Red Azalea by Anchee Min

This book is about the struggles of Anchee Min in Communist China during the dreaded "Cultural Revolution." In the book, Min goes from slum dweller, to peasent, to actor, to janitor, to movie star, to politial refugee all in the space of a few years! I don't want to give too much away, but much of the book focuses on Min's slow realization of the falseness of the propaganda drilled into her head since she was a child. She realizes in the end, what kind of a situation China is really in, and how the many can be brainwashed into anything. Ultimately, the Red Azalea is a tale of the ability of the human spirit to burst out in defience against the weight of an entire country. Book-wise, the novel is a relatively short being 336 pages, but in a somewhat large font. It is written in a very deceptively simple manner, even though it provides a large emotional punch. Think of it as a beautiful haiku. Even though these short poems are simple, they can be better than some poems many pages long. All in all, the Red Azalea is wonderfully simple and amazing book that anyone who believes in the spirit can enjoy. ~Daniel
4/4/07