Gang of One: Memoirs of a Red Guard

by Fan Shen

Book Overview

In 1966 twelve-year-old Fan Shen, a newly minted Red Guard, plunged happily into China's Cultural Revolution. Disillusion soon followed, then turned to disgust and fear when Shen discovered that his compatriots had tortured and murdered a doctor whose house he'd helped raid and whose beautiful daughter he secretly adored. A story of coming of age in the midst of monumental historical upheaval, Shen's Gang of One is more than a memoir of one...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803243081
• ISBN13: 9780803243088
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Lucky enough..

I was lucky enough to be enrolled in one of Fan Shen's English courses within the past year. Being that he was my professor and it is RCTC's Common Book, I knew that I should take the time to read it, but as most college students do, I procrastinated, telling myself that I didn't have time to read a 279 page book. But, as fate has it, I bought my books for my Summer Session Humanities course and there it was on the required reading list. I headed to Boston shortly after, bringing "Gang of One" with me. If I don't fall asleep on the plane, I'll give it a shot, I thought. Well, I didn't get a chance to read it on my way there, but I did on the way home. From the time I checked in until we boarded, from boarding to a layover in Chicago, and Chicago's bumpy flight home, I could not put his book down. I had to keep reminding myself that this was my professor... He wasn't just a guy in a fictional book that made me want to cry, that made me laugh, that made me want to jump up and down with happiness. Professor Shen is an amazing writer with a heartbreaking, comical, and real story to tell. I only hope that you don't procrastinate as I did.

A gripping coming of age story

This is a can't-put-down coming of age story. Fan Shen writes hypnotically, telling one nearly unbelievable episode after another about his life growing up during China's shameful Cultural Revolution. I can't recommend this book more highly. I'm Chinese-American. I have an Indian-American coworker with whom I often discuss whether China or India will be the next economic superpower. His argument is that China will far outstrip India as an economic powerhouse because its centralized, authoritarian government can guide the country more effectively towards economic growth. Compared to India, he argues, China has much more effective political machinery for implementing policies from on high: a strong central bank, a single language, a willingeness to try out revolutionary policies, etc. I think the jury is still out on the China vs. India as the next economic superpower. But what's clear to me -- and what Mr. Shen's book illustrates perfectly -- is that there is also a big downside to effective political machinery. Namely, when you have misguided leadership controlling that political machinery, the result is dramatic suffering at truly staggering scale. In episode after episode, Mr. Shen relates the pettiness, the brutality, the completely arbitrary nature of life during the Cultural Revolution. Neighbors could denounce you an enemy of the state and have you tortured and killed without a trial. Entire cities could be forced to drink water so polluted that everyone's teeth first blackened and then started falling out one by one. Having the wrong book could get you sent into the countryside for a lifetime of hard labor ("reeducation") -- which might look like terracing a hill in the dead of winter, even though the locals knew that the spring rains would completely undo your back-breaking work. Despite the grim subject matter, Mr. Shen's prose is captivating. His characters are real, engaging, and three-dimensional. The techniques he used to survive -- and ultimately escape -- were ingenious, hilarious, and dramatic. There's even a love story woven through the narrative. This is a must read, but be warned: once you pick it up, you'll keep coming back to it until you're finished.

A Young Man Survives Dangerous China Cultural Revolution

The 1966-76 Cultural Revolution is a blot on Chinese history, a time when youth ran amok humiliating or killing the remaining middle class businessmen, doctors, lowyers and academics. to grip the country in chaos and fear. As a Chinese emigre, I was initially reluctant to recall this disastrous period. But, as I read Dr. Shen's harrowing experiences, I was thrilled by the triumph of his spirit and intellect. His fast moving narrative shows us the inner dynamics of the painful emergence of the nation that will dominate Asia, and seriously effect us all. I highly recommend his book to every throughtful reader.

Must Read

Here is more enlightenment on the Cultural Revolution in China. This personal story highlights how impossible that time was for Chinese in China. Even devoutly following party guidelines did not keep one safe from the chance of being a target of the political crazy making. This book is an enjoyable read from start to finish; a short book without a dull momment. I will remember this book out of the many I have read as contributing to my own personal development. A friend of mine has the book now, and I expect to continue to loan this book often. Thanks to Fan Shen for sharing his memoirs. My dream is that this book would benefit many more individuals in comparison to the number that have been hurt by the Cultural Revolution (impossible).

A Good Story to Share with Friends

A friend in my bookclub recommended "Gang of One" and we all read the book with great interest. The story, though disturbing at times, is deeply moving and we had a heated discussion of the book after reading it. I hope more people will read this story. Sharon from Miami, Florida