It’s the story of Margaret Sun, who was born in Shanghai in 1935 and lived through the madness of the cultural revolution, mainly in Xinjiang — China’s new frontier. And while ordinary people in extraordinary times will have fantastic stories, this isn’t a fantastic book. And I appreciate the positive and stoic attitude held by the author, and appreciate she wrote a book about this to set in stone the events and feelings that happened. I even like her, more than Liliane Willens who wrote a similar book from a similar time in China. But I feel a better editor was needed. Whole chapters turn into long summaries and pointless rambles on families co-lived with, one big mash-mash of names and words in local language. It does not make for a very stimulating read. If you wish to read more in-depth about the Cultural Revolution or the history of Xinjiang, I’m sure better books are available.