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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
"It was often children, particularly girls, who bore the consequences of frustrated sexual desire. Going up during the Cultural Revolution as a girl was to be surrounded by ignorance, madness and perversion. Schools and families were unable and forbidden to give them even the most basic sex education. Many mothers and teachers were themselves ignorant in these matters. When their bodies matured, the girls fell prey to indecent assault or rape, girls like Huangxue, whose only experience of sensual pleasure came from a fly; Hua'er, who was 'raped' by the revolution; the woman on the answering machine who was married off by the Party; or Shilin, who will never know she had grown up. The perpetrators were their teachers, their friends or even their fathers and brothers, who lost control of their animal instincts and behave in the ugliest and most selfish ways that a man can. The girls' hopes were destroyed, and their capacity to experience the pleasure of love making damaged forever. If we could listen to their nightmares, we could spend ten or twenty years hearing the same kind of stories."
This book cut open my chest, tore my heart out, and stomped all over it and now I need to talk to my mom.
This book cut open my chest, tore my heart out, and stomped all over it and now I need to talk to my mom.
A heartbreaking collection of true stories as experienced by Chinese women during and after the Culture Revolution.
A quick, engaging read about women in China. The book, taken as a whole, is heartbreaking. A great read for anyone interested in the practical implications of historical Chinese politics and contemporary politics.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
CHINA
Amazing book capturing the harsh reality many women endure in China married into political emotionless relationships. Captures the stories of women in families who were accused of being counter revolutionaries and punished accordingly .
Amazing book capturing the harsh reality many women endure in China married into political emotionless relationships. Captures the stories of women in families who were accused of being counter revolutionaries and punished accordingly .
My favourite Xinran book so far. Heartbreaking, eye-opening and thought-provoking.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
2007 bookcrossing review:
Absolutely fantastic. This is non-fiction and a tale of the stories of ordinary women in China that Xinran heard during her time as a presenter working on Chinese radio. There are some absolutely heart-breaking stories in here, particularly from the cultural revolution. It beggars belief that people can be so awful. Of course, China doesn't have a monopoly on repressing and using and abusing women, but I think for anyone interested in Chinese society, this is a must-read.
The women from Shouting Hill were the most repressed of all depicted, also the poorest, and yet they never complained of their treatment. That they had no comprehension that they were worth anything or deserved anything better... it's really hard to imagine.
Absolutely fantastic. This is non-fiction and a tale of the stories of ordinary women in China that Xinran heard during her time as a presenter working on Chinese radio. There are some absolutely heart-breaking stories in here, particularly from the cultural revolution. It beggars belief that people can be so awful. Of course, China doesn't have a monopoly on repressing and using and abusing women, but I think for anyone interested in Chinese society, this is a must-read.
The women from Shouting Hill were the most repressed of all depicted, also the poorest, and yet they never complained of their treatment. That they had no comprehension that they were worth anything or deserved anything better... it's really hard to imagine.