Red Scarf Girl
A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

Terror seen through the eyes of a twelve year-old girl, this is a memoir of the Cultural Revolution as much as a truly harrowing horror story where relatives & friends betray each other for no reason. The zombification of the Chinese under Mao's rule is distinctively awful, a mindset and time that m......more

A revealing tale of how people will gradually allow more and more of their freedoms to be taken away when they are pitted one against another. That was Mao's genius--keep the masses in constant revolt between classes. Mao was so revered that, as a youth, the author questioned her parents rather than......more

Check out my reviews on my blog! “Life is stranger than fiction.” Reading this unassuming-looking middle-grade book from 1999 really displays the truth of that statement. The Hunger Games, Divergent–none of these modern popular dystopian works come even close to the impact of Ji-li Jiang’s Red Scarf......more

Many Americans, myself included, have an opinion about China, Communism, or most likely both. What most of us have neglected to do is explore how valid our opinions are. Ji-Li Jiang's memoir was written for children, and because she is a teacher her book is very accessible for most elementary school......more

A young adult memoir about growing up in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution. In many ways, her background was similar to my wife's, so from this standpoint it was quite interesting. One step at a time, opportunities, luxuries, friendships, and even family relationships are stripped from her. It......more