Red Scarf Girl

Title: Red Scarf Girl

Author: Ji-Li Jiang

Grade Level: 7&8th

Some books you read for fun, other books you read for knowledge, but you read this book because it allows you to slip into Communist China during the Cultural Revolution. Truly, this book is a must read, but I’ll be upfront and admit that it is a hard read. It talks about awful things. You would not expect anything else from a book written about this time period. I will say that it’s not unnecessarily bloody or brutal; it is simply a truthful book about an awful time. Lastly, this book is an autobiographical book, and that just makes the story more real and honest.

This book is about a twelve-year-old girl, Ji-Li Jiang who lives in China. It’s 1966 and the Chairman of China, Mao Zedong declared a Cultural Revolution. This was an extreme political movement meant to push the Communist government agenda on all people who lived in China. It was a scary time to live through because just a wrong word from Ji-Li at school could mean that her whole family would be in trouble. She need to be hyper aware of what she says and who she trusts. Even her best friend could report her to the government, and their whole family could be detained. Follow Ji-Li as she says strong and helps her family overcome unthinkable obstacles. Again, must-read book, but be prepared to have conversations about this book.