Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Gr 3-6–Ying vividly describes the impacts of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution on Chinese citizens. Her parents worked in healthcare and regularly corresponded with friends in San Francisco. Ying’s father taught her English in the evening and read her fairy tales. When the Cultural Revolution started, Ying was told to hide her English skills. Food and goods became scarce and were rationed. Her family was forced to board with Comrade Li, a member of the Red Guard, who eventually accused her father of being an American spy. She watched as her father was dragged off to prison. Ying kept her hopes up with a hidden picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. As the revolution wound down, following the death of Mao, Ying saw Comrade Li sent to prison and her father’s return. After college, Ying came to the United States to study and finally saw the Golden Gate Bridge in person. Written from a young child’s perspective, this book will have readers feeling Ying’s fear and anger at the loss of her English lessons—and her father. Detailed color, pen-and-ink drawings capture the emotions of the Chinese people under the repression of the revolution. A mix of double-page illustrations and single pages with cartoon panels reinforce the story, presenting small details that reappear later in other drawings. An author’s note provides more details on Ying’s life and photos of her and her parents.