A review by lindasdarby
Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution by Helen Zia

4.0

I know almost nothing about Chinese history so this was very eye opening. There is a lot to unload from this book - the Japanese occupation and war years which were totally brutal, the nationalists and the communists fighting for control of china(one corrupt government or another), the ups and downs of the different families depending on your financial or government connections. This book focused on 4 different children and their experiences - one girl who was abandoned as a child and never really felt like she belonged or was loved, one boy whose father was corrupt, one boy whose family sacrificed so he could get schooling and one girl who suffered from many relocations and the brutal emotional abuse of her father. They way each person's life played out was fascinating but so so difficult. Trying to get out of China and then what happened when they reached Taiwan or Hong Kong or America or the one who got stuck in China and suffered immensely under communist rule. I can't believe how difficult life was for each of these people and I know this is only four people so the many many people who suffered and had horrible experiences is mind boggling. I also had a hard time with the way some of the different parents treated their children - I understand we have different culture from the Chinese but this was especially difficult for me. Also shocking was the fact that Australia would only allow white people to enter the country and the US only allowed 105 Chinese people a year. I highly recommend this book.