez pilar no sofrimento de um povo simples e intimamente esperançoso.
Recomendo você a ler, por mais piegas que isso possa parecer, se deseja um mundo mais equânime e justo. É difícil pensar em escala global se a prefeitura da minha cidade desvia dinheiro público e na escola do meu filho não há aula por faltar merenda, mas sejamos fortes como os chineses que lutaram até a morte de Mao e não vamos desistir até que exista uma centelha de esperança. Uni-vos!
Tinham atraído o apoio de milhões de pessoas prometendo governo limpo, mas alguns funcionários começaram a aceitar subornos ou a conceder favores às suas famílias e amigos. Outros davam banquetes extravagantes, o que é uma fraqueza tradicional chinesa, quase uma doença, e uma maneira ao mesmo tempo de receber e exibir-se — tudo às custas e em nome do Estado, numa época em que o governo se achava extremamente desprovido de fundos.
Você por acaso recordou atitudes semelhantes entre os políticos brasileiros? Cisnes Selvagens trata a corrupção, troca de favores e demagogia tão próxima da realidade, que é inevitável não assemelhar a realidade brasileira que se repete e se reforma a cada golpe e estratégia covarde dos poderes que regem a nação. É curioso pensar que tanta corrupção que inunda o nosso país se ocorre também em diversas nações ao redor do mundo e ao longo da história.
“Um dia um camponês invadiu sua sala e jogou-se no chão, gritando que tinha cometido um crime terrível e pedindo para ser punido. Acabaram sabendo que ele matara e comera seu próprio bebê. A fome agira como uma força incontrolável, que o levara a pegar a faca. Com lágrimas escorrendo pelas faces, a autoridade mandou prender o camponês. Depois fuzilaram-no como uma advertência aos matadores de bebês.”
A fome é algo presente em quase todas as páginas do livro. A China comunista foi construída sob um povo subnutrido, pobre, alienado e sem educação alguma, o único acesso a palavras escritas se dava nos livros vermelhos que citavam as frases de Mao — que eram interpretadas ao bel prazer dos aplicadores da lei -, e nas placas vexatórias que se multiplicavam na China. Era comum encontrar uma placa em sua casa com os dizeres: “inimigo de classe”, sem motivo algum, por mera vingança. Os líderes do Partido Comunista não passavam fome e moravam em casas luxuosas, assim como os seus filhos.
A Revolução Cultural é um dos fatores mais deprimentes de todo o legado de Mao. Com seu pensamento degradante destruiu vestígios da China milenar, queimou livros, reprimiu pessoas, matou centenas de milhões e prosseguiu com seu objetivo de destruir qualquer pensamento capitalista, comandando os meios de comunicação e proibindo qualquer influência ocidental.
“Tinha experimentado o privilégio e a denúncia, a coragem e o medo, vira bondade e lealdade, e as profundezas da feiura humana. Em meio ao sofrimento, ruína e morte, tinha acima de tudo conhecido amor e a indestrutível capacidade humana para sobreviver e buscar a felicidade.”
A magnitude da história ultrapassa gerações e sua escrita é de uma riqueza cultural e humana formidável. Analisa-se como um povo se curva de todo o coração para um líder — o protetor Mao — que promete salvá-los.
A liberdade que possuímos hoje é algo que precisamos preservar e proteger. Há um poder de transformação social gigantesco em nossas mãos, mas o curioso é que parece que temos um Mao sobre nós (brasileiros) que nos deixa inerte em meio a tantas injustiças sociais e jurídicas, só que não há. Seria então algum interesse? Com certeza.
Foram 648 páginas de tortura, lágrimas, injustiças, demagogias, mas também as mesmas páginas eram recheadas de atitudes honrosas de humanidade, solidariedade e harmonia. Cisnes Selvagens me fez compreender como se deu todo o processo de instauração do regime comunista e como a estratégia do líder Mao se fez pilar no sofrimento de um povo simples e intimamente esperançoso.
Recomendo você a ler, por mais piegas que isso possa parecer, se deseja um mundo mais equânime e justo. É difícil pensar em escala global se a prefeitura da minha cidade desvia dinheiro público e na escola do meu filho não há aula por faltar merenda, mas sejamos fortes como os chineses que lutaram até a morte de Mao e não vamos desistir até que exista uma centelha de esperança. Uni-vos!
Man, powerful memoir. So insightful on so many levels. It contributes from so many angles. Immersive throughout, narratively compelling, the whole shabang. Such powerful insight into Mao Zedong and his rule. I read this as America re-elected Donald Trump, which was consuming my mind, and the parallels between the two cults of personality are undeniable. My pessimistic visions of a second Trump term look a lot like Mao’s rule. Just such a valuable book.
Great book, taught me so much about a different culture.
