Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
This is the best auto/biography/family saga/political history/contemporary work that I have ever read.

Not just a fascinating personal history of China from the late 19th Century to the 1980s - when it began to open just a crack, to the west - but a brilliantly written book and an amazing story of the author and her family's dealings with the Chinese communist party from the upper echelons of that institution.

Really - well worth a read. To give you an idea of this woman - she was (from memory) the very first Chinese student allowed to attend a western university, since the revolution. Hard to believe now that proably 5% of students on all decent courses are Chinese.

Do read it. It might make you appreciate how cushy your own life is.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:39, 8 replies)

^^This
Brilliant book.
(The Apeface Cherub is not a cunty-uber-cunt, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:43, closed)

Agree

( Flowerpot No longer has the vapours thanks to DTH, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 14:52, closed)

Thirded.
Although it's been a while since I read it. I may need to re-read.
( girlinthehole, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 15:11, closed)

Lies! All lies!
All from a writer who is ashamed of being Chinese and wants to weaken China, feeding western media lies about the glory of the Cultural Revolution and the delights of the rule of Mao Zedong! Bitch, I kill you!!
(McChinaman banned, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 15:33, closed)

Excuse me?
I take it you haven't read it then.

Or was this ironic, in some hitherto unknown form of irony?
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 16:09, closed)

I'm assuming this is what the Chinese think of her writing.
And Chinaman is letting us know.

He's not Chinese btw.
( girlinthehole, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 18:38, closed)

Agree.
It's also interesting as she does tend to try to write all the points of view- for example I think I remember her describing her Grandmother's life as a concubine without inference, which is something I've never found repeated.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Mon 9 Jan 2012, 19:34, closed)

^definitely this^
I was surprised at how shockingly good Wild Swans was. It stands apart from nearly every other book I have ever read. Captivating and thought provoking without trying to be clever or pseudo intellectual.
( sutit only the crumbliest, flakiest posts, Tue 10 Jan 2012, 0:32, closed)