Come Watch the Sun Go Home: A Memoir of Upheaval and Revolution in China

Come Watch the Sun Go Home is a moving memoir of life in China from the 1940's through the 1990's, focusing primarily on the years of the Cultural Revolution. This is the first book I have read on the subject, and I was immediately taken in by her remarkable story; I finished it in just a few days. Chen Chen's wonderful eye for detail and dry wit make for an enjoyable read, despite the heavy subject matter. Her indomitable spirit shines throughout the book. I had the pleasure of meeting the author and she is truly an inspiration.

I agree that this book rings hauntingly true, from my own travels on the mainland, Hong Kong, and living in Taiwan. I've read just about all of the most popular autobiographies of Chinese who lived through the Cultural Revolution (the last decade has seen a flood of these, many very good reads), but never have I wanted so BADLY to meet the author as with this book. She rings so true and human, if it's not all true, she is a powerful story teller... She is feisty, funny, and a true survivor... I love the book and her for sharing it with me...

I have traveled to China on business for 20 years. What struck me was not just the story of the China(s) that I know, but the much deeper and more complex China that I do not know. The author's descriptions ring true to everything I have seen and to the small glimpses I have had of what goes on that is not according to the official story. For instance, I have seen first hand what the author talks about in the generation whose education and professional lives were sacrificed to the cultural revolution. In the late 70's and early 80's, technical meetings would consist of a few older experts and a multitude of young trainees. There were none in the middle age groups who would normally be just entering the peak of their professional lives. A generation on, this is no longer so evident but the effects are still there. Thanks to Toto, by the way, for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this book. I was aware of the difference between the monolithic official line and the incredibly pluralistic personal views of individual Chinese. This book brought home to me just how much more there is to China and the people of China than I known. The events related here would make a fabulous fantasy tale. The strangest thing is that they were instead the normal, every day lives for most of a billion people for many, many years. I heartily recommend this book to any who want an intense and closeup view of China in the last 50 years.

I came across this book at the library one day while looking for a memoir on the Cultural Revolution. Most of the books that I have read about the Moaist years in China have been about people who didn't realize the effect the Party and Mao had on them. But author Chen Chen was raised by liberal parents and was educated in the Western style. This probably allowed her to relize that some of the movements and programs were a little odd and forced the Party's power on to the brainwashed citizens and the now lost generation. I was totally engrossed in this novel because the story was told by someone who understood what was happening and who was brainwashed.