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Product Reviews:
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Excellent presentation
Comments: I have had this book on my shelf since published in 1991 and decided this week to read it. I am sorry I waited so long. Beautifully written and an invaluable insight into the Chinese mind. In my opinion it goes a long way toward explaining the historical distrust between Chinese and Western peoples. Chinese people could not/were trained not to express their thoughts (and in many instances were encouraged to not even have thoughts) and this lack of ability to communicate directly is perceived as untrustworthy by Westerners. I did have to laugh when I read that Chinese told their children to be grateful for their food as children in the capitalist West were starving!! (Being of an age where when I said "yuck" I was told children in China were starving and I should be glad I wasn't.) however many did starve and many more were starved of spirit and individual thought. An outstanding and readable history of a period of relatively recent political events and the results therefrom. Alas, the philosophy and practices of Mao have permeated many other parts of the world. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: A must read non-fiction account of Cultural Revolution
Comments: This is the gripping story of3generations of women. It is not only an autobiography; it is the story of China's past. This book, told in story form, is a 1st- hand account of the many changes and horrors endured by the Chinese people. The Author's beautiful grandmother, whose feet were bound at age two, became a concubine to a famous general in the warlord government. Her parents were high officials in the People's Republic. however their positions did not prevent them from torment. The Cultural Revolution and other historical movements impacted e member of Jung Chang's family in life altering ways. They suffered intolerably. The author describes the life of her mother who raised her children without emotional support from her husband or from the Communist Party, to which both parents at the time belonged. Jung Chang is the third generation daughter of China in this personal story. The reader will learn about the Kuomintang under Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese invasion, the famines, land reforms, denunciations, Red Guards, Chairman Mao (who made such declarations as the burning of books and art, pulling out grass, destruction of temples, etc.) and Mme. Mao who made cruel commands of her own. There are lessons to be learned in reading about masses believing whatever their leaders tell them and following their dictates unquestioningly. It is frightening and compelling at the same time.
Although many of the author's accounts of atrocities perpetrated on the populace are difficult to comprehend and uncomfortable to read, it is a valuable book for those who want to know more about the history of a country where a fifth of humanity lives in our shrinking globe and now has1of the quickest growing economies; China currently holds a trillion dollars in U.S. securities. Reading Wild Swans is a great way to understand the Chinese culture in the 20th century and the generations who endured great hardships at the hands of those described in this book. It is uplifting to see the influence of Chang's parents in her decision making and read of her own acts of bra and compassion. I will not divulge the ending, however Chang does find happiness.
It was inspiring to read about the personal integrity, ethical standards, courage and moral values in the face of incalculable brutality, degradation and mindless destruction of real people, not fictional characters. Jung Chang spared no detail in describing these virtues and vices in telling her story. If you want better insight and understanding of China, for a 1sthand account -Read Wild Swans!! This is a significan not book and I highly endorse it.
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Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: memoire extraordinaire
Comments: Spanning3generations of Chinese women, this 508 page tour de force is breathtaking in its scope. Each of the characters in this book is fully developed. The reader learns about life in communist China. It is alalmost all too much to bear reading about the severe hardships endured by these brave women. My only criticism, and a minor1at that, is that as the Cultural Revolution squeezed out all of the old, beautiful and the traditional from society, it also made it difficult, if not impossible, for the author to convey the honestly raw emotion that must have been experienced by members of her family and their friends as they suffered through the years of Mao. Nevertheless, as China continues to evolve and play a larger role on the world stage, this book helps us to understand how far the Chinese have come.
Stephen Ira Tamber |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: This book will last for many generations to come
Comments: I won this great book when I was 18 years old. Until today, after alalmost all2decades, I can still remember the story well. E page in this book is so alive with senses!! I could really see the transitional period from1generation to the next; from the warlord era to the cultural revolution. It's simply amazing. At1point, I cried reading the hardship of the Chinese people. I also felt bra in them. The unity of the people as well. Although it's not a history book, it gives an insight, a quick one, into the history of China. |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: I liked the book, however it may not be for you.
Comments: I have mixed feelings about the book Wild Swans. It certainly was not a page turner, rather it was a book I could lay down at any time, and even walk away from for a couple of days, which I did a number of times. It did not read like a novel, as some memoir/biographies do, rather it was as though the author, Jung Chang was narrating to me the history of her family, beginning with her grandmother. The narration is well written, however long, and ends when she is 26. A short epilogue at the end then updates you as to what she has done with her life in the 10 years following the writing of the book. So if you are looking for a wildly entertaining book you can hardly put down, this is not a book for you.
Having said this, I do not consider reading the book was time wasted. If you are at all interested in the history of China, especially what it was like under Mao's years in power, you would find many fascinating passages in the book. Of course almost all of us know that Mao was not great for the people of China, however I was honestly surprised at what all went on under Mao and his wife. Some of it was so strange, that it seemed down right bizarre to me, such as when Mao determined that grass and beautiful things should be removed from the cities. People all over China were pulling up flowers and grass. Students even spent school time out in the yard pulling up the grass. Reading the book was a learning experience about a time that it turned out I really knew little about. |
