Currently I am reading our book club book (Little Women) and re-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy (a movie marathon last weekend of LOTR got me inspired to re-read them!). Given the bulk of books I'm in the middle of, I decided to review an older book this week. It is a favorite and I hope others will be inspired to read it.
Life and Death in Shanghai, Nien Cheng (5)
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is Nien Cheng’s memoir of her imprisonment and survival during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She worked for Shell Oil and was educated in London, therefore became a target of the poor, uneducated revolutionaries. What most surprised me of this story was how unorganized and haphazard the revolution was. It makes sense, but is surprising nonetheless. When Nien refuses to admit to trumped-up charges, they don’t know what to do with her. Her stubbornness and strength of character got her through the ordeal. She seemed to survive the prison more due to the incompetence of her captors than kindness or intentions. When I first read this book, I discussed it with my friend, ZY, who was a child during this time in China. He told me his college educated parents were sent to the country-side to work on farms for months at a time, leaving him and his sibling alone at home. They were around 9 or 10 and their school was closed. He said his parents would come home on a weekend and try to get food and supplier for them to survive the next month. He also said his teenage kids had no idea what he and their grandparents had gone through. I recommended they read this memoir to give them some idea of the time and circumstances. I think everyone would benefit from reading this book!
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