China's Son : Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution

Rating:
Summary: China's Boy-Definately an engrossing read!
Review: As a 12 year old student, I was assigned to read China's Son as a class project. As usual, I took one look at the cover and felt discouraged. But as I worked my way through the book, I actually began to understand the meaning of Da Chen's words.
Growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution was difficult for poverty stricken Da Chen. The book shows how he deals with his hardships, going from top student to the child no one likes, just because of his social standing. Da even joins a gang of hoodlums in his neighborood, and slowly becomes disinterested in the school he once loved. After dealing with family issues, Da realizes that he wants more in life then to become an uneducated farmer. Determined to succeed, he studies to enter one of China's best collages. Da Chen leaves readers on edge, hoping and praying that Da will make it into collage.
Although the book started off slowly for me, I would most definately reccomend it to any jr. through high schooler. Reading about Da Chen's determination is inspirational!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting child account of the Cultural Revolution
Review: As an adult interested in China and the Cultural Revolution and having traveled many times to China, I read this book not really expecting to glean much from it. It was well written though and appropriately rated. I found Da Chen a character I could relate with (even as an adult) and discovered his account to be full of emotion: frightened, bitter, angry, excited, happy etc.. I think most of the "facts" were presented in truth.

Rating:
Summary: An inspirational, insightful autobiography
Review: China's Sons is the intensely personal account of Da Chen, born in China in 1962, is reviewed here for its importance to many an adult reader as well. Chen and his family were outcasts in Communist China, and Da had to drop out of school as a result. When Mao died, Da faced a long struggle to regain his education and go to college ' and his entire family helped him succeed. China's Son is an inspirational, insightful autobiography.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book is beautifully written and opened up the real history of the cultural revolution to me.