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Wild Ginger
The beautiful, iron-willed Wild Ginger is only in elementary school when we first meet her, but already she has been singled out by the Red Guards for her "foreign-colored eyes." Her classmate Maple is also a target of persecution. It is through the quieter, more skeptical Maple, a less than ardent Maoist whose father is languishing in prison for a minor crime, that we see this story to its tragic end.
The Red Guards have branded Wild Ginger's deceased father a traitor and eventually drive her mother to a gruesome suicide, but she fervently embraces Maoism to save her spirit. She rises quickly through the ranks and is held up as a national model for Maoism. Wild Ginger now has everything, even a young man who vies for her heart. But Mao's prohibition on romantic love places her in an untenable position. Into this sexually charged situation steps Maple, creating an uneasy triangle that Min has portrayed with keen psychological insight and her characteristic gift for lyrical eroticism.
The Red Guards have branded Wild Ginger's deceased father a traitor and eventually drive her mother to a gruesome suicide, but she fervently embraces Maoism to save her spirit. She rises quickly through the ranks and is held up as a national model for Maoism. Wild Ginger now has everything, even a young man who vies for her heart. But Mao's prohibition on romantic love places her in an untenable position. Into this sexually charged situation steps Maple, creating an uneasy triangle that Min has portrayed with keen psychological insight and her characteristic gift for lyrical eroticism.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Anchee Min
12 books855 followersAnchee Min was born in Shanghai in 1957. At seventeen she was sent to a labor collective, where a talent scout for Madame Mao's Shanghai Film Studio recruited her to work as a movie actress. She moved to the United States in 1984. Her first memoir, Red Azalea, was an international bestseller, published in twenty countries. She has since published six novels, including Pearl of China and the forthcoming memoir The Cooked Seed (Bloomsbury, May 7 2013).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
October 9, 2015
This book makes you think about the millions of young people who had their lives taken away from them. To be hungry and impoverished is horrible enough, but to have your youth, energy and love stolen is another. To grow up in the Cultural Revolution is to have lost all of everything.
Some of the personal narratives of this period, "Wild Swan" comes to mind, tell of the deprivations and the humiliation, the power of the gang, but omit the experience of coming of age.
Maybe this is all too personal a thing to have had stolen for a memoir, or maybe the experience was totally stolen, and maybe the these stories will come to us only in fiction.
Wild Ginger never had a chance for life. She channeled her discipline, did not allow herself to feel and out Mao-ed the Maoists. Everyone who ever cared about her suffered for her few moments of self esteem.
The Cultural Revolution was a low grade civil war, where the angriest manipulators were given license to act out... and act out they did. This novel tells of the damage to people who lost such large pieces of their lives that they can never rebuild them.
Some of the personal narratives of this period, "Wild Swan" comes to mind, tell of the deprivations and the humiliation, the power of the gang, but omit the experience of coming of age.
Maybe this is all too personal a thing to have had stolen for a memoir, or maybe the experience was totally stolen, and maybe the these stories will come to us only in fiction.
Wild Ginger never had a chance for life. She channeled her discipline, did not allow herself to feel and out Mao-ed the Maoists. Everyone who ever cared about her suffered for her few moments of self esteem.
The Cultural Revolution was a low grade civil war, where the angriest manipulators were given license to act out... and act out they did. This novel tells of the damage to people who lost such large pieces of their lives that they can never rebuild them.
June 13, 2007
Set in Maoist China during the Cultural Revolution, Anchee Min's "Wild Ginger" begins with two young outcast girls who find friendship as a means of survival. They live in a hostile environment where anything different is considered "anti-Mao" and can be grounds for death. Despite their intense bond, as the novel progresses their friendship is torn apart as Wild Ginger pursues militant Maoism and Maple follows her heart to love. This book is a fascinating look at how Mao's reign affected every aspect of society; even the minutia of basic human relationships. It explores Wild Ginger's inability to allow her love for Evergreen (a local man and friend to both girls), while at the same time not fully embracing the emotional and physical isolation of complete Maoism. Both Maple and Evergreen are caught in this political fire storm that almost destroys them. A heartbreaking book, Wild Ginger is about love and politics at a volatile point in China's history.
July 2, 2012
Every so often I have to read something about the Cultural Revolution. This is largely an effort to understand my wife's background, since her early life was defined by that disgraceful patch of history. I'd previously read Anchee Min's
Katherine
, which is set in China after the doors opened but which pretty clearly betrayed the author's loathing for certain continuing aspects of Chinese culture. This one more closely resembles Ying Chang Compestine's autobiographical
Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
.
Essentially, it's a fictionalized dramatization, from the point of view of vulnerable adolescent girls, one of whom does the narration. Every day, Maple suffers at the hands of bullies at her school who claim that her communist credentials are bogus (since her parents were teachers instead of proletarian workers). She feels that she must accept the abuse--until a new girl arrives. This girl, Wild Ginger, makes an even better target, because she's only half-Chinese, but unlike Maple she doesn't mind fighting back. She turns out to be more than a match for their oppressors, and a friendship is born.
To outsiders, it might seem that the rampant injustice inspired by Maoism would prompt these girls to hate it. Maple does eventually come round to that point of view, but Wild Ginger's response is to out-Mao everybody else. After a period of time in which she barely survives almost unimaginable privation, she evolves into the enthusiastic voice behind the megaphone in public places--the person exhorting everyone to leave their places of work, their cooking, whatever tasks they might imagine to be important, and to join in endless public worship of the nation's great helmsman, Mao.
Like my wife, Maple notes the absurdity of telling children to shout for the destruction of America when nobody even knows what or where America is. Like my wife, Maple concludes that this kind of zeal is antithetical to life. The metaphor for life in this story is love, in the form of a young man both Maple and Wild Ginger admire.
However, there's no space for life, or love, when all conversations and even dreams are dominated by verses from that ever-present Little Red Book, e.g., "To attack the reactionary we must be merciless, we must not think of them as humans but wolves, snakes and locusts. It is either us or them..."
Now that I have written my own memoir, my wife hopes to build on that momentum and put some ghosts to rest with a book of her own. I certainly can understand the impulse that has driven so many survivors to undertake the project.
Essentially, it's a fictionalized dramatization, from the point of view of vulnerable adolescent girls, one of whom does the narration. Every day, Maple suffers at the hands of bullies at her school who claim that her communist credentials are bogus (since her parents were teachers instead of proletarian workers). She feels that she must accept the abuse--until a new girl arrives. This girl, Wild Ginger, makes an even better target, because she's only half-Chinese, but unlike Maple she doesn't mind fighting back. She turns out to be more than a match for their oppressors, and a friendship is born.
