Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li JiangMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A middle school student I tutor in English told me she was reading this book. I promised her I would read it, too, so we could talk about it together. I was pleasantly surprised.
It is a valuable book for so many reasons. The history is instructive for any era, but I think especially instructive today. Nothing I learned in history class revealed the fear and brutality of the Cultural Revolution in Chairman Mao's New China as well as this book. Oh, the terror of being scorned or possibly beaten for having a pretty sweater or an educated, successful parent or even for being suspected of thinking in old ways was brought into sharp focus.
It is told in the voice of a girl and this somehow made the events reported even more impactful. The reader is able to struggle for understanding along with this young girl. The reader feels the growing tension and foreboding. The reader witnesses the terrible pain of children being turned against their own loving parents.
The writer's ebbing innocence as she stumbles through the stages of the unfolding horror will stay with you for a long time. You will remember the signs in (any) political party of a tragic plunge into evil.
Two thumbs up!
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