Incredible, I have learnt so much from this book, a must read!
A fascinating history of three Chinese women, the author, her mother and her grandmother, as they lived before and during Mao's Communist regime. A story that over and again made me so grateful to live where and when I do! It got lengthy at times and took me three weeks to read because it didn't draw me to pick it up every spare moment, but still worth the read just to gain some understanding of how oppression and the rule of terror can take over an entire nation.
4.5/5
I've had this book on my physical shelves for a while and on my digital shelves for even longer. It's one of the few books by women of color included in the 1001 Books Before You Die, a list I used to swear by, and the work has served in more recent times as the example I recall after getting into literary theory and beginning to understand that academia is more interested in using a marginalized person's life experiences as fodder for entertainment than giving said marginalized person a chance to create on a platform of security and comfort. Now that i have finally read this book, I have different and more positive feelings about it, but I still find its presence on the 1001 BBYD list and others misplaced, for there is plenty of literature written by Chinese women during the time that Chang covers that could have been chosen just as well: the only difference is that they likely wouldn't have served so usefully as capitalistic propaganda. Much like my experiences with [b:Red Azalea|92936|Red Azalea|Anchee Min|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320508694s/92936.jpg|89610], what I saw was not a society rendered evil by communism, but a society that felt that the single transition from one economic system to another would solve violent misogyny, dehumanizing views of disability, mob psychology, power hungry sadists in positions of power, and all the other myriad institutionalized forms brutal control that will always plague capitalistic society, however much it strives for egalitarianism. What I mourned for, then, was not for a side of the world that was so misguided in its rage and revolution. I mourn that my side of the world has largely focused on the differences between that hellscape and their own, rather than on the rampant similarities.
I've had this book on my physical shelves for a while and on my digital shelves for even longer. It's one of the few books by women of color included in the 1001 Books Before You Die, a list I used to swear by, and the work has served in more recent times as the example I recall after getting into literary theory and beginning to understand that academia is more interested in using a marginalized person's life experiences as fodder for entertainment than giving said marginalized person a chance to create on a platform of security and comfort. Now that i have finally read this book, I have different and more positive feelings about it, but I still find its presence on the 1001 BBYD list and others misplaced, for there is plenty of literature written by Chinese women during the time that Chang covers that could have been chosen just as well: the only difference is that they likely wouldn't have served so usefully as capitalistic propaganda. Much like my experiences with [b:Red Azalea|92936|Red Azalea|Anchee Min|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320508694s/92936.jpg|89610], what I saw was not a society rendered evil by communism, but a society that felt that the single transition from one economic system to another would solve violent misogyny, dehumanizing views of disability, mob psychology, power hungry sadists in positions of power, and all the other myriad institutionalized forms brutal control that will always plague capitalistic society, however much it strives for egalitarianism. What I mourned for, then, was not for a side of the world that was so misguided in its rage and revolution. I mourn that my side of the world has largely focused on the differences between that hellscape and their own, rather than on the rampant similarities.
When I got back home I heard about a former classmate...who...had an affair on the way and came back pregnant...She hanged herself, leaving a note saying she was "too ashamed to live." No one challenged this medieval concept of shame, which might have been a target of a genuine cultural revolution. But it was never one of Mao's concerns, and was not among the "olds" which the Red Guards were encouraged to destroy.As sensational as this book is made out to be, the reality is far more complicated and vicious than a summary starting with a warlord's concubine could ever convey the essence of. I certainly learned a lot, and the last half especially did much to scrub away the hazy image I had of China that was begun by Buck's novels and ended at the beginning of [a:Ma Jian|53027|Ma Jian|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273436754p2/53027.jpg]'s. It's not a book that's graded on any particular scale of merit, which is another reason why I chafe at the 1001 BBYD label: autobiographies are cheapened by the pity points academia stamps on them, and the reviews of this that are little more than reactions to sob stories attest to this effect of rendering as narrative something that was never meant to be one. If anything, this is an angry and justified polemic against Mao, and the plenitude of historical facts and sweeping view of almost the entirety of 20th century China doesn't mask that in the slightest. It's why I don't take any critiques that center around calling something too "angry" or "emotional" or the previously mentioned "polemical" or any flavor of subjective seriously because if this is raised on high, it's only because, much like [b:Infidel|81227|Infidel|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388256729s/81227.jpg|1133588], it's oriented in the right direction. I don't blame Chung for the results of her work. I only wish didn't come to her book with incorrect expectations and leave it feeling their judgment has been consistent within 'appropriate' measures when it so obviously has not.
