Member Review

This book is a well written vivid account of a communist family form the early communist years all the way up to the Deng reform years.The author describes in a factual way without bitterness what life in communist China authoritarian regime was like. Thus the story of Anhua Gao becomes a demonstration how dehumanizing life in communist China was/is. At the same time, it also shows that there are decent, supporting people found even in the most tenuous circumstances. This book is for everyone who wants to understand how life in communist China or any authoritarian regime functions, how it intrudes in every aspect of one's life and how one can not escape. It is different on two accounts, firstly it spans from the communist struggle for survival all the way up to 1989 the year of Tiananmen. Secondly, it is rare that a book gives the all-embracing rules and regulations which control the life of the citizen in the regime.