Red Flower of China: An Autobiography

"This autobiography shares many similarities with Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro’s popular Son of the Revolution. Both authors adopted the chronicles of the Chinese Communist Party as a framework for their individual experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Zhai provides a detailed account of her fervent involvement with the Revolution. As a Red Guard leader, she participated in the home-raiding, beating, and torturing of innocent people. Her book is full of haunting memories delivered in a cynical and remorseful tone. Zhai is careful to keep the narration accurately dated and to provide background about various political events, which is helpful for American readers. However, Zhai seems too absorbed in her personal recounting of the past to offer much insight into this tumultuous period. For public and academic libraries." (text taken from Amazon)