Last Boat Out of Shanghai
The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution
1 of 1 copy available
Shanghai has historically been China's jewel, its richest, most modern, and westernized city. The bustling metropolis was home to sophisticated intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and a thriving middle class when Mao's proletarian revolution emerged victorious from the long civil war. Terrified of the horrors the Communists would wreak upon their lives, citizens of Shanghai who could afford to fled in every direction.
Benny, who as a teenager became the unwilling heir to his father's dark wartime legacy, must decide either to escape to Hong Kong or navigate the intricacies of a newly Communist China. The resolute Annuo, forced to flee her home with her father, a defeated Nationalist official, becomes an unwelcome exile in Taiwan. The financially strapped Ho fights deportation from the U.S. in order to continue his studies while his family struggles at home. And Bing, given away by her poor parents, faces the prospect of a new life among strangers in America. The lives of these men and women are marvelously portrayed, revealing the dignity and triumph of personal survival.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 23, 2019 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781977360588
- File size: 495874 KB
- Duration: 17:13:04
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Narrator Nancy Wu's soft, unaccented delivery is perfect for this meticulously researched audiobook about the Chinese who fled Mao's revolution. Listeners will learn about China from the 1937 war with Japan, through WWII, and up to 1949, the year of China's Communist revolution, which precipitated "the last boat out of Shanghai." Wu narrates steadily and patiently, recounting the lives of four representative refugees up to their escapes. The dialogue, filled with interesting idioms, is delivered in a singsong lilt. Wu assigns the infrequent non-Chinese characters voices without accents. The lives of the four characters overlap, amplifying listeners' understanding of this complex period of Chinese history. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
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