To outsiders, it might seem that the rampant injustice inspired by Maoism would prompt these girls to hate it. Maple does eventually come round to that point of view, but Wild Ginger's response is to out-Mao everybody else. After a period of time in which she barely survives almost unimaginable privation, she evolves into the enthusiastic voice behind the megaphone in public places--the person exhorting everyone to leave their places of work, their cooking, whatever tasks they might imagine to be important, and to join in endless public worship of the nation's great helmsman, Mao.
Like my wife, Maple notes the absurdity of telling children to shout for the destruction of America when nobody even knows what or where America is. Like my wife, Maple concludes that this kind of zeal is antithetical to life. The metaphor for life in this story is love, in the form of a young man both Maple and Wild Ginger admire.
However, there's no space for life, or love, when all conversations and even dreams are dominated by verses from that ever-present Little Red Book, e.g., "To attack the reactionary we must be merciless, we must not think of them as humans but wolves, snakes and locusts. It is either us or them..."
Now that I have written my own memoir, my wife hopes to build on that momentum and put some ghosts to rest with a book of her own. I certainly can understand the impulse that has driven so many survivors to undertake the project.
December 20, 2011
After the Cultural Revolution, Maple’s life in basic school becomes a hell. Her father has been sent away to a labor camp and the girl gets beaten daily by a classmate, Hot Pepper, who is the leader of the Red Guard at her school. Maple and her family are, according to the Guard, anti-Maoists and it's Hot Pepper’s job to beat the impure and bourgeois thoughts out of Maple’s head. That is, until Wild Ginger arrives at the school; a girl equally unaccepted by the Party. Having nothing to lose, the new girl is the first to stand up against the bullying Hot Pepper, creating the beginning of a deep and loving friendship between Wild Ginger and Maple.
Most impressive about this book is how palpable the yearning of each character’s feelings are. Maple’s urge is to find something more real than her belief in Mao. Not simply something that will keep her warm spiritually, but the touch of another human being, something she so much misses in a community where love, dancing and festivities are labeled as bourgeois, unless they are used to express the brilliance of Chairman Mao.
Even more touching is Wild Ginger’s search for approval. As the daughter of a Frenchman and therefore labeled as an international spy, she is never good enough to be recognized as a true Maoist, no matter how hard she studies the little red book or how well she tries to lead her life according to the leader’s rules.
When, through luck, Wild Ginger uncovers a theft on the market where she works, her wishes suddenly come through. Being beaten to within an inch of her life, she has sacrificed herself for the greater good and receives the rewards of being a hero of the Party. Doors that were previously closed due to her mixed heritage, suddenly open and Wild Ginger does whatever it takes to remain in the spotlight the Party has put on her. This is what she's been fighting for all her life.
But feeling the pressure of having to be the perfect Maoist comes at a cost. Disregarding every personal desire she feels, her rise to fame and her commitment to the Maoist movement pushes her further and further away from her friend Maple, who feels conflicted and restricted by the rules of the Party as her feelings for local boy Evergreen grow ever stronger.
Set against the disturbing and cruel background of China after the Great Leap Forward, ‘Wild Ginger’ is a beautiful coming of age story, the classic love triangle peppered with the harsh reality that hit the Chinese people after they started discovering how restrictive this new political system was.
But it’s the relationship between Maple, Wild Ginger and Evergreen that remains front and center in this book. ‘Wild Ginger’ is a moving, lovely story with an emotional, heartbreaking ending. Pure narrative magic.
Most impressive about this book is how palpable the yearning of each character’s feelings are. Maple’s urge is to find something more real than her belief in Mao. Not simply something that will keep her warm spiritually, but the touch of another human being, something she so much misses in a community where love, dancing and festivities are labeled as bourgeois, unless they are used to express the brilliance of Chairman Mao.
Even more touching is Wild Ginger’s search for approval. As the daughter of a Frenchman and therefore labeled as an international spy, she is never good enough to be recognized as a true Maoist, no matter how hard she studies the little red book or how well she tries to lead her life according to the leader’s rules.
When, through luck, Wild Ginger uncovers a theft on the market where she works, her wishes suddenly come through. Being beaten to within an inch of her life, she has sacrificed herself for the greater good and receives the rewards of being a hero of the Party. Doors that were previously closed due to her mixed heritage, suddenly open and Wild Ginger does whatever it takes to remain in the spotlight the Party has put on her. This is what she's been fighting for all her life.
But feeling the pressure of having to be the perfect Maoist comes at a cost. Disregarding every personal desire she feels, her rise to fame and her commitment to the Maoist movement pushes her further and further away from her friend Maple, who feels conflicted and restricted by the rules of the Party as her feelings for local boy Evergreen grow ever stronger.
Set against the disturbing and cruel background of China after the Great Leap Forward, ‘Wild Ginger’ is a beautiful coming of age story, the classic love triangle peppered with the harsh reality that hit the Chinese people after they started discovering how restrictive this new political system was.
But it’s the relationship between Maple, Wild Ginger and Evergreen that remains front and center in this book. ‘Wild Ginger’ is a moving, lovely story with an emotional, heartbreaking ending. Pure narrative magic.
May 30, 2023
This is the story of Wild Ginger, who rose from being an untrustworthy family’s daughter to a Maoist heroine. The action takes place in Maoist China and the main characters are young children. The story of how they grow up and interact with each other is told from the viewpoint of Wild Ginger’s friend, Maple, who quickly gets entangled in Wild Ginger’s fanaticism as a Maoist. It is interesting to see through the story how Maoism affected everything including the personal lives of the people, and had a hold on every aspect of daily life.
The writing is a little stilted but the plot drags you in and the characters are well etched and believable. This is one of those books where your sympathy does not lie with the protagonist, but that doesn’t reduce the interest in the story, which quickly develops into a love triangle resulting in devastating consequences for everyone involved. The ending was not very original, but it did provide some sort of closure.
This book has one of the best sex scenes I have ever read. A scene where sexual passion deepens as they quote Mao quotations to each other, and then climax with ‘Oh, Chairman Mao!’ has to win some kind of award.
The writing is a little stilted but the plot drags you in and the characters are well etched and believable. This is one of those books where your sympathy does not lie with the protagonist, but that doesn’t reduce the interest in the story, which quickly develops into a love triangle resulting in devastating consequences for everyone involved. The ending was not very original, but it did provide some sort of closure.
