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Summary: rich saga
Review: In this review, I hope you'll come with me to China, as my mind is brimming full of memories from my vacation there this summer, and also of images from Jung Chang's moving, detailed, and perfectly crafted memoir, Wild Swans. The book uses the lives and experiences of Jung, her mother, and grandmother, to tell the story of China during most of the 20th century. The story begins with Jung's grandmother, who grew up during the feudal era. Her feet were bound, as were her horizons; she was sent off by her father to become a concubine to a General and lived the life of a bored housewife, seeing the General only the barest number of times over the years. Ten years later she was able to marry for love, though her husband suffered ridicule, disapproval, and ostracism by his children, in part because he was so much older than his bride. Jung's mother was born and raised during the Japanese occupation, and both she and Jung's father became devoted high-ranking Communist officials. Unfortunately, as these things go, Jung's mother was distrusted, investigated, and detained, and she and her husband were later branded "enemies of the people". Jung herself was raised during the Cultural Revolution, exiled, and eventually left China to begin studies in the U.K. Jung's mother is in many ways the primary protagonist of the book, as her lifetime spanned some of the most turbulent years in China this century. At first she embraced the Communist cause, leading a chapter of the youth league while the concepts were still new and exciting, and being tested and tried. Later while raising her children she began to feel some doubts creep in, as her husband embraced the revolution so passionately that he allowed for no individual thought or consideration for his family. One sees over and over the bewilderment, tension, and disappointment she felt; on the one hand, she fervently believed in the goals of the revolution herself and yet, on the other, she felt that her husband's zealotry reflected a lack of feeling for, or even a betrayal of, herself and her children. It is Jung who became the most disillusioned as she began to perceive the excesses to which Mao's policies were being taken. If the results were not so painful it would almost be comical to read about farmers who might initially have been willing to tell the truth (that policies were leading to shortages, starvation, and decline in agricultural production), but who under pressure end up chanting wild-eyed that their produce weighed 10 pounds, 100 pounds, 1000 pounds and more. The denouncements, the purges, and the efforts at thought control are astounding. It goes without saying that this book is written by a young woman who has left the communist way of life, and this should be kept in mind. But for those who would enjoy a painstaking and fascinating re-telling of Chinese history through the eyes of three generations of Chinese women, I cannot recommend this book more highly.
Rating: 
Summary: The most clear and exciting book about China's history
Review: I loved every minute of reading it. It realy shows how a country can change in just a couple of years. I recommend it to everyone who wants to know something about China during the emperors, during the Republic, and during communism.
Rating:
Summary: This book is one of a kind...should be required reading.
Review: I put off reading this book because of its size and the fact that I wasn't very interested in the subject. Once I started, however, I found it difficult to put down. The picture Chang paints is fascinating, and one can't help admiring the Chinese people for their courage despite all the propaganda, cruelty and hopelessness. A culture that cripples its women lacks heart and seems capable of anything. As a child I cleaned my plate for the starving Chinese children, it was fascinating to learn that Chang had cleaned her plate for the starving capitalist children! This book made me appreciate living in this country and especially the freedom we enjoy.
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Summary: I felt like a better person for having read this book.
Review: We learn so little about the history of other nations in our schools, unless we major in a particular type of history in college. This book gives such an understanding to the history of China in this century -- what life was like under the traditional feudal system, why the concepts of communism were so appealing to so many, the initial good it did and the devastating consequences of its excesses and corruption. A beautifully written book that provides an understanding of another nation, and one that should give every reader tremendous appreciation of the freedoms so many of us take for granted. I have been recommending this book to people since I read it two years ago; do yourself a favor and read it.
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Summary: An incredible book depicting the hardships under Mao
Review: This was an outstanding book. It kept me turning page after page all night long. I had to read this for my Asian history class at Ohio State. We have had other books to read for this class. By far, this book was much more interesting. The main reason is, that it talks about a personal struggle as well as the struggle of the population in general. It tied very large events that we have learned about in history such as the "Great Leap Forward" and "Mao's Personality Revolution" into a personal perspective and actually made me realize what Mao's thought control programs actually did to the Chinese people. This shows us another example of what can happen when someone gets too much power.
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Summary: The most thought provoking book I ever read!
Review: I read this book on a recommendation from a friend who is studying Chinese history. I never knew anything about the Chinese culture and history, only that it was under Communist rule. This book has changed my outlook on life in general totally. Before I read the book, I took life in a secure family and a democratic country for granted, almost blind to the suffering in other countries such as China. I was amazed at the courage and strength of the author and her predecessors. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone and not just to read and forget about, but to inform and bring about awareness of the bravery of the Chinese people who survived the horrors of Mao.
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Summary: Best autobiography ever
Review: Simply one of the best autobiographies ever produced. Fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: A magnificent work
Review: I'm deeply moved by this book. Thank Jung Chang for writing such a great book. I am from Mainland China. I came to U.S for graduate study five years ago. I felt difficult to breathe when I closed the book because it reminds me the stories of my family in china. The similar thing happened to them, not so worse than Ms. Chang's, but also painful and intolerable. They experienced the collapse of Qing dynasty, warlord chaos, Japanese invasion, civil war and communist control. My parents moved from Shanghai to an inland small town with dedicated hearts to communist party in 1956 but they suffered all the time. They are must ordinary people. My mother is as old as Jung Chang's mother - Hong, there were endless meetings against her in each of political movements in 20 years. My mom is not a party member, working in a factory as a product planning staff. She was badly treated only because she was from a landlord family and with a oversea sister. My grandfather, my father suffered similar spiritual torture. My home was searched several times in Culture Revoluation, almost all books, magzines and jewelry (including the wedding ring of my parents) are burned or confiscated.A few months after I was born in 1968, my father was sent to "Cadre school" (kind of labor camp) to receive re-education. My uncle was marked as "rightist" in 1957 and his whole family was discriminated all the time until 1978. My elder sister went to the countryside too and her annul wage was merely 50 pounds of yams and 200 pounds of wheat. I didn't suffer so much compared with my parents and my sisters. Everything is getting better since 1978. I was a good student and went to college with many dreams. Again, in 1989, the gunshot and blood in Tianmen Square broke them all prior to my graduation. The history of china is like a cycle: the periodic construction and destruction. My heart is saying I should go back to my homeland, but who knows I can avoid the same fates of my parents? In fact, I read Wild Swans in Chinese first. I happened to borrow it from my local library east Asia section, it's translated to Chinese and published by Taiwan. I can't stop reading when I opened the book. All the depiction is like real life movie floating before my eyes. I highly recommend it that's why I browse your website to get a original version for myself and for my American friends.
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Summary: Great book, every Japanese should read it.
Review: I was very shocked when I read how japanese did chinese people during the occupation . I felt sorry and sad. Reading this book I can understand about the mysterious but close country. I hope every Japanese will read it.
Rating:
Summary: an insight into thought control
Review: Utterly fascinating look into the makings of a totalitarian regime. A very sad and personal representation of people and a society who find themselves in a state of abject poverty - are saved from this and then find themselves in a state of political and spiritual poverty - where truth and lies merge into a fantasy propogated by the state. I wish I could find more books like this - written by women, about their first hand experiences of totalitarian states. This book was more frightening than the fictional "1984". The good and bad thing about this book was that Jung Chang gave profound events and 'small impact' events equal standing - making it difficult to sift through the overwhelming information presented. If you are vaguely interested in this book - don't hesitate to buy/read it!
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