Beijing Doll

by Chun Shu and Chun Sue

Book Overview

Banned in China for its candid exploration of a young girl's sexual awakening yet widely acclaimed as being "the first novel of 'tough youth' in China" (Beijing Today), Chun Sue's novel cuts a daring path through China's rock-and-roll subculture.

This cutting edge novel--drawn from the diaries the author kept throughout her teenage years--takes readers to the streets of Beijing where a disaffected generation spurns tradition for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594480206
• ISBN13: 9781594480201
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Different

Very different kind of biography than what I'm used to reading. I felt I had a good sense of what's going on in her head but its not as exciting as I thought it would be. Its a bit grunge.

A Quick and Fulfilling Read

Chun Sue's autobiographical novel reads quickly and is chock full of teenage angst. There's no BS here; it is straightforward, raw, and unforgiving. Although it is sometimes rushed and confusing and one can easily mix up the names of her lovers, it is completely worth reading. The ending is a bit of a disappointment, it seems that Chun Sue had more to say and was a bit abrupt in her conclusion. Try it out, you just might like it.

Her decision, her destiny

Chun Sue wanted to publish this book badly when she was 17, because the money she makes will turning her bad situation into a better one. She wants to have money, support, fame, and all kinds of stuff that could satisfy her wishes. Just like every little girl, she has a dream, but the reality bashed her feeling, therefore she started to hate all of these. Life is unfair to her, and no one could understand her. This makes her mad.Generally, her naive thoughts pushed her into the darkness. I like this book a lot since the whole story took place in Beijing, my hometown. I followed Chun Sue's steps to revisit every places that I familiar with. Just like what she did, I dropped out from junior high when I was 12, because I didn't like my school at all, and childishly believed in such ethusiasism could bring me to somewhere. That's why I can totally understand her desperation and everyone else's reactions. Chinese version is a little bit better than the English one, regardless of some misspelling in that Chinese edition, this is a great book. I called it the Chinese >, which depicted same kind of dilusion and confliction. I like it, and supposely everyone who loves << Catcher in the Rye>> should also like it.

Excellent~i like ChunSue~

Why do I like ChunSue? First,She has much passion in her every words. Maybe,someone think is kind of like the journal. But I like the real things...sometimes,i will think about myself when i read her words. I'm from Beijing,Have been US for 8 years.i have the similar experiences in ChunSue's story.I read beijing Doll in both of chinese and english versions. The chinese word make me feel more attractive.

Extremely heartfelt

I really enjoyed reading BEIJING DOLL. I found the author's portrayal of her generation to be extremely heartfelt. The "Cruel Youth" in China are realizing that the values of their parents' generation just don't match their own. So, instead of placing pride in school - they are asking, "What is it all for?" and have decided that having fun is the most important part of being a teenager. This rebellion, when taken in the context of a Communist society, is extremely noteworthy and interesting. I really liked the narrator's voice, as well. She's brutally honest - to the point of opening herself up to much criticism from her conservative (because Communist) countrymen - who eventually banned the book. But she didn't let that stop her from telling her story - which represents the story of millions of people her age - in China and abroad.