Wild Ginger

It is hard to imagine what life in China was like during the Cultural Revolution. And it is also hard for me to imagine what life in Taiwan across from China was like after the Second World War even though I live here and was not born yet. And I was not interested in this story until my American friend lent it to me and I started to read it. I learned a lot from it. During the Cultural Revolution, many things people should have done to develop the country were abandoned. They were replaced by the Mao teaching. People were scared of Red Guards, so they tried to be a Maoist. Maybe they just pretended to be. It still helped them. And some people were involved in this mainstream and forgot who they were. They even rejected human nature. Those so-called anti-Maoists may not be bad, but they were killed or punished. An old lady yelled "Kill that Mao," and she was killed. Mao means cat, but it sounds like the last name of Chairman Mao. Even food was hard to get. Mao could give his people that, but he did not want to lose face, so he gave much food to other communist countries. Can you imagine how stressed those poor people felt? Many people died of the Cultural Revolution, but what Mao did is rarely blamed. Hard to imagine. If you read this book without understanding Mandarin or the Chinese culture, you will find something peculiar. When people meet each other and say "Have you eaten?," what they mean is "How are you?" The writing style is quite special, and it is still not hard to understand what the author tries to tell us. I enjoyed this story very much. Hope you will like it, too.

This story is about two friends growing up during those recent awful times in China when family background could earn you a beating from sadist classmates. That's how Maple, the first person narrator, met Wild Ginger. Together they fought the class bully, and together they studied Maoism. Wild Ginger, however, whose father was a foreigner, had a harder time than Maple. But the abuse she endured even pulled her more strongly into Maoism. Eventually she rose in the party. And when a young man developed a romantic interest in her, a triangle developed that included her friend Maple. That's when the events take a more tragic turn.From the very first page, I was immediately swept up in the story, which was set against the background of the horrors of Maoism. Here was history come alive through the eyes of the people, each one so beautifully developed that even the minor characters became unique individuals. There is not a wasted word and the tightly crafted sentences, juxtaposed with quotations from Mao's writings, brought me right into the heart of China. I felt the political fervor as well as the frustrations and depravations of living through that unique time.I loved this book. I read it quickly, and had a hard time putting it down. Highly recommended.

Adults are terrified to curb the impulses of sadistic children for fear of being branded an anti-Maoist. Children denounce their own parents and citizens are executed, tortured or sentenced to labor camps for life for the most arbitrary of political `crimes' or for having the misfortune of being descended from the wrong social class. The entire community is forced to attend marathon mass rehearsals in freezing weather for Mao quotation singing rallies. The only words that are safe to speak are Mao's own, which the children spend most of their school days memorizing and chanting endlessly. George Orwell's 1984 sounds like a walk in the park compared to China in the midst of the Cultural Revolution.Against this totalitarian nightmare of a backdrop the reader is introduced to the title character through the eyes of Maple, a kind natured child. Wild Ginger is tainted because she is ¼ French, and she is ostracized and loses everything as a child because of it. Through sheer will and a singlemindedness to become the best Maoist ever she rises in the party and ascends to power. Being a perfect Maoist leaves no room for marriage, love or humanity, though, and when she and another rising Maoist fall in love tragedy results.The author survived the Cultural Revolution, and her experiences lend a chilling authenticity to this story.

From the time Maple meets her in elementary school, Wild Ginger has always been singled out for a particular kind of torture because of her "foreign colored" eyes. This gives the girls something in common because the Red Guards have been making Maple's life a living hell because her father is in prison. Anchee Min writes of China's Cultural Revolution with a restraint that makes the spiritual cost of such repression all the more horrific. As Maple and Wild Ginger grow, they see that the only way for them to survive is to become model Maoists, to pin all their hopes and deeds on the Great Leader. When Wild Ginger and a young man named Evergreen discover emotions that have no place in the Chairman's little red book, all three of them risk complete destruction. Don't be deceived. Min leaves no doubt that this will not be a "triumph of the human spirit" story in the way most will expect it. In fact, the human spirit may not triumph at all. But you will keep reading, your heart aching for these girls, their young friend, and anyone who has to pass through this kind of daily gauntlet in order to survive.Anchee Min's last novel, "Becoming Madame Mao" was a bestseller and a fine piece of work. But my favorite is her first novel, "Red Azalea," which broke new ground with its straightforward description of an ordinary girl during the Cultural Revolution. Min knows that there is no need to elaborate on these stories; simply relating them as if they were the most ordinary thing in the world is more devastating than embellishment.

The best book I've ever read was Anchee Min's personal memoir, Red Azalea, so forgive me if this is a biased review.I lucked out today and picked up a reserved copy of Wild Ginger (it's not supposed to be out for another two weeks) and spent the evening devouring it. Without having the craft of describing thoughts as the author does I feel inadequate to review this book but I feel compelled to do so anyway, while trying to give none of the story away.Anchee Min has an amazing rawness, honesty and passion that is at the same time simplistic (although to say it is simple is, I think, demeaning) and penetrating. She doesn't seem to build up the plot or the characters as most novelists do to make the drama more intense. Rather she lets the personalities and storylines speak for themselves - which I would say is an understatement because this is one of her outstanding talents, but I don't know how else to say it. This is the most realistic fiction I've ever read. She's certainly bringing real memories and experiences into play and the effect is like reading a fascinating memoir. The book is alive from beginning to end.This a candid look at the personal side of China's Cultural Revolution. Although focused highly around Mao's teachings and the effects they had on the people, it goes much deeper as do her other books, getting deep into personalities, ideas, passions, friendships, love, families, regrets and so on..... so that people with little interest or knowledge of this era can still find it a gripping, delightful work of art.