This book has one of the best sex scenes I have ever read. A scene where sexual passion deepens as they quote Mao quotations to each other, and then climax with ‘Oh, Chairman Mao!’ has to win some kind of award.
August 12, 2016
Told by Maple, a teen growing up in China's Cultural Revolution under Mao, "Wild Ginger" has incredible insight on life under strict communist control. Although the aspects of the culture were intriguing, the novel itself seemed to move towards a teen drama. Wild Ginger doesn't want to accept the fact that she is sexually attracted to Evergreen because of her dedication to Mao purity teachings, even though Evergreen loves her desperately. Her best friend Maple ends up with the person she is denying attraction to. The book began developing through the love triangle, spite, and guilt.
All the characters I was supposed to love in this novel, I didn't. I couldn't connect to Wild Ginger's plight or Maple's desire to be the rebound for the almost-rapist Evergreen. Hence, I wasn't connected to the twists of the story's plot. The novel's emotions seemed misplaced, especially the unconditional love for Wild Ginger. The ending had no emotional impact on me.
I do want to read more about China's Cultural Revolution, but hopefully without the teenage drama.
All the characters I was supposed to love in this novel, I didn't. I couldn't connect to Wild Ginger's plight or Maple's desire to be the rebound for the almost-rapist Evergreen. Hence, I wasn't connected to the twists of the story's plot. The novel's emotions seemed misplaced, especially the unconditional love for Wild Ginger. The ending had no emotional impact on me.
I do want to read more about China's Cultural Revolution, but hopefully without the teenage drama.
September 7, 2007
This book is similar to her other book, Kathrine, except it really goes more in depth into the world an psyche of what it was like to be a child/teenager during the cultural revolution. It was an amazing look at how a leader can create a following by influencing the children with rewards on one hand and severe punishment on the other. It was a great look at how and why leaders/dictators are able to gain and hold power over a large mass of people, even when those same people that supported them in the beginning start to realize that what the leader has been telling them isn't what their reality has become. Very insightful and heartbreaking.
October 15, 2016
This was written in the style of a YA novel - simple and brief and somewhat repetitive - but had a bit more sex in the second half than I'd normally expect to find in YA works. It was a disturbing read about teen life under Chairman Mao. Not having studied that much, I'm not sure how much was autobiographical, how much was loosely based on the author's friends' and family's experiences, and how much might have been exaggerated. Sounds to me like a horrible place and time to grow up and go to school. I did like that the main characters' parents were loving and tried to protect their kids and to educate them somewhat the beyond official line - there are abusive and neglectful parents in far too many books. The book left me a bit flat, as I started out caring about Wild Ginger and Maple and then Evergreen but not much came of any of them under the oppression of their country. I guess I'd summarize this as a somewhat more gentle, younger-skewed, Chinese version of Orwell's 1984, but I didn't find this writing or these characters to be nearly as gripping.
August 24, 2009
Despite other reviews, I found this novel in no way comparable to Empress Orchid. Though it held my interest due to its focus on Maoism, which is so ridiculous and foreign that it inspired me to do research outside of the book,I found the characters unlikeable and unbelievable. I quickly came to dislike Wild Ginger and was consistently rooting against her- and scoffing in disbelief at the relentless affection the two supporting characters felt for her.
The writing is also not as lovely or rich as it is in Empress Orchid.
The writing is also not as lovely or rich as it is in Empress Orchid.
June 2, 2010
This book was a good, quick read about a teenage girl growing up during Chairman Mao's reign in China. Books like these can be hard to read because some parts of history just aren't fair. It provided a look into the Maoist years in China in the 60's and 70's, which I though was interesting because I don't know much about them. While reading this book, I came across an article about how Mao had tunnels dug throughout China in case of attack - creating an underground city beneath Beijing. There were a ton of pictures, and it was pretty creepy.
March 29, 2009
I am a sucker for books about China and this one was a good read. The life of Ginger and her cohorts in the Cultural Revolution is fascinating and the story well told. It amazes me what people go through in this period. The book is also an interesting coming of age story. I think there are better Anchee Min books but this one is worth reading.
April 1, 2015
as minhas entranhas gritaram de júbilo.
June 22, 2018
Completely absorbing from the start. I began it late last night, and finished it immediately after waking up. It's a bit melodramatic and unrealistic, but also erotic and very subversive.
November 20, 2023
Es brach mir das Herz, doch die lebendigen Teile wurden wieder zusammengesetzt.
August 29, 2010
I've always been baffled by religious, cultural, or political philosophies that seem to fly in the face of the very things that make us human. Love, sex, the need to celebrate-rather through biological imperative or the need to feel a sense of belonging, humans have always found ways to express these and other emotions through our cultural and societal institutions. This is one reason that, while I consider myself religiously tolerant, I don't really get Jehovah's Witnesses. It feels against human nature somehow to deny a community the right to celebrate together. Say what you will about the Catholic Church-when they wanted to convert the heathens they were smart enough to co-opt their holidays and ceremonies. I also don't really get the prohibition against sexual behavior in most religious doctrines, either. We are all sexual beings, and having healthy sexual relationships can only make us as a people stronger.
I experienced that familiar sensation of bafflement when reading Wild Ginger, by Anchee Min. Wild Ginger tells the story of two teenagers living in China during the Cultural Revolution. Maple is the daughter of a former teacher of Chinese history who has been sent to a labor camp for being a reactionary. Every day at school Maple is taunted and beaten by Hot Pepper, the head of the Red Guard at their school, in the name of her father. Every day, that is, until Wild Ginger joins the school. Wild Ginger, the daughter of a French-Chinese man and a Chinese mother, is viewed with suspicion because of her European roots. Having nothing to lose, Wild Ginger stands up to Hot Pepper, and Maple and Wild Ginger begin a deep and abiding friendship. Together with a boy named Evergreen, Maple and Wild Ginger begin preparing to sacrifice their personal lives in pursuit of Mao's vision for China-until a love triangle forms that threatens all of them.
The story of Wild Ginger is a familiar one-love triangles are not exactly new in the world of literature. What makes this novel feel new and different is the setting. China during the Cultural Revolution was a place turned on its head. Mao, a communist, used the country's poor economy, uneducated populace, and history of exploitation at the hands of the West, and marched his Red Army right into power. Everyone and everything that could have threatened the absolute control he had over the country was rendered suspect. Teachers, prosperous business owners, artists, foreigners-all had to be turned to the purposes of Mao or expelled from China. Anyone considered and intellectual was also an automatic reactionary. The schoolchildren were only taught Mao's Little Red Book-a book of the famous sayings and speeches of Mao. They were expected to memorize the entire book, and regurgitate it on command. Any hint of questioning the Maoists could get you arrested, jailed, sent to a labor camp, or executed. It was a time of wide-spread fear, as anyone who felt wronged by you could turn you in as a reactionary with very little evidence.
