Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji Li Jiang

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji Li Jiang

Publishers Weekly Best Book * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * ALA Notable Children's Book * ALA Booklist Editors' Choice

In the tradition of The Diary of Anne Frank and I Am Malala, this is the incredible true story of one girl's courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century. This edition includes a detailed glossary, pronunciation guide, discussion questions, and a Q&A with the author. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

It's 1966, and twelve-year-old Ji-li Jiang has everything a girl could want: brains, popularity, and a bright future in Communist China. But it's also the year that China's leader, Mao Ze-dong, launches the Cultural Revolution--and Ji-li's world begins to fall apart.

Over the next few years, people who were once her friends and neighbors turn on her and her family, forcing them to live in constant terror of arrest. And when Ji-li's father is finally imprisoned, she faces the most difficult dilemma of her life.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this page-turning, honest, and deeply personal autobiography will appeal to readers of all ages.

Ji-li Jiang was born in 1954 in Shanghai, China. She was a science teacher before coming to the United States in 1984, having graduated from Shanghai Teachers' College and Shanghai University. Jiang worked as an operations analyst for a hotel chain in Hawaii after graduating from the University of Hawaii, and then as the budget director for a health-care company in Chicago. She founded East West Exchange in 1992 to encourage cultural interchange between Western countries and China.