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Review: Growing Up Under the Red Flag

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Growing Up Under the Red Flag
Written by Ying Chang Compestine
Illustrated by Xinmei Liu
New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2024. Biography. 

Ying was a three-year-old girl when China's leader, Mao Zedong, decided to bring China into a Cultural Revolution. He was nervous about losing his power and punished educated people who threatened him. Ying was learning English at home and dreaming about visiting America one day, but when she was five, Mao restricted any foreign influence in the country. Soon, Ying could no longer wear her pretty flower dress and had to always carry around The Little Red Book, which had all of Mao's teachings. Her life was turned upside down and all the things that brought her joy had to be burned for their safety.

This picture book biography is a striking story about a young girl in a communist country. We see a harsh reality through the eyes of a child. While this book deals with heavy subjects like depression, hunger, government abuse and neglect, it does so in a child-friendly way. This book is a very real glimpse of life in China during 1960's and 1970's. 

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