Red Scarf Girl gets my vote for the non-fiction award. Ji Li Jiang has written an exciting tale that’s well-paced, interesting, and true. This is the sort of history that breathes life into dull textbook readings and chalkboards full of names and dates. The Chinese Cultural Revolution, as seen through her eyes, is a fascinating but horrific study in mass hysteria, the power of well-executed propaganda, and the inevitable result of attempted thought control. All of this, plus the universal experience of adolescence as she questions her own identity against the backdrop of her family’s.
As China rises to the status of superpower during this age of globalization, it behooves us to educate our youth about the incredible changes the past century has wrought upon this ancient civilization. Red Scarf Girl provides one step of that journey.
