Reviews

[Zhang] offers a fascinating glimpse into what life and love is really behind the bamboo curtain and--with her endurance, stoicism and joy--leaves me wanting more! --Glyn Ford

A beautiful memoir. . . . Our current China literature is heavy with victim memoirs, but this is a true tale of aspiration: a young woman coming of age in a nation desperately trying to do the same. --Peter Hessler, Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker and author of River Town

A literary gem. . . . Zhang deftly crafts the journey of a whole generation, desperately yearning to break away from the ropes of tradition and living to dream the impossible. It's a book to relish, a volume to cherish and mostly, a life to celebrate. --Da Chen, author of Colors of the Mountain

A riveting tale. --Malia Politzer

A sharply observant and admirably crafted memoir. . . . A truly original contribution to our understanding of modern China. --Jonathan D. Spence

This affecting record of individual striving and fulfillment reminds us, with humor and insight, how the growth of sensibility in unfavorable circumstances remains one of our most pleasurable literary experiences. Set against China's breathless recent transformation, "Socialism Is Great!" offers a rare and intimate glimpse of a country and culture that are now reshaping our world. --Pankaj Mishra, author of An End to Suffering and The Romantics

Zhang is a clear eyed storyteller..."Socialism Is Great!" is peppered with a teenager's dark humor and bright recollections. --Kate Silver

Zhang's memoir, with its arc of resistance and personal struggle . . . written in fluent English peppered with dated Chinese idioms, begins where those older memoirs leave off. . . . She seems to suggest that in the 1980s, Chinese politics had evolved enough that they could be a quixotic diversion for a restless and headstrong girl. --Joseph Kahn

A riveting tale.--Malia Politzer

Beautiful.... A remarkable memoir.... A notable historical document and a vivid, affecting portrait of a young woman's resolve.

This revealing memoir will have readers rooting for Zhang as she fights her way out of an oppressive system.