Even talking about politics—an important form of relieving pressure in most societies—was taboo.My final thought on this book is that I'm glad I didn't read it sooner. It's so easy to be carried away under false pretenses to works that can very well stand on their own, but have been forced, for one reason or another, to assume a position of blanket authority one single work should never have access to. I am neither diminishing the crimes Mao and co. perpetuated on millions of people, nor saying Chang was in any way misguided in collating this intensely personal endeavor of hers. I simply don't have any faith in the grand majority of Chang's audience's ability to critically think about why they are reading this work and how they can apply what they learned to their own society. If they come away feeling blessed and mollified, they're sinking deeper into the muck. China doesn't have the premium on false revolutions and taboo discussions of politics. A successful parasite is one that dehumanizes and is thanked for doing so.
"Modern" dictatorship and ancient intolerance fed on each other. Anyone who fell foul of the age-old conservative attitudes could now become a political victim.
Nederlands (English below)
Wilde zwanen (1991) van Jung Chang is zowel een persoonlijke en aangrijpende als collectieve en leerzame geschiedenis van het twintigste-eeuwse China. De schrijver vertelt haar eigen verhaal en dat van haar moeder en grootmoeder en doorspekt het met informatie over de Chinese cultuur en politiek. In het voorwoord schrijft Chang te beogen om het land en de mensen van hun stereotypen in het westen te ontdoen. Gezien het succes van het boek denk ik dat ze een belangrijke bijdrage heeft geleverd aan onze kennis over de recente Chinese geschiedenis. Ik las het boek als student en was opnieuw onder de indruk.
Vooral het eerste hoofdstuk over de vroege twintigste eeuw is bevreemdend voor de westerse lezer. In de najaren van de Qing-dynastie worden meisjes dikwijls zonder naam geboren (de overgrootmoeder van Chang was ‘meisje nr. 2’) en is de praktijk van de lotusvoetjes nog niet aan haar einde gekomen. Chang beschrijft deze overigens ijzingwekkend.
Na de val van het keizerrijk krijgt Mantsjoerije, de noordoostelijke provincie waar de familie zich bevindt, met de ene na de andere machtsovername te maken. Chang legt duidelijk uit waarom de communisten na het bewind van de Japanners – Mantsjoekwo was een marionettenstaat – en de Kwomintang aanvankelijk zo populair waren. Corruptie en onrecht lopen als een rode draad door het verhaal; vrouwen zijn op hun best tweederangs burgers. In het verhaal vallen twee personages vanaf dit punt in het bijzonder op. Ten eerste is de vader van Chang een onkreukbare (en dus ook: onwrikbare) Partijfunctionaris van het eerste uur, die zijn naasten eerder benadeelt dan bevoordeelt, maar het tijdens de Culturele Revolutie in de late jaren zestig hard te verduren krijgt. Ten tweede valt Mao Zedong op als listige maar incapabele dictator, die enerzijds afhankelijk is van zijn kundige secondanten Deng Xiaopeng en Zhou Enlai, maar anderzijds verwoede pogingen blijft doen om op alleenstaande hoogte te blijven. Chang grijpt haar lezers door de Grote Sprong Voorwaarts en de Culturele Revolutie zowel op hoofdlijnen te duiden als anekdotes te geven die ingrijpen in het leven van gewone mensen. De plicht om het werk te verzaken om staal te produceren en de oproep om mussen te vangen maken duidelijk hoe incompetent Mao geweest moet zijn.
De grote kracht van het boek schuilt in het vervlechten van het menselijke en het politieke perspectief. Chang merkt zelf al op hoe de dystopie van [b:1984|3744438|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327144697l/3744438._SY75_.jpg|153313] perfect bij het China van Mao paste. De constante stroom van verhalen over armoede, martelingen en plunderingen is niet altijd makkelijk te verteren, maar levert wel een uitstekend verhaal op. De schrijver overtuigt wanneer ze beschrijft hoe de terreur van Mao in het dagelijks leven vooral gebruikt werd om persoonlijke vendetta’s uit te vechten. Het recht van de sterkste, de willekeur en de tirannie van onwetendheid komen daarin sterk naar voren.
Een nadeel van de keuze om alleen de vrouwelijke lijn van moederskant te behandelen is wel dat Chang daardoor soms afstand lijkt te willen doen haar andere familielijnen. Ten slotte is de Nederlandse vertaling ongelooflijk slordig geredigeerd. Het had De Boekerij gesierd voor de epubversie tenminste een correctie uit te voeren.
English
The significance of Wild Swans (1991) lies in Jung Chang’s ability to combine a personal, intriguing family story with China’s history in the twentieth century. Chang is well informed politically and socially, and enlivens the collective memory with excellent anecdotes, which are sometimes tender, but more often raw and violent. The early chapters on the turn of the century appealed to me the most, but I was also impressed by Chang’s description of how Chinese people viewed the Communist Party from the late 40’s onwards.
