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I found this to be educational, touching and wonderfully told. Absolutely beautiful. Gave a fresh perspective about China that I hadn't really heard before.
Not only is this book informative but it is a real page turner. What happened in that era has changed the face of China and reading this book may change how you will view politicians and political parties.Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Wild Swans by Jung Chang is a reliable and valuable resource to more fully understand what occurred in China during the era of Mao and his Cultural Revolution. This is a book I read about 10 years ago and unlike many books which I have read that long ago Wild Swans has stuck with me and I remember June Chang's passages vividly.
The insightful information about Chinese culture surprised and sometimes saddened me. She has a good ability to write in careful detail while keeping the narrative moving, never boring the reader. With China emerging once again as a superpower, Jung Chang's book should be at the very top of the list of anyone wishing to understand this country. "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" was a book that impressed me deeply. Jung Chang writes with sensitivity and intelligence, and as her tale unfolded, I was swept into the stories she told of the lives of her grandmother, her mother, and herself. I was particularly riveted by her observations of the Cultural Revolution.
While the subject of Chinese (and for that matter, World) history in 20th century is very exciting and one learns a lot from the book, dealing with 5th grade level English is rather frustrating and soon becomes very tiring. While English is clearly not the writer's native tongue, it is hard to overlook editor's poor job. It is quite difficult to determine if this book is a documentary or a novel. The overall style of narration points to it being a documentary, while some, rather out of place phrases, such as `he walked away into a snowy night', attempt to present it with a flavor of a novel. A published work should not have blunders such as "teachers demanded a pay rise".
It's a well-written, revealing expose of what it was like in an earlier era of Chinese Communism. Even if you have little interest in history or Communism, you will become engrossed in this book. A friend who reads recommended this book, and she was right. The writer makes you care very much for the main characters, especially the protagonist.
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