In the turmoil of China's Cultural Revolution, young Lianlian's life is shattered by family violence, public shame, and crushing poverty. Raised by a resilient but scarred mother, shadowed by an abusive father, and anchored by a little sister, Lianlian learns to survive a life with an impossible future. 

When the political climate shifts, she discovers that her mind is her only weapon and education is her only hope. Fueled by fierce determination and the quiet support of her mother, Lianlian battles for a spot at a top university, seeing it as her one true path to a life she can call her own.

If you were captivated by books about Chinese culture by Amy Tan and Lisa See, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, you will like this book!

This book is a continuation of Mother of Red Mountains and covers the family's life between 1966-1980. It is a standalone book and does not depend on your reading Mother of Red Mountains.

Fun fact: One of the only landmarks still standing after 60+ years in Apple's hometown Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, is this building. It was magnificent and symbolic in the 1960s and 1970s as a museum. And it is still today, magnificent, symbolic, and a museum, among a forest of tall buildings that compete with each other for being more glamorous.