Revolution is Not a Dinner Party

I really enjoyed this book and I liked that it was told from Ling's point of view. She's still a young girl, so in situations like where Comrade Li was giving her origami in exchange for food, I knew that despite her joy at the origami that they were basically being stolen from. This was one of the many situations where I could tell something sinister was going on despite the fact that the main character was completely unaware of it. One example of this was the tied up cloths under the mattress. I had a hunch they were for a potential suicide even when Ling didn't know.  There was a lot of unspoken things going on with her mother, where Ling assumed  her mother didn't care for her, but really she was just worried and concerned for Ling's well-being and safety. Ling's parents were obviously trying to protect her from the harsh reality of their world.

Another reason I liked that the book was from her point of view was because the questions she was asking were the same ones I was asking. Like, how could Comrade Li be so cruel after being so nice? Sometimes her innocence was really jarring, like when she asked her father what freedom was. He described it as being able to say and do what you want, and it made me feel very thankful that I live in a place where I feel free to voice my opinions and choose the kind of life I want to lead.

I was shocked at how the Red Guards believed in the Maoist ideology so much that they were actually taking pleasure in ripping apart peoples' homes. They truly must have believed that these "upper class" people (like Ling's family who were all in the medical profession) deserved to be humiliated and torn down. It's obvious that the regime had truly succeeded in getting deep into the minds of its young followers. Even at school, Ling was taunted for being "bourgeois."

I loved how strong Ling was and how she stood up to the bullies at school. Even at the end when they're making her apologize to Gao, she turns it into something empowering by chanting it and thinking about all the things she'd really like to say. She becomes so strong by the end of the book and you really get a sense that she's coming into her own. She's also much more understanding and caring for her family by the end, especially towards her mother. I was really moved by her relationship to both parents. Really, all they have is each other. The familial relationships in this book really stood out because the one way the Red Guards were able to gain control was by threatening a person's family. I was thinking about the woman who committed suicide whose sons were punished for her crimes, and how painful that scene was. When the grandmother steps in and disowns her own daughter to save her grandsons, it's heartbreaking. These are situations nobody wants to find themselves in. The fear for one's loved ones is often much greater than the fear we have for ourselves. I can't imagine not knowing where my family members are or wondering if they're dead or alive. I feel like I'd be doing what Ling did when they came to get her father, trying to go with him just to be able to know what happens to him.

Som much of this reminded me of what I know about Nazi Germany, so it was very frightening to read about their experiences. The amount of control a government can have over its people is absolutely terrifying.