Maple and Wild Ginger both lived on the edge-Maple, because as a teacher of Chinese history her father was suspect, and Wild Ginger because of her mixed heritage. But while Maple was more conflicted about being a Maoist, Wild Ginger threw herself into it wholeheartedly. By pushing away her unsatisfactory parentage, she hoped to make herself a model of what a young Maoist should be. As she began to gain power within the movement, the pressure on her to be the perfect Maoist in every way grew and grew, until she was consumed with it. Evergreen, who at first appears as zealous in his Maoism as Wild Ginger, begins to realize that his desire to recite Mao's teaching every night has less to do with Mao and more to do with his feelings for Wild Ginger. Despite her own feelings, Wild Ginger cannot give up her quest to ultimately be respected by the very people who appeared to despise her and her family when she was a child.
And this is what I mean about doctrines-religious or political-that deny basic human needs. Mao was indeed treated like a god by his most ardent followers, and his theology, if you will, included no recognition of the need for physical or affectionate love. In order to be an ideal Maoist, you were supposed to not just deny yourself love and sex, but denounce the very idea of love as Western and bourgeois. Never mind the folk songs no longer sung, or the Buddhist rituals driven underground-the very emotion that created the joyous reasons for songs and celebrations was forbidden. Ultimately, I suppose that's one reason Maoism was doomed to failure (that and the fact that it brought down the entire economy of China!). People will only submit to being stripped of their humanity for so long.
I experienced that familiar sensation of bafflement when reading Wild Ginger, by Anchee Min. Wild Ginger tells the story of two teenagers living in China during the Cultural Revolution. Maple is the daughter of a former teacher of Chinese history who has been sent to a labor camp for being a reactionary. Every day at school Maple is taunted and beaten by Hot Pepper, the head of the Red Guard at their school, in the name of her father. Every day, that is, until Wild Ginger joins the school. Wild Ginger, the daughter of a French-Chinese man and a Chinese mother, is viewed with suspicion because of her European roots. Having nothing to lose, Wild Ginger stands up to Hot Pepper, and Maple and Wild Ginger begin a deep and abiding friendship. Together with a boy named Evergreen, Maple and Wild Ginger begin preparing to sacrifice their personal lives in pursuit of Mao's vision for China-until a love triangle forms that threatens all of them.
The story of Wild Ginger is a familiar one-love triangles are not exactly new in the world of literature. What makes this novel feel new and different is the setting. China during the Cultural Revolution was a place turned on its head. Mao, a communist, used the country's poor economy, uneducated populace, and history of exploitation at the hands of the West, and marched his Red Army right into power. Everyone and everything that could have threatened the absolute control he had over the country was rendered suspect. Teachers, prosperous business owners, artists, foreigners-all had to be turned to the purposes of Mao or expelled from China. Anyone considered and intellectual was also an automatic reactionary. The schoolchildren were only taught Mao's Little Red Book-a book of the famous sayings and speeches of Mao. They were expected to memorize the entire book, and regurgitate it on command. Any hint of questioning the Maoists could get you arrested, jailed, sent to a labor camp, or executed. It was a time of wide-spread fear, as anyone who felt wronged by you could turn you in as a reactionary with very little evidence.
Maple and Wild Ginger both lived on the edge-Maple, because as a teacher of Chinese history her father was suspect, and Wild Ginger because of her mixed heritage. But while Maple was more conflicted about being a Maoist, Wild Ginger threw herself into it wholeheartedly. By pushing away her unsatisfactory parentage, she hoped to make herself a model of what a young Maoist should be. As she began to gain power within the movement, the pressure on her to be the perfect Maoist in every way grew and grew, until she was consumed with it. Evergreen, who at first appears as zealous in his Maoism as Wild Ginger, begins to realize that his desire to recite Mao's teaching every night has less to do with Mao and more to do with his feelings for Wild Ginger. Despite her own feelings, Wild Ginger cannot give up her quest to ultimately be respected by the very people who appeared to despise her and her family when she was a child.
And this is what I mean about doctrines-religious or political-that deny basic human needs. Mao was indeed treated like a god by his most ardent followers, and his theology, if you will, included no recognition of the need for physical or affectionate love. In order to be an ideal Maoist, you were supposed to not just deny yourself love and sex, but denounce the very idea of love as Western and bourgeois. Never mind the folk songs no longer sung, or the Buddhist rituals driven underground-the very emotion that created the joyous reasons for songs and celebrations was forbidden. Ultimately, I suppose that's one reason Maoism was doomed to failure (that and the fact that it brought down the entire economy of China!). People will only submit to being stripped of their humanity for so long.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2022
wàtek romantyczny tutaj 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
July 29, 2016
Selvom ytringsfriheden fortsat har trange kår i Kina, er det som om kommunistpartiet i de seneste årti har tilladt en vis opblødning, så det er muligt at forfattere, at ytre sig kritisk omkring samfundet – i hvert fald så længe de holder sig til begivenheder, der ligger tilpas langt tilbage til tiden.
Den form for betinget ytringsfrihed, kan der sagtens stilles spørgsmålstegn ved, men trods alt er det positivt, at forfattere som Mo Yan, Yan Lianke, Li Kunwu o.a. bliver udgivet og læst.
På samme måde har jeg det med den i USA bosatte Anchee Min, der med ”Vild Ingefær” skildrer den kinesiske kulturrevolution oplevet igennem teenagepigen Ahorn.
Egentlig er historien et kærlighedsdrama mellem Ahorn, veninden Vild Ingefær og drengen Stedsegrøn, men det er i langt højere grad en fortælling om hvad der sker, når blind autoritetstro, uvidenhed og ensretning bliver de styrende kræfter i et samfund.
Her bliver jeg nødt til at indskyde, at jeg har et noget modsætningsfyldt forhold til de kinesiske forfattere. For på den ene side finder jeg altid deres historier gribende, og jeg synes det er nødvendigt, at de bliver fortalt, i modsætning til stort set al dansk litteratur, der udgives i disse år.
På den anden side skal jeg overvinde mig selv hver gang, jeg giver mig i lag med en af deres romaner. Ikke fordi de er uinteressante, men kort og godt fordi de er udmarvende at læse. Siderne er mættede med uretfærdighed og afmagt, og ofte er det bedste man kan håbe på, at romanpersonerne til sidst affinder sig med deres - som regel meget triste - skæbne.
