Description
Book SynopsisThrough the sweeping cultural and historical transformations of China, entrepreneur Lan Yan traces her family’s history through early 20th Century to present day.
The history of the Yan family is inseparable from the history of China over the last century.
Trade Review“A powerful memoir… A thoughtful, astute narrative that helps Western readers understand the rise of the new China from the ashes of terror.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "[A] comprehensive debut memoir… Yan expertly captures a tumultuous period in this smart, colorful family history." — Publishers Weekly "A touching, essential account for anyone interested in 20th-century Chinese history and highly recommended for fans of personal family memoir." — Library Journal (starred review) "Some of the most arresting passages are about the warmth of family life: homely activities like pickling cabbages together or cooking dumplings. You can almost smell the fragrant steam, and what happens when the familiar, the commonplace, is stripped away and existence loses all logic with book burnings, head shavings, ransackings and meaningless cruelties . . . . For its personal insights and universal warnings about what humans are capable of, both good and bad, Yan’s readable and touching memoir of her family deserves to be told, and she tells it well." — Washington Post
