A Novel Everyone Should Read

When I was younger, I hated reading because I found it difficult. My mom would constantly tell me how important it is to read; she used to say that it would make me smarter and that it’s fun! Well, I didn’t exactly agree; she would have to beg me to read a few lines out loud. I was certainly not a fan of reading but, after realizing that I would have to read often for school, I tried convincing myself that it was not too unbearable. Luckily, it worked because over the years I have come to enjoy reading. Yet, there are some cases in which I hate reading all over again. For example, if the book is too intricate or too complex, I get so utterly lost that I do not catch the deeper meaning of the work. Additionally, I absolutely detest books that are just plain boring, which usually put me right to sleep and then I never want to see that book again. I find pleasure in reading books that are enticing and grasp you in a certain way that you cannot stop reading—someone is there telling you to turn the page.  

With all that said, let’s get to that book I think every high school student should read before graduating. I started reading it last year for one of my classes: AP Euro or English 10, I don’t remember which one. Anyways, the book is Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-li Jiang. This book is about a young girl’s struggle between her belief in Chairman Mao and the Communist Party, and her family. The book is set in 1966, during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when being intelligent became a crime and a wealthy family background invited persecution or worse. Told with simplicity, an innocent voice, and a graceful tone, this notable memoir gives a child's-eye view of a terrifying time in twentieth-century history, and of one family's courage. This book accurately portrays a communist influenced society in a personal and absorbing way because you really get to know all the characters from the first person narrative.  

After reading the book, I felt well educated about the Cultural Revolution, especially when my class started to learn about the topic in history class--I was a pro (not really though). The book made me understand why so many young people followed and obeyed Chairman Mao, and how influential he was for them, leading them to behave the way they did, which was sort of disturbing. I believe everyone should read this book at some point because it depicts historical events from the author’s own experience; the fact that these stories truly represent people's lives is what makes memoirs so fascinating. Instead of typically incorporating works of fiction in the curriculum, teachers should try branching out to this style of writing because people, who have rarely been exposed to memoirs, might be intrigued and grow a new appreciation for written words.

Here's a link of the author discussing the book (it's really long):

http://www.c-span.org/video/?163321-1/book-discussion-red-scarf-girl-memoir-cultural-revolution