Sådan er det også i ”Vild Ingefær”, og det er ikke ment som en kritik.
Til gengæld vil jeg godt kritisere Anchee Mins forfatterevner, når det handler om at skrive en troværdig dialog – når hendes personer taler med hinanden, sker det ved at fremsige erklæringer på et livløst skriftsprog, jf. denne udveksling mellem Ahorn og Vild Ingefær:
”Hun truede med at sende sine tre brødre, ”Dragerne” efter os. De er slemme.”
”Jeg har hørt om dem. De arbejder på Tømmerfabrik Nummer Syv og har ord for at have tævet tre mennesker til døde.”
”Vi må have hjælp, Vild Ingefær.”
”Hvordan?”
”Lad os gå hen på den Røde Fanes Skole.”
Samtidig er Min meget omhyggelig med at skrive hvad Ahorn føler og hvordan de forskellige situationer skal forstås. Resultatet er en meget lukket historie, hvor næsten intet er overladt til ens egen tolkning – at læse ”Vild Ingefær” føles lidt som at betjene en lirekasse; man drejer håndsvinget (læser) og ud kommer musikken (budskabet), sådan som Anchee Min har bestemt, det skal lyde...
Kan man abstrahere fra det, er ”Vild Ingefær” en stærk fortælling om kulturrevolutionens vanvid. Sørg blot for at have en anden bog i baghånden til at holde tungsindet på afstand.
Den form for betinget ytringsfrihed, kan der sagtens stilles spørgsmålstegn ved, men trods alt er det positivt, at forfattere som Mo Yan, Yan Lianke, Li Kunwu o.a. bliver udgivet og læst.
På samme måde har jeg det med den i USA bosatte Anchee Min, der med ”Vild Ingefær” skildrer den kinesiske kulturrevolution oplevet igennem teenagepigen Ahorn.
Egentlig er historien et kærlighedsdrama mellem Ahorn, veninden Vild Ingefær og drengen Stedsegrøn, men det er i langt højere grad en fortælling om hvad der sker, når blind autoritetstro, uvidenhed og ensretning bliver de styrende kræfter i et samfund.
Her bliver jeg nødt til at indskyde, at jeg har et noget modsætningsfyldt forhold til de kinesiske forfattere. For på den ene side finder jeg altid deres historier gribende, og jeg synes det er nødvendigt, at de bliver fortalt, i modsætning til stort set al dansk litteratur, der udgives i disse år.
På den anden side skal jeg overvinde mig selv hver gang, jeg giver mig i lag med en af deres romaner. Ikke fordi de er uinteressante, men kort og godt fordi de er udmarvende at læse. Siderne er mættede med uretfærdighed og afmagt, og ofte er det bedste man kan håbe på, at romanpersonerne til sidst affinder sig med deres - som regel meget triste - skæbne.
Sådan er det også i ”Vild Ingefær”, og det er ikke ment som en kritik.
Til gengæld vil jeg godt kritisere Anchee Mins forfatterevner, når det handler om at skrive en troværdig dialog – når hendes personer taler med hinanden, sker det ved at fremsige erklæringer på et livløst skriftsprog, jf. denne udveksling mellem Ahorn og Vild Ingefær:
”Hun truede med at sende sine tre brødre, ”Dragerne” efter os. De er slemme.”
”Jeg har hørt om dem. De arbejder på Tømmerfabrik Nummer Syv og har ord for at have tævet tre mennesker til døde.”
”Vi må have hjælp, Vild Ingefær.”
”Hvordan?”
”Lad os gå hen på den Røde Fanes Skole.”
Samtidig er Min meget omhyggelig med at skrive hvad Ahorn føler og hvordan de forskellige situationer skal forstås. Resultatet er en meget lukket historie, hvor næsten intet er overladt til ens egen tolkning – at læse ”Vild Ingefær” føles lidt som at betjene en lirekasse; man drejer håndsvinget (læser) og ud kommer musikken (budskabet), sådan som Anchee Min har bestemt, det skal lyde...
Kan man abstrahere fra det, er ”Vild Ingefær” en stærk fortælling om kulturrevolutionens vanvid. Sørg blot for at have en anden bog i baghånden til at holde tungsindet på afstand.
May 27, 2015
This book was surprisingly good. Like, I mean really good. It had been on my list for a while because I was hesitant about reading something about the cultural revolution without really knowing what that was, but once I finished a history class on China I felt like I was more than ready to understand the main points of the novel. With that being said, I would at least brush up on communism in China so you're not completely lost while reading.
The first few pages where Min was describing Maple and how the classrooms were structured are what had me hooked for the rest of the book. She really captured the grit and hardship that came along with living in China during the peak of communism--her words were never vague nor over-extravagant, if that makes sense. While I was obviously never there to experience the tumultuousness of the Cultural Revolution, I believed she captured all of its facets very well. There were times where I laughed at its absurdity, but I quickly realized that it wasn't a joke, that this really happened, and that people had to worship Mao (and communism) or suffer.
The characters were another strong point. Wild Ginger's obsession over becoming a true Maoist was odd yet true to the times, I believe. It mirrors any other girl trying to fit in amongst her peers, or in this case amongst society. She dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the cause, and lost a great deal in the process. That I believe is one of the most cruel aspects of the book, and of Maoism itself--children were essentially robbed of their innocence and forced to embody the "model" communist" without ever discovering themselves as they matured.
The romance in the book was well written, but hard to really enjoy when you consider that one character's happiness came at the cost of another. Maple (and Evergreen) could barely be happy on their own since they were so closely tied to Wild Ginger. The love-triangle was odd but fitting for the novel because it really captured how Wild Ginger separated herself from a normal life in order to become the #1 Maoist.
I feel like I could go on and on, but in summation this book was a great combination of an account of the Cultural Revolution and a coming-of-age story between two young friends. Chances are once you pick up this book, you won't be able to put it down until you finish it.
The first few pages where Min was describing Maple and how the classrooms were structured are what had me hooked for the rest of the book. She really captured the grit and hardship that came along with living in China during the peak of communism--her words were never vague nor over-extravagant, if that makes sense. While I was obviously never there to experience the tumultuousness of the Cultural Revolution, I believed she captured all of its facets very well. There were times where I laughed at its absurdity, but I quickly realized that it wasn't a joke, that this really happened, and that people had to worship Mao (and communism) or suffer.
