Book #1 - "The Good Women of China"

I finished the final chapter of "The Good Women of China" by Xinran during my last few hours at home. (Can't waste luggage room for one chapter)

Summary:
For eight groundbreaking years, Xinran presented a radio programme in China during which she invited women to call in and talk about themselves. Broadcast every evening, Words on the Night Breeze became famous throughout the country for its unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a woman in modern China. This unforgettable book is the story of how Xinran negotiated the minefield of restrictions imposed on Chinese journalists to reach out to women across the country. The stories Xinran heard changed her understanding of China forever. The book will reveal the lives of Chinese women to the West as never before.

Each chapter focused on a caller or a random stranger that Xinran came across during her time of broadcasting her radio show. I was happy to read a reviewer that said he got tired of her boosting her own ego through her comments of how everyone knew her, but at the same time, the stories are unforgettable and disturbing. The stories of abuse and how abruptly many Chinese women were forced to grow up are vividly told. Having been in China and knowing a bit about Mao and the Cultural Revolution, I can appreciate the difficulties in getting stories from women. Xinran left China to be able to write this book and has since set up a charity for Chinese women and adopted children. Since I put that I will donate money for each uncompleted task, I have decided that this organization will benefit from my loftiness of goals. www.motherbridge.org