Red Scarf Girl : A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

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Summary: Mao's Reign Exposed Through a Child's Eyes
Review: Having spent several years of my childhood in Hong Kong, I've had an ongoing interest in Chinese culture and history. When I read this book, I felt that this was a book I wanted to share with everyone.

Red Scarf Girl gives us a window into the life of a girl growing up during the Cultural Revolution - a time of great upheaval in China. Having read "Life and Death in Shanghai," by Nien Ching, several years earlier, I had already been given an excellent perspective of what it must have been like to live through this period as an adult. Now, I was fascinated to see the years of the revolution detailed through the eyes of a young girl who was trying not just to survive, but to rationalise, accept, and believe in what she saw happening around her.

This is a very moving account and I believe that anyone could benefit from reading it unless they are determined not to let that happen.

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Summary: The Red Scarf Girl: A Girl With Determination
Review: Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang was a fascinating memoir about Ji-li's life during the Cultural Revolution. This book exceptionally demonstrates the qualities of a hero, presented by Ji-li's actions. Ji-li was a smart, determined leader and she always stood up for what she believed was right, all of which are qualities of a hero.
A person would not only be drawn to this book because it takes place during the Cultural Revolution, which was a horrible time period for many people living in China then, but because it is about a girl going into junior high school who is strong, inside and out, by standing up for what she believes is right, no matter what criticism and punishment she faces on her quest to make things right. In this book, Ji-li comes from a family of bad class status because her grandfather was a landlord. The Communist Party, which Ji-li belongs to, is run by Mao Ze-dong who is trying to reform China by getting rid of the Four Olds: Old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. The Red Guard, a group of teenagers who live to serve Mao Ze-dong, search the homes of families with bad class status to confiscate any objects and possessions that might have fallen into the category of one of the Four Olds. Since Ji-li was born into a family of bad class status, she is told that she still has a chance to become an educable child. She would have to do whatever it took to prove herself loyal to Mao Ze-dong, even if it meant breaking from her family. One night, Ji-li's father is arrested by the citizens of Shanghai, the city where the story takes place, and Ji-li has to decide between two choices: whether to break off relations with him and her family to become an official supporter of Mao Ze-dong, or to support her father and family, which would cause her to sacrifice any future that she would have in the Communist Party.
An example of when Ji-li demonstrates her heroic nature was when she was able to stand up to her enemies, Du Hai and Yang Fan. Ji-li was being teased by them for saying things that were Four Olds. They were tormenting her so much that finally, she was able to come back with thing that they had done which were Four Olds also. This part of the book is significant to the idea of heroism because part of being a hero is standing up to your enemies and not letting anyone bring you down.
"Not me. I'll never be a quitter." This is a quote from a part in the book where Ji-li is given one more chance to prove her loyalty to Mao Ze-dong by working in a rice field as summer labor. This is a terribly difficult job, working for many days bending over rice plants in the scorching heat. One day as she was working, Ji-li faints from exhaustion. Her friend, Chang Hong who is a member of the Red Guards, says that she should stop working in the fields, but Ji-li doesn't want to give up. She loves her family and she also loves Mao Ze-dong and the Communist Party, so she feels that summer labor is the only way that she can have them both. This scene in the rice fields symbolizes how determined Ji-li is and how she will never give up on a task, no matter what the circumstances are; a true quality of a hero.
This story about Ji-li in the Cultural Revolution brings out the qualities that are put together to convey the theme of an exceptional hero. The heroic actions that Ji-li takes to stand up for what she believes in makes this story very enjoyable and uplifting even when her family is going through emotional struggles. This story is well-written and detailed and anyone who is interested in China and the Cultural Revolution should read it.

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Summary: My Opinion of Red Scarf Girl
Review: Red Scarf Girl was thought provoking and compelling book. The book is a memoir of one girl's experiences during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, a movement launched by the Communist government and its leader Chairman Mao, to purge China of people who did not follow the Communist ideals. At the start of the book the protagonist, a young girl named Ji-Li, is a Communist Party poster child. She believes in Chairman Mao and dreams of a career in the Chinese government. When she learns that her grandfather was a landlord (a group scorned by the government) she considers renouncing her family to follow the Communist party.
While reading Red Scarf Girl I often felt annoyed at Ji-Li because of her blind faith in the Communist party despite the horror going on around her, and I was impatient for her to come to her senses. Even so, it must have taken great strength for Ji-Li to write what she felt at the time because she seriously contemplated leaving her family, almost changing her name so she wouldn't be associated with them. Events of the Cultural Revolution are not always pleasant to read, but the book was hard to put down. By the end of the story I had gained a greater understanding and appreciation for the people such as Ji-Li who had to make those impossible choices. I thought that Red Scarf Girl was engrossing and memorable and I highly recommend it.

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Summary: Simple language tells a striking story.
Review: The book Red Scarf Girl, A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution, was before I opened this book I was not sure of what it was about. I did not know much about the Cultural Revolution and I did not know if I was going to like it. From the second I opened the book I was hooked. For some reason it made me very interested in it and I found myself actually looking forward to reading it. I usually don't like to read anything other than car magazines and sports books but I actually enjoyed reading it. It showed me how things were during the Cultural Revolution, and what people went through. Even though this book was written by a Childs point of view the author really got her point across. Since this book was based on the early 1960's I think it gives a good perspective on how people were back then. In this book there is a lot of poverty that is shown. Throughout the book the girl, "Ji-Li Jiang has to over come the "fourold's," a group of vigilantes that are sent from the state to make sure that everyone is in fashionable wear. She explains that she does not even want to go to school because of this. This is one of the things that I learned from this book. I never thought that there would ever be fashion police. As I said before, this is just one of the hardships that Ji-Li Jiang over comes in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Cultural Revolution. However due to the depressing amounts of events that come in this book, I would not recommend it to someone as a fun read.

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Summary: Interesting
Review: This is a wonderful book that drew me in. I really felt for Ji-Li Jiang, the main character. I read it when I was in elementary school and didn't know anything about the Cultural Revolution. It educated me and I also liked how realistic it was (that's because it is a true story) and how Ji-Li agreed with communism, and it took a long time for her to realize how wrong it was even though she herself suffered a lot.

It's not five stars though. It's a good book and I can't find anything wrong with it, but I've read better and it's not one of my favorite books. But I still highly recommend it.

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Summary: Wonderful!
Review: When I was in China for school, our teacher gave us an assignment to read this book. I thought: Wow! A new book to read! I of course loved to read. At that time, we were studying China History. So, he gave me the book and I read in 2 days! Even my friend who hated to read and write loved the book. My fellow classmates also loved it. If you are thinking of buying this book, don't hesitate! BUY IT!