Red Azalea by Anchee Min

Summary

Red Azalea is Anchee Min’s celebrated memoir of growing up in the last years of Mao’s China. (Goodreads)

A revelatory and disturbing portrait of China, Anchee Min's memoir is exceptional for its candor, its poignancy, its courage, and its prose that Newsweek calls "as delicate and evocative as a traditional Chinese brush painting."

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Discussion topics

1. Consider today's story of refugees, war veterans, and political figures. Why are their voices important in shaping our future?
2. In the first part, Min's father said that he "can't afford to buy [the kids] new clothes... [But] they can't take away your intelligence." Who are 'they' in this context?
3. Min experienced love with her fellow comrade at the labor collective. Why is love important in our survivals?
   
4. How might a Chinese reader perceive Red Azalea differently than an American reader?
   

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