The characters were another strong point. Wild Ginger's obsession over becoming a true Maoist was odd yet true to the times, I believe. It mirrors any other girl trying to fit in amongst her peers, or in this case amongst society. She dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the cause, and lost a great deal in the process. That I believe is one of the most cruel aspects of the book, and of Maoism itself--children were essentially robbed of their innocence and forced to embody the "model" communist" without ever discovering themselves as they matured.
The romance in the book was well written, but hard to really enjoy when you consider that one character's happiness came at the cost of another. Maple (and Evergreen) could barely be happy on their own since they were so closely tied to Wild Ginger. The love-triangle was odd but fitting for the novel because it really captured how Wild Ginger separated herself from a normal life in order to become the #1 Maoist.
I feel like I could go on and on, but in summation this book was a great combination of an account of the Cultural Revolution and a coming-of-age story between two young friends. Chances are once you pick up this book, you won't be able to put it down until you finish it.
June 7, 2016
Anchee Min’s Wild Ginger relates a love story in the midst of turmoil told from the point of view of a teenage girl, Maple, who suffers at the hands of a bully, Hot Pepper, because Maple’s father was in a forced labor camp at the beginning of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. She meets the title character, Wild Ginger, when the latter joins her school class. Because Wild Ginger has “foreign” eyes and her father is half-French, she becomes another target for Hot Pepper, but Wild Ginger fights back and the bond between the two outcasts is forged.
Maple’s father is missing from her life because of his political crimes; Wild Ginger’s father is dead. Maple has siblings. Wild Ginger is an only child. Their mothers are left with responsibility to hold their two families together. Together they fight the injustice, but when Wild Ginger’s mother hangs herself, she loses hope.
In spite of the hopelessness of her situation, fortunes change when she is declared a heroine for discovering a group of unscrupulous men as they tried to divide up profits from thefts from a factory. As a result, she meets Mao after the newspaper headlines proclaimed that she acted based on following the teachings of the Chairman.
The story involves love of all types: best-friends-forever love between teenage girls, love of country, love of family, and first love. It also touches on the negative reactions to love: embarrassment, jealousy, envy, anger, betrayal, revenge. The book’s nearly storybook ending is satisfying on one level, but felt just a bit too tidy for a book aimed at an adult audience.
And that touches on what the biggest problem was for me. Because of the age of the central characters, initially I considered the book aimed at a young adult audience. The themes of bullying, friendship, and loyalty all seemed appropriate for YA readers. But as the love story that pitted Wild Ginger and Maple against one another for the love of Evergreen, the details were too graphic for a YA audience. Yet the story line, though complicated and touching on real political and psychological issues, offered too simple a path to satisfy most adults.
I have read other books by Anchee Min, more successful books based on historical characters, fleshed out using fiction techniques. Wild Ginger, when compared with Empress Orchid, disappointed me.
Maple’s father is missing from her life because of his political crimes; Wild Ginger’s father is dead. Maple has siblings. Wild Ginger is an only child. Their mothers are left with responsibility to hold their two families together. Together they fight the injustice, but when Wild Ginger’s mother hangs herself, she loses hope.
In spite of the hopelessness of her situation, fortunes change when she is declared a heroine for discovering a group of unscrupulous men as they tried to divide up profits from thefts from a factory. As a result, she meets Mao after the newspaper headlines proclaimed that she acted based on following the teachings of the Chairman.
The story involves love of all types: best-friends-forever love between teenage girls, love of country, love of family, and first love. It also touches on the negative reactions to love: embarrassment, jealousy, envy, anger, betrayal, revenge. The book’s nearly storybook ending is satisfying on one level, but felt just a bit too tidy for a book aimed at an adult audience.
And that touches on what the biggest problem was for me. Because of the age of the central characters, initially I considered the book aimed at a young adult audience. The themes of bullying, friendship, and loyalty all seemed appropriate for YA readers. But as the love story that pitted Wild Ginger and Maple against one another for the love of Evergreen, the details were too graphic for a YA audience. Yet the story line, though complicated and touching on real political and psychological issues, offered too simple a path to satisfy most adults.
I have read other books by Anchee Min, more successful books based on historical characters, fleshed out using fiction techniques. Wild Ginger, when compared with Empress Orchid, disappointed me.
September 11, 2009
Maple comes of age in the midst of Mao's red China. She is lonely and constantly harrassed by a group of girls at her elementary school who enjoy beating on her and use the excuse that she is an anti-Maoist in order to get away with it. Then, Wild Ginger, a new girl, begins attending school with them - and suddenly Maple has a new friend and a staunch ally. Wild Ginger is exotic looking because she is part French, but she wants more than anything else to show everyone what a good Maoist she is. The two girls have very different ideas about what it means to be a good Maoist, but they have a strong friendship until their love for Evergreen comes between them.
This was a quick read. The descriptions of what day-to-day life might be like under the Maoist regime in China were fascinating - as was the intolerance for anyone who was perceived to be indulging in anti-Maoist activities/thoughts. It reminded me of 1984, and descriptions of the Nazis - young people were so caught up in the nationalism and the movement, desperately seeking something to believe in, to cling to, something to organize their thoughts and help make sense of the world. It got me wondering if young people in general are just caught up in causes - if they are easily brainwashed into believing...and why that might be. For Wild Ginger, it was a longing for acceptance that led her to Mao and to Communism. She wanted to show everyone how good she was. And she really believed that people should be comrades. It's just that her life became a lie when some of the principles of Maoism interfered with her own feelings. Then she felt obligated to shut down the human part of herself, so that she could live the ideology better. Whereas, Maple understood that there was a natural way for people to be and that Maoism was wrong in demanding that people give that up. But in such a rigid society, it was difficult for anyone to make criticisms of what was seen as the ONLY way to be.
After reading this, I'm very much interested in learning more about what China was like under Mao, and what the lives of the people were like. Fascinating.
This was a quick read. The descriptions of what day-to-day life might be like under the Maoist regime in China were fascinating - as was the intolerance for anyone who was perceived to be indulging in anti-Maoist activities/thoughts. It reminded me of 1984, and descriptions of the Nazis - young people were so caught up in the nationalism and the movement, desperately seeking something to believe in, to cling to, something to organize their thoughts and help make sense of the world. It got me wondering if young people in general are just caught up in causes - if they are easily brainwashed into believing...and why that might be. For Wild Ginger, it was a longing for acceptance that led her to Mao and to Communism. She wanted to show everyone how good she was. And she really believed that people should be comrades. It's just that her life became a lie when some of the principles of Maoism interfered with her own feelings. Then she felt obligated to shut down the human part of herself, so that she could live the ideology better. Whereas, Maple understood that there was a natural way for people to be and that Maoism was wrong in demanding that people give that up. But in such a rigid society, it was difficult for anyone to make criticisms of what was seen as the ONLY way to be.
