Growing Up under a Red Flag

A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Illustrated by Xinmei Liu
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Hardcover
$19.99 US
On sale May 07, 2024 | 40 Pages | 9780593533987

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A stirring and magnificently illustrated picture-book memoir of the author’s childhood during the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Ying Chang Compestine was a young girl in 1966 when Mao launched his Cultural Revolution to reclaim power and eliminate non-communist values in the country. His army began punishing and arresting people who didn’t agree with him, foreign reading material was banned, and children were all required to dress in uniform and carry the Little Red Book of Mao’s teachings. It was a time of fear, mayhem, and scarcity that lasted until Mao’s death ten years later, when Ying was thirteen. Through those ten harrowing years, Ying’s parents found ways to secretly educate her and allow her dreams of visiting America to stay vibrant. Now she brings her childhood story and China’s history to life in this absorbing and beautiful picture book.
Ying Chang Compestine grew up in China. She is the author of cookbooks for adults and of children's books that introduce Chinese culture and food, including The Real Story of Stone Soup. She lives with her family in California. View titles by Ying Chang Compestine

About

A stirring and magnificently illustrated picture-book memoir of the author’s childhood during the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Ying Chang Compestine was a young girl in 1966 when Mao launched his Cultural Revolution to reclaim power and eliminate non-communist values in the country. His army began punishing and arresting people who didn’t agree with him, foreign reading material was banned, and children were all required to dress in uniform and carry the Little Red Book of Mao’s teachings. It was a time of fear, mayhem, and scarcity that lasted until Mao’s death ten years later, when Ying was thirteen. Through those ten harrowing years, Ying’s parents found ways to secretly educate her and allow her dreams of visiting America to stay vibrant. Now she brings her childhood story and China’s history to life in this absorbing and beautiful picture book.

Author

Ying Chang Compestine grew up in China. She is the author of cookbooks for adults and of children's books that introduce Chinese culture and food, including The Real Story of Stone Soup. She lives with her family in California. View titles by Ying Chang Compestine

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