Red Land, Yellow River

December 1, 2004
Gr 4 Up-Zhang was a teen living in Beijing when Mao Zedong began the Cultural Revolution. In a youthful voice he records his experiences in the early years of that turbulent decade that began in 1966. The son of a "bad guy" (a famous writer) and hence denied admission to the Red Guard troops, the boy set up his own one-person Red Guard unit, participated in some of the struggles that occurred between units, and in 1968 was sent to a small village to learn how to farm. There he discovered his true calling, that of an artist. This moving account of a youngster swept up in the revolutionary fervor and then beginning to question its goals is accompanied by attractive, digitally rendered illustrations often covering an entire page, and sometimes almost a complete spread. There are occasional archival photographs, mainly of Zhang's family. An epilogue sets the historical perspective.-Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2004
Gr. 5-8. In a straightforward, unemotional manner, this autobiography tells of a teenager's coming-of-age during China's Cultural Revolution. Thirteen years old in 1966, Ange takes pride in his father's standing as a writer and Red Army officer until the Red Guards suddenly denounce his father as a counter-revolutionary. Wanting desperately to belong, Ange joins a Red Guard group. But a violent encounter opens his mind to questions, and reading forbidden books by Western authors opens his thoughts. Sent to a farm in 1968, Ange works hard in the fields, continues to read, and rediscovers his love of art. The book ends with a brief epilogue on later events in his life and an excellent, seven-page section entitled "China's Cultural Revolution." On nearly every page, Zhang's distinctive artwork opens a window into his past. At times painterly, at times reminiscent of silk-screened posters, his computer-assisted illustrations are beautifully composed and often dramatic. The book also includes reproductions of period posters, artifacts, and black-and-white photos. Reminiscent of " A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night: An Autobiography in Art" (1993) by Song Nan Zhang, a fellow Chinese-Canadian artist, this handsome book provides a memorable introduction to the Cultural Revolution.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)