Wild Swans Reviewed

One of my favorite books of all time has to be "Wild Swans:  Three Daughters of China" by Jung Chang.  This personal history effectively blends the passion of memoir along with the panoramic view of eyewitness history.  The story takes place during a time of sweeping change in modern day China.  The final result is a powerful work of personal testimony which the reader is compelled to finish.  Chang's book has become a best seller in thirty languages and more than ten million copies have been sold all over the world.  This powerful story is about three generations of twentieth-century Chinese women of the same family.  It is a clear indictment of Mao's real impact on China, but more than anything it is a story of bravery and love demonstrated in the lives of ordinary people.

Chang has created something very important through this personal history of her family.  It personally explores the human side of life under Mao during a time of radical change in China.  The book does not paint any kind of rosy picture of life in China before Mao either.  It honestly explains why Mao has remained such a powerful political force in China to the present time.  However, it offers a revision of the official, state-sponsored version most Chinese people are widely familar with today.  Regardless of one's disposition toward China, Jung Chang's book deserves intellectual consideration.  Happy reading!

Best regards from your friend,

Harlan Urwiler

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