After reading this, I'm very much interested in learning more about what China was like under Mao, and what the lives of the people were like. Fascinating.
May 27, 2018
Taking place at the height of the cultural revolution in Maoist China in the 1960's/70's, this novel follows two youths, Wild Ginger and Maple. Wild Ginger is determined to become a Maoist, despite the fact that her mother has been called a French spy, because her father was a Frenchman. Maple and Wild Ginger quickly find solace in each others company, both being shunned by the other children.
As the two children grow older, Wild Ginger becomes a national hero after exposing some criminals in a local market. But soon, she comes to her ultimate test as she falls in love with Evergreen but can not give in to her desires because of her desire to be a Maoist. In the meantime, Maple and Evergreen are both suddenly doubting the entire revolution and everything that they were raised to believe. As Maple and Evergreen fall in love and become engaged, Wild Ginger's turns cold and soon betrays the both of them, but she still can not stay away from Evergreen.
This novel is a frightening but true look at China's past. Full of intensity and passion, Wild Ginger is a love story which uses the horrors and injustices of China's cultural revolution as a backdrop.
Honestly, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this novel, but I was drawn in instantly. The passion and the intensity of the characters makes this novel a truly memorable one. It does get a little racy at some points, but nothing over the top. Overall, I enjoyed this book and plan on reading more from this author.
As the two children grow older, Wild Ginger becomes a national hero after exposing some criminals in a local market. But soon, she comes to her ultimate test as she falls in love with Evergreen but can not give in to her desires because of her desire to be a Maoist. In the meantime, Maple and Evergreen are both suddenly doubting the entire revolution and everything that they were raised to believe. As Maple and Evergreen fall in love and become engaged, Wild Ginger's turns cold and soon betrays the both of them, but she still can not stay away from Evergreen.
This novel is a frightening but true look at China's past. Full of intensity and passion, Wild Ginger is a love story which uses the horrors and injustices of China's cultural revolution as a backdrop.
Honestly, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this novel, but I was drawn in instantly. The passion and the intensity of the characters makes this novel a truly memorable one. It does get a little racy at some points, but nothing over the top. Overall, I enjoyed this book and plan on reading more from this author.
November 24, 2015
This was so messed up! Honestly, a generation lost, no thanks to Mao and his Army. Ugh! His 'philosophies' and 'army' (aka bullies) leave a distaste in my mouth! He's not so much of a leader than a dictator who crams his ideas down people's throats and has everyone waste their days doing nothing but propaganda stuff and starve.
The author was just that good at stirring up my fury against the early days of communist China...or maybe I am not a fan of communist China to begin with....anyways back to the actual review.
This book certainly makes you think and gives you a slightly different perspective of what it was to grow up during the Cultural Revolution as a teenager, especially from "classes" that weren't favoured by the Red Army.
Wild Ginger and Maple, are two outcasts in school, who are constantly picked on for not being Maoist enough...especially Wild Ginger due to her foreign background. As the two girls grow up, one tries very hard to shed her foreign roots and embrace the Maoist ideas wholeheartedly even though she is probably not that into it and pushed Evergreen and Maple to go along with it.
I didn't connect with any of the characters at all. I know we are suppose to sympathize with them, especially given how tough this time period was for this generation. But there wasn't really anything redeeming about them. Wild Ginger was too headstrong and manipulative into trying to be the model Maoist girl, whereas Maple was too passive and allowed Wild Ginger to keep a hold on her.
The author was just that good at stirring up my fury against the early days of communist China...or maybe I am not a fan of communist China to begin with....anyways back to the actual review.
This book certainly makes you think and gives you a slightly different perspective of what it was to grow up during the Cultural Revolution as a teenager, especially from "classes" that weren't favoured by the Red Army.
Wild Ginger and Maple, are two outcasts in school, who are constantly picked on for not being Maoist enough...especially Wild Ginger due to her foreign background. As the two girls grow up, one tries very hard to shed her foreign roots and embrace the Maoist ideas wholeheartedly even though she is probably not that into it and pushed Evergreen and Maple to go along with it.
I didn't connect with any of the characters at all. I know we are suppose to sympathize with them, especially given how tough this time period was for this generation. But there wasn't really anything redeeming about them. Wild Ginger was too headstrong and manipulative into trying to be the model Maoist girl, whereas Maple was too passive and allowed Wild Ginger to keep a hold on her.
May 13, 2013
Another Anchee Min novel that I couldn't put down! If you liked Red Azalea, you will probably like this book. Essentially, it is the coming of age story of three teenagers living in the brutal era of Maoist China: the three youngsters battle between friendship, love, betrayal, and ultimately, their political loyality.
Overall, the story itself is interesting but bittersweet - although more bitter and sad than sweet. I found that the choppy sentences and the awkwardly structured dialogue made the story seem robotic and emotionally detached, diminishing the feeling of the book and making it more sterile, or like I was reading it in a daze. In addition, while I understand that the incessant Maoist quotes are meant to demonstrate the almost religious reverence of that generation towards Mao, I have to admit that after reading them on almost every page, I ended up just skimming over them, because I found that they just dragged the storyline.
However, despite these nitpickings, I find that Anchee Min did a profound job illustrating the thin line between love and hate, friendship and jealousy. Her perspective on China's Cultural Revolution is refreshing and shocking, and I recommend her books to anyone interested in that part of history.
Overall, the story itself is interesting but bittersweet - although more bitter and sad than sweet. I found that the choppy sentences and the awkwardly structured dialogue made the story seem robotic and emotionally detached, diminishing the feeling of the book and making it more sterile, or like I was reading it in a daze. In addition, while I understand that the incessant Maoist quotes are meant to demonstrate the almost religious reverence of that generation towards Mao, I have to admit that after reading them on almost every page, I ended up just skimming over them, because I found that they just dragged the storyline.
However, despite these nitpickings, I find that Anchee Min did a profound job illustrating the thin line between love and hate, friendship and jealousy. Her perspective on China's Cultural Revolution is refreshing and shocking, and I recommend her books to anyone interested in that part of history.