Wilde zwanen (1991) van Jung Chang is zowel een persoonlijke en aangrijpende als collectieve en leerzame geschiedenis van het twintigste-eeuwse China. De schrijver vertelt haar eigen verhaal en dat van haar moeder en grootmoeder en doorspekt het met informatie over de Chinese cultuur en politiek. In het voorwoord schrijft Chang te beogen om het land en de mensen van hun stereotypen in het westen te ontdoen. Gezien het succes van het boek denk ik dat ze een belangrijke bijdrage heeft geleverd aan onze kennis over de recente Chinese geschiedenis. Ik las het boek als student en was opnieuw onder de indruk.
Vooral het eerste hoofdstuk over de vroege twintigste eeuw is bevreemdend voor de westerse lezer. In de najaren van de Qing-dynastie worden meisjes dikwijls zonder naam geboren (de overgrootmoeder van Chang was ‘meisje nr. 2’) en is de praktijk van de lotusvoetjes nog niet aan haar einde gekomen. Chang beschrijft deze overigens ijzingwekkend.
Na de val van het keizerrijk krijgt Mantsjoerije, de noordoostelijke provincie waar de familie zich bevindt, met de ene na de andere machtsovername te maken. Chang legt duidelijk uit waarom de communisten na het bewind van de Japanners – Mantsjoekwo was een marionettenstaat – en de Kwomintang aanvankelijk zo populair waren. Corruptie en onrecht lopen als een rode draad door het verhaal; vrouwen zijn op hun best tweederangs burgers. In het verhaal vallen twee personages vanaf dit punt in het bijzonder op. Ten eerste is de vader van Chang een onkreukbare (en dus ook: onwrikbare) Partijfunctionaris van het eerste uur, die zijn naasten eerder benadeelt dan bevoordeelt, maar het tijdens de Culturele Revolutie in de late jaren zestig hard te verduren krijgt. Ten tweede valt Mao Zedong op als listige maar incapabele dictator, die enerzijds afhankelijk is van zijn kundige secondanten Deng Xiaopeng en Zhou Enlai, maar anderzijds verwoede pogingen blijft doen om op alleenstaande hoogte te blijven. Chang grijpt haar lezers door de Grote Sprong Voorwaarts en de Culturele Revolutie zowel op hoofdlijnen te duiden als anekdotes te geven die ingrijpen in het leven van gewone mensen. De plicht om het werk te verzaken om staal te produceren en de oproep om mussen te vangen maken duidelijk hoe incompetent Mao geweest moet zijn.
De grote kracht van het boek schuilt in het vervlechten van het menselijke en het politieke perspectief. Chang merkt zelf al op hoe de dystopie van [b:1984|3744438|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327144697l/3744438._SY75_.jpg|153313] perfect bij het China van Mao paste. De constante stroom van verhalen over armoede, martelingen en plunderingen is niet altijd makkelijk te verteren, maar levert wel een uitstekend verhaal op. De schrijver overtuigt wanneer ze beschrijft hoe de terreur van Mao in het dagelijks leven vooral gebruikt werd om persoonlijke vendetta’s uit te vechten. Het recht van de sterkste, de willekeur en de tirannie van onwetendheid komen daarin sterk naar voren.
Een nadeel van de keuze om alleen de vrouwelijke lijn van moederskant te behandelen is wel dat Chang daardoor soms afstand lijkt te willen doen haar andere familielijnen. Ten slotte is de Nederlandse vertaling ongelooflijk slordig geredigeerd. Het had De Boekerij gesierd voor de epubversie tenminste een correctie uit te voeren.
Een paar dagen lang liep het verkeer in het honderd. Want dat het rode licht ‘stop’ betekende werd als contrarevolutionair en dus als uit den boze beschouwd. Het moest natuurlijk ‘doorrijden’ betekenen. En het verkeer moest niet rechts houden, zoals gebruikelijk was, maar links. […] Ten slotte werden de oude regels in ere hersteld, dank zij Zhou Enlai, die kans zag de leiders van de Rode Garde in Peking te bepraten. De jongeren vonden ook hiervoor evenwel een rechtvaardiging: ik kreeg van een Rode Gardiste bij mij op school te horen dat het verkeer in Groot-Brittannië links hield en dat het verkeer bij ons dus rechts moest houden als demonstratie van onze anti-imperialistische gezindheid. Amerika noemde ze niet.
English
The significance of Wild Swans (1991) lies in Jung Chang’s ability to combine a personal, intriguing family story with China’s history in the twentieth century. Chang is well informed politically and socially, and enlivens the collective memory with excellent anecdotes, which are sometimes tender, but more often raw and violent. The early chapters on the turn of the century appealed to me the most, but I was also impressed by Chang’s description of how Chinese people viewed the Communist Party from the late 40’s onwards.