Mao's Last Dancer Review

Welcome back to my lovely book club. On the agenda today: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin.

I thought this book was a fascinating look at real-life China but accessible to those from the Western world, such as myself. It's a good thing this is a virtual book club, because I have no idea how to pronounce many of the words in this book, including the author’s name (Kuhnksin? Koonksin? Koonkseen?). Update: I found on the Official Site of Li Cunxin that his name is pronounced “Lee Schwin Sing.”

Li’s writing style is engaging and honest--it caught my interest from the very beginning. I imagine it would be difficult writing an entire book in one's second language, but the author does it masterfully. He writes simply with a straightforward manner, but his story isn't simple. Even though much of Li's story is fraught with adversity and grief, he never tells it like a pity party. He just says what happened, and it resonates powerfully.

Li writes of his impoverished childhood survived only by eating despised dried yams. He describes childhood diseases and ills, such as worms and lice, as well as cuts and scrapes bandaged only with dust. He details his complete brainwashing by the Communist government. He writes about his niang’s (niang=mother) heart-wrenching sorrow that she couldn’t provide better for her children.

The author tells of his rampant homesickness when he left home at age 11 to study ballet, his only comforts found in his niang’s quilt and the weeping willow tree where he confessed his sadness; the internal conflict as he studied—and hated—ballet but wanted desperately to bring honor to his family.

The book progresses with Li's exhilaration as he learned to love ballet and found an all-consuming dedication to mastering technique. As he travels to America, his deep-rooted mistrust of Americans quickly fades as he sees true freedom for the first time. His dramatic defection, rather than solving his problems, causes other problems, one of which being fear for his family.

Ultimately, this is a book about the author's courage, determination, passion, and love.

It's worth a read, for sure. I loved every bit of it.

Stay tuned for my pick for April.