Red Memory

Starred review from March 27, 2023
Journalist Branigan debuts with a visceral history of the Cultural Revolution and a probing look at how the modern-day Chinese Communist Party has sought to erase this chapter from its past. Lasting from 1966 to 1976, the upheaval saw children condemning their parents for “thoughtcrimes,” and students, some as young as 13 or 14, attacking and murdering their teachers. As many as two million people were killed. Young reactionaries, who called themselves Red Guards, perpetrated these atrocities to glorify the teachings of Chairman Mao Zedong, who used the tidal wave of violence to strengthen his leadership position and silence domestic critics. The chaos touched almost every Chinese family, including that of current president Xi Jinping, who “was exiled to a long stretch of bleak rural poverty” after his father was persecuted by Chairman Mao. Though the Cultural Revolution was declared a historical catastrophe in 1981, no one was held responsible and there was no closure for the victims. Drawing on fascinating and often wrenching interviews with victims and perpetrators, Branigan reveals the speed with which “beatings and deaths became commonplace” and makes a persuasive case that the period is an unresolved national trauma lying just beneath the surface of modern China. This is essential reading for China watchers.

January 1, 2024

Branigan, former China correspondent for The Guardian, debuts with an exploration of the human toll of the Cultural Revolution in China (1966-76), during which two million people were killed and 36 million were imprisoned or otherwise persecuted. Narrator Rebecca Lam provides a careful, sensitive presentation, conveying these painful stories and accounts with an even tone that acknowledges emotion without drama or ornament. As the book details the trauma inflicted upon so many--with people reporting their family members for betraying the state, and others killed on the basis of flimsy rumors--Lam's performance allows the hurts of Branigan's interviewees to be viscerally understood. This approach creates emotional space for listeners to deeply consider individual events and their connection to the larger political context of Mao's China. Branigan includes some amusing anecdotes, but these are few and far between and serve as a foil for the book's heavier passages. There is hope that speaking of the pain may keep it from reoccurring, but the author soberingly hints that a new cycle is beginning. VERDICT A valuable addition to library collections that explores the connections between politics and belief and their consequences.--Matthew Galloway

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.