Most people cannot remember when their childhood ended. I, on the other hand, have a crystal-clear memory of that moment. It happened at night in the summer of 1966, when my elementary school headmaster hanged himself.

Moying Li is twelve years old when the Cultural Revolution sweeps across China. Studying at a prestigious language school in Beijing, she seems destined for a promising future. But everything changes when student Red Guards orchestrate brutal assaults, violent public humiliations, and forced confessions throughout the country. After watching her headmasters beaten in public, Moying flees school for the safety of home, only to witness her beloved grandmother denounced, her home ransacked, and her father taken away—along with this precious books. Struggling to make sense of her crumbling world, she finds sanctuary in literature. But with many schools shut down and most books forbidden, how can she keep her passion for learning alive?

Praise

“Snow Falling in Spring  joins other important books about the Cultural Revolution . . . as childhood testimonies to national trauma, cautionary tales for our own time, and appreciations for homes, old and new.”—The San Francisco Chronicle

“At its essence, this is a book about the value of reading—to escape, to learn, to be sustained and to grow.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The simple, direct narrative will grab readers with the eloquent account of daily trauma and hope.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“Li effectively builds the climate of fear that accompanies the rise of the Red Guard. . . . Sketches about her grandparents root the narrative within a broader context of Chinese traditions as well as her own family’s values, establishing a basis for Li’s later portrayal of the individuals around her who respond to oppression with hope and faith in knowledge and education.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Beautifully written . . . offers a somewhat broader view of a nation in turmoil and illustrates the grit and determination necessary for survival in a dysfunctional society.”—School Library Journal

“The narrative will enable readers to sympathize with Li and feel relief when she leaves to study at Swarthmore College after ten years of education in China.”—Kirkus Reviews

 

“Anyone under the impression that liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness is a birthright will find this book illuminating.”—Peter Sís, author of The Wall

About the Author(s)

Moying Li

MOYING LI, one of the first students to leave China for study abroad after the Cultural Revolution, came to the United States in 1980 on a full scholarship from Swarthmore College. She holds an M.A., an M.B.A., and a Ph.D. She lives in Boston and Beijing. Learn more about Moying Li at www.moyingli.com.

Visit Moying Li’s Website