Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution - Hardcover

"Ji-li's deeply moving story should be on the shelf of every person's library. He4r courage in the face of adversity and her steadfast loyalty and love for her family are truly inspirational for young and old alike."-- Nien Chang, author of "A Life and Death in Shanghai""Engrossing...Transcends politics and becomes the story of one little girl trying to survive."-- "ALA Booklist""A page-turner. Excellent."-- "School Library Journal"

I have never doubted what I was told: "Heaven and earth are great, but greater still is the kindness of the Communist Part; father and mother are dear, but dearer still is Chairman Mao."In 1966 Ji-li Jian was 12 years old. And oustanding student and a leader of her class, she had everything: brains, ability, the admiration of her peers -- and a shining future in Chairman Mao's New China. But all that changed with the advent of the Cultural Revolution, when intelligence became a crime and a wealthy family background invited persecution or worse. For the next few years Ji-li and her family were humilated and reviled by their former friends, neighbors and colleagues and lived in constant terror of arrest. At last, with the detention of her father, Ji-li was faced with the most dreadful decision of her life: denounce him, or refuse to testify and sacrifice her future in her beloved Communist Party.Told with simplicity, innocence and grace, this unforgettable memoir gives a child's-eye view of a terrifying time in 20th-century history -- and of one family's indomitable courage under fire.