Ten Years of Madness: Oral Histories of China's Cultural Revolution

The ten years of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) was one of the most chaotic periods in Chinese history. During this time, "goodness and beauty went underground [and] ugliness and evil were given wanton release," Millions of lives were affected: innocent people were unjustly criticized, wrongfully accused of imaginary crimes, or murdered in the name of ideology. In the tradition of Studs Terkel, noted author Feng Jicai has collected the true stories of people who lived through the Cultural Revolution. In response to a newspaper ad, more than four thousand people came forward to share their experiences in a cathartic attempt to exorcise memory's demons. Ten Years of Madness includes the testimonies of people from all walks of life-from red guards and rebels to workers and intellectuals-who were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. In retelling their stories, Feng Jicai offers a human voice to this unforgettable historical tragedy, and reminds us of the power and resilience of the human soul.