This book was written in 1996, less than a year before the author died (in his 40's). It reflects a lot of his life during which - during the Great Cultural Revolution (1966-78) - he, along with millions of other young adults, were ordered to go into the countryside to work on farms, build roads & bridges, and do other work with their hands, which was supposed to imbue them with righteousness - or vigor as Communist youths. There were many sessions during which "cadres" - people being or who had become vigorous Communists - confessed their "crimes" to the public, at which times the gathered throng of hundreds or thousands of people harrarrased, beat & threw things at the confessor, which could have been anyone within the area & from which no one was exempt. The impact on the author's life riddled the remainder of his life with cynicism and bitterness, confusion and loss of relationships.

This is a tough, uncomfortable book to read. It is also very well done and believable. It has only recently been translated. ( )