Wild Swans, by Jung Chang

Book 23

Wild Swans is categorized as "Women's Studies/Asian Studies".  I would call it the 100 year history of a Chinese family from the ladies' perspective.  Jung Chang was born in 1952 and grew up under Mao's regime.  Her parents were early participants in the Revolution.  Her grandmother had been the concubine of a warlord.

In the beginning, it was all about the subjugation of women with the footbinding and the selling of twelve year olds.  Then, the old warlord died and the grandmother married an older doctor - a very good man.  As we get through the childhood of the author's mother, we see the beginning of the Communist  Revolution.

The ideology was fascinating and the shared ideas and arguments of the parents made the political issues personal.  It was really well written.  As the Communists took power for real, the Changs climbed the ladder.  Jung Chang was one of the privileged, but her parents were among the honest ones.  She was taught to work hard, study hard, blahblahblah.  Then the Cultural Revolution ruined them and I really remembered why I hate Communism.

It's things like this:  a kid goes to join the army to fight the Japenese.  He happens to run into the Kuomintang before he runs into the Communists.  He joins them.  He thinks, "What difference does it make as long as I am fighting the Japanese?"

Ha.

At best, the answer is, "You will never have a decent job in your life."  At worst, you will be "persecuted to death".  Tortured, starved, brainwashed....

The scariest thing to me in the history was the"indoctrination" of schoolchildren.  Propaganda day in and day out.  The scariest thing to me personally was Chang talking about her father's persecution driving him to madness.  He actually started hearing voices while in prison.  Even after his release he was hounded and she tells of the day when the book burning types made him burn all of his books.  She remembers him doing it.  She had never seen him cry before.

I was sick.

This was a pick for my book club.  I wouldn't have chosen it myself.  I am glad that I read it.  But I am also glad I am finished.