A review by mary00
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

4.0

This is one book that I will never forget. I cannot say that I loved reading it, the injustice and tragedy throughout make it too harrowing of a read for that, but I was fascinated by it. Before reading this I had literally zero knowledge of modern Chinese history. Although the book is written from one person's point of view, I now feel that I have a basic knowledge of the mind-boggling history of China in the last century. The one thing that I hope that I take away from reading this is an unshakeable gratitude for living when and where I do. I found it fitting that I finished reading this book, a book about the political and personal suffocation of nearly a whole population, on Memorial Day, a day when we remember and honor those who haved died to preserve our freedom. China has always seemed somewhat of a mysterious country to me. I had absolutely no idea that they had a dictator in Mao who could rival Hitler for pure evil. I am now interested in learning more about him. This was an eye-opening read that I would recommend to anyone.