November 23, 2013
A sad and heart-rending account of three youths during the cultural revolution. Wild Ginger and Maple are picked on by Hot Pepper because they are reactionaries and revolutionaries. They become fast friends and Wild Ginger works to become the champion of the Maoist quotation contest. This is the story of a love triangle involving Evergreen the other quotation contest winner and the love that Maple has for both Wild Ginger and Evergreen. Also Evergreen and Wild Ginger's struggle to fight the bourgeisious (can't spell this) idea of romantic love and Evergreen's graduaul disillusionment with Maoism, and his growing attraction and sexual relationship with Maple. The story is so heart-breaking right from the start, but it gives us a stark view of what young people caught up in the fervor of the Cultural Revolution probably experiences. There are other books that depict this including "Wild Swans" which is biographical and another one that I can't remember the title of but involved a man who had iron shadow puppets. There was a movie by the same name. Anyway, if you want to get a "first hand" experience of this, Wild Ginger gives a pretty good sense of the fervor and "insanity" of the Cultural Revolution.
November 12, 2013
This was not what I expected especially from the cover picture of a woman in a sensuous pose. Wild Ginger is the new girl at school and she and Maple quickly become defenders of each other and lifelong friends. But it is more than that for Maple--is she in love with Wild Ginger or just obsessed by the time they are young women. WG's father was French so she & her mother are scorned and punished as not true communnists during the cultural revolution. WG catches some thieves and becomes a heroine, even meeting Mao. From then on, she is a loyalist to the Red Guard, Maoist in all things. She uses Maple to control her relationship with Evergreen, a young man as much in love/obsessed with WG as Maple. Like every other book I have read about the cultural revolution, this one is no different in that the characters suffer much and seemingly needlessly due to the cultural revolution.The Chinese characters in this book try to be good and correct but it doesn't take much to be threatened and persecuted. Yet WG's fate was suddenly changed but as you see from this book, whether you are the persecutor or the persecuted, everyone was oppressed at the time.
April 22, 2021
I'll start by saying that this book appealed to me on a historical level, and that's probably the main reason I wanted to read it. I bought this book on a whim, went home, and didn't put it down until I finished. It was sweeping and chaotic and chock full of symbolism. I'm probably labeled low brow for my appreciation for the obviously symbolic, but I love that stuff. My favorite part of the novel was finding myself finally understanding the appeal to the cult of personality surrounding Mao. Well, at least being able to understand what would drive people to Maoist ideology. The brainwashing is as essential to the plot as the characters themselves, and after being puzzled for years, I feel I have a better understanding of a dark period of history. What I didn't love was the way I didn't quite believe the characters in the love triangle were obsessed - to the point of death - with Wild Ginger, our main character. So I only gave it 3 stars. This will appeal to people who are interested in learning about other cultures, this particular historical period, or people who just really like twisted love stories.
September 4, 2022
Had to read this for English class. It’s an attempt to help readers understand the historical context and its psychological impacts, but I found myself completely confused and absolutely unable to empathize with ANY of the characters. Did not care whether anyone lived or died or got together or anything. Terrible characterization by the author. I still have no idea why anyone did what they did— I do understand that such a dictatorship can have major impacts on how people’s minds work and could make people do things we can’t imagine, but the author could have done a much, much better job displaying this instead of making me actively hate the book and everyone in it.
The author also made an unfortunate attempt to appeal to the adolescent population with bizarre and unnecessary sex scenes. Still weirded out by that one.
Sorry for being ranty and vague. I read this over a year ago and when I stumbled upon this page I was overcome by a surge of irritation at having wasted my time on this collection of words that was approximately 240 pages too long.
2 stars because at least the author tried to write something valuable.
The author also made an unfortunate attempt to appeal to the adolescent population with bizarre and unnecessary sex scenes. Still weirded out by that one.
Sorry for being ranty and vague. I read this over a year ago and when I stumbled upon this page I was overcome by a surge of irritation at having wasted my time on this collection of words that was approximately 240 pages too long.
2 stars because at least the author tried to write something valuable.
May 21, 2016
Every now and then, I find a book that is so raw and outrageous I can never decide how I feel towards it. I hated the characters in this book, and I hated the romance in it. It was disgusting. I hated every quotation from Mao Zedong inside and I had to skip over all of it because I was afraid of agreeing with him. It wasn't so much as what he said that was wrong, but more of the way he chose to execute it. But I didn't want any similarities with him, I didn't even want to agree that he also did it out of the pride for his country. But see, the book achieved its purpose. It made me relieved that his era is over, and gave us insight on the sufferings of the people, and desperate people take desperate measures. And although I disagree with the paths the characters chose, I cannot say that I blame them too.
But I just cannot like the book, and I think that's based purely on a very shallow personal reason. Otherwise the book isn't bad per se.
But I just cannot like the book, and I think that's based purely on a very shallow personal reason. Otherwise the book isn't bad per se.
July 29, 2008
Even better than a friend recommending a book is when a friend gives you a book. So thanks again Carrie! Every book you have sent has been a winner...and "Wild Ginger" was no exception.
This was a short novel. And it was plotted and paced like a short story, and at just 200 pages it went by fast. Although this work was steeped in details of a specific and unique period in time--China's Cultural Revolution--it managed to read quite naturally.
It's the story of two girls in love (more or less--maybe not so explicit), or at least, of two girls who are obsessed with each other. And then two men--one a fellow high schooler and the other, Chairman Mao--get in the way.
Very well-written, engaging, great dialogue and kind of a lot of heartbreak--not to mention a very first-person, of-the-moment way to look at the Cultural Revolution.
This was a short novel. And it was plotted and paced like a short story, and at just 200 pages it went by fast. Although this work was steeped in details of a specific and unique period in time--China's Cultural Revolution--it managed to read quite naturally.
It's the story of two girls in love (more or less--maybe not so explicit), or at least, of two girls who are obsessed with each other. And then two men--one a fellow high schooler and the other, Chairman Mao--get in the way.
Very well-written, engaging, great dialogue and kind of a lot of heartbreak--not to mention a very first-person, of-the-moment way to look at the Cultural Revolution.
July 5, 2011
I read this book to try and learn more about China during the time of the Cultural Revolution. I learned a lot. I feel very sorry for these families who were manipulated by the government through no fault of their own. Hunger is a good way to control masses of people and these people were not only kept hungry for the food needed to nourish their bodies they were starved by ideological control and their inability to think for themselves or to reflect and express their own thoughts. Idealism and loyalty to the regime proved as deadly as frustration and silent rebellion. The cover was brilliant - but misleading because this is a messy book about desperation and human frailty and the cover is sleek and sophisticated and sensual. It will be a while before I pick up another Anchee Min book. I think I need to build up my stamina for more such reality.
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