A deeply personal and shocking look at how China is coming to terms with its conflicted past as it emerges into a modern, cutting-edge superpower.
Through the stories of three generations of women in her family, Karoline Kan, a former New York Times reporter based in Beijing, reveals how they navigated their way in a country beset by poverty and often-violent political unrest. As the Kans move from quiet villages to crowded towns and through the urban streets of Beijing in search of a better way of life, they are forced to confront the past and break the chains of tradition, especially those forced on women.
Raw and revealing, Karoline Kan offers gripping tales of her grandmother, who struggled to make a way for her family during the Great Famine; of her mother, who defied the One-Child Policy by giving birth to Karoline; of her cousin, a shoe factory worker scraping by on 6 yuan (88 cents) per hour; and of herself, as an ambitious millennial striving to find a job--and true love--during a time rife with bewildering social change.
Under Red Skies is an engaging eyewitness account and Karoline's quest to understand the rapidly evolving, shifting sands of China. It is the first English-language memoir from a Chinese millennial to be published in America, and a fascinating portrait of an otherwise-hidden world, written from the perspective of those who live there.

Kan, Karoline, 1989- author

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Sports Illustrated For Kids

New York: Hachette Books

Little, Brown & Company

United States, United States of America

First edition, New York, 2019

Mar 12, 2019

PT, 2019

Source title: Under Red Skies: Three Generations of Life, Loss, and Hope in China

"A deeply personal and shocking look at how China is coming to terms with its conflicted past as it emerges into a modern, cutting-edge superpower. Through the stories of three generations of women in her family, Karoline Kan, a former New York Times reporter based in Beijing, reveals how they navigated their way in a country beset by poverty and often-violent political unrest. As the Kans move from quiet villages to crowded towns and through the urban streets of Beijing in search of a better way of life, they are forced to confront the past and break the chains of tradition, especially those forced on women. Raw and revealing, Karoline Kan offers gripping tales of her grandmother, who struggled to make a way for her family during the Great Famine; of her great-uncle, a former Communist Red Guard; of her mother, who defied the One-Child Policy by giving birth to Karoline; of her cousin, a factory worker scraping by on 6 yuan (88 cents) per hour; and of herself, an ambitious millennial striving to find a job--and true love--during a time rife with bewildering social change. Under Red Skies is an engaging eyewitness account and Karoline's quest to understand the rapidly evolving, shifting sands of China. It is the first English-language memoir from a Chinese millennial to be published in America, and a fascinating portrait of an otherwise-hidden world, written from the perspective of those who live there."--Dust jacket

Under Red Skies is an examination of the generational bonds and divisions of the Kan family and the panoramic effects of China's changing societal norms and fast-growing economy, where some succeed and others are destined to fail. Karoline Kan, a twenty-five-year-old Chinese native and investigative reporter, offers a poignant examination of China's history through the lens of three generations as they navigate hope and survival in the divided lines of country and city life. Kan tells the inspiring stories of her grandfather, who secretly hid government portions of rice in his hat to prevent his children from starving in the years of the Great Famine; her mother's resistance to the Second Child Policy; her cousin's work at a shoe factory; and the moral compromise of her Red Guard uncles after Mao Zedong's death. Through these defiant characters, Kan questions the complexities of life as a Chinese millennial--for better or worse--as the country's fate unfolds. Under Red Skies is an engrossing eyewitness history that explores the shifting sands of China's tumultuous politics and the future of those who will inherit it

xv, 304 pages ; 22 cm
"An examination of the generational bonds and divisions of the Kan family and the panoramic effects of China's changing societal norms and fast-growing economy, where some succeed and others are destined to fail."--
Includes index
The second born -- A daughter's promise -- A home of our own -- We, the migrants in town -- The young patriot -- The gods vs. the ghosts -- A girl with big feet -- Chunting gets a boyfriend -- Red silk shoes and a white dress -- Children of Tiananmen -- A cocktail bar in Beijing -- A train of dreams -- Foreign territory -- "A leftover woman" -- Ten hours for eighty yuan -- Forever red -- A people without roots -- Coming home

"An examination of the generational bonds and divisions of the Kan family and the panoramic effects of China's changing societal norms and fast-growing economy, where some succeed and others are destined to fail."-- Provided by publisher

2024-07-01