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    Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel
    Audiobook4 hours

    Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel

    Written by Ying Chang Compestine

    Narrated by Jodi Long

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Nine-year-old Ling is very comfortable with her life; her parents are both dedicated doctors in the best hospital in Wuhan. But when Comrade Li, one of Mao's political officers, moves into a room in their apartment, Ling begins to witness the gradual disintegration of her world. In an atmosphere of increasing mistrust, Ling fears for the safety of her neighbors, and soon for herself and family. Over the course of four years, Ling manages to blossom, even as she suffers more horrors than many people face in a lifetime.

    Drawing from her childhood experience, Ying Chang Compestine brings hope and humor to this powerful story of a girl who comes of age and fights to survive during the Cultural Revolution.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 28, 2007
    ISBN9780739356739
    Unavailable
    Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party: A Novel
    Author

    Ying Chang Compestine

    Ying Compestine is an award-winning author, speaker, and television host. She has authored twenty-five books for adults and children, including the acclaimed novel Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party, which chronicles her experience of growing up in China during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A leading national authority on Asian culture and cuisine and the former food editor for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine, Ying is frequently invited to lecture at schools and organizations around the world. She currently lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. Visit her at yingc.com.

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    Reviews for Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party

    4/5

    106 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Well written fictionalized memoir of growing up in China under the cultural revolution. Conveys the terror and uncertainty of life in a family with ties to the West, and that values education. Ling is full of fire, and even when she eventually lets go of some of her principles in order to protect her mother, her defiant attitude sees her through to the end.
    • 4/5
      What a powerful story about a piece of recent history that most middle grade/ middle school students never hear about.
    • 4/5
      While billed as a fictionalized account of the Cultural Revolution in China there are enough real-life situations to make this a very realistic and harrowing insight into what happened to the intellectual and professional people in China. Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian does this for the Armenians in Turkey.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written autobiographical novel of growing up during China's Cultural Revolution.
    • 4/5
      I would give this one 4.5 stars if I could. It was really, really good. It's nominated for the Maine Student Book Award this year, although I think it's a little mature for that age group. The book starts out seemingly young, with the main character being 9. But as she grows older, the atrocities committed to her family and her naighbors increase in frequency and in scale. I listened to it on audiobook, and it was the type of book that I just wanted to stay in the car and listen to.
    • 4/5
      Revolution is Not a Dinner Party gives readers a honest and raw portrayal of life for an intellectual family during the peak of China’s Cultural Revolution. Ling, a nine year-old girl who lives with her doctor parents in their comfortable apartment, is oblivious to the political change occurring in her community. Naïve and hopeful, Ling is impressed by the Red Guard officer that is stationed to live in her apartment. He is bold and always sharing of the teachings of Chairman Mao. However, as time passes everything about her life changes for the worse- no food, her dad’s wrongfully imprisonment, no electricity, her house ransacked, people being forced to relocation and personally being victimized. Ling’s invincible life is shattered. She blames Chairman Mao’s ideologies for the hardships that her family, friends and community face. Being accused of being a trader to Chairman Mao and taunted “bourgeous,” Ling struggles to make choices that will protect her and her loved ones while fulfilling her urge to revolt against her oppressors. Ying Chang Compestine uses her personal experience and those of others who lived in China during the Cultural Revolution to expose the dark realities of an unjust dictatorship. Readers will identify with the inner struggles of Ling and be reminded of the human spirit and what one is able to endure when in survival mode. Revolution is not a Dinner Party transcends cultures and speaks to freedom and justice. Additional features in this book that add to the credibility and background knowledge of China are: an author’s note, historical note and a brief interview with the author. The discussion questions also helps readers to process the overall themes and controversy within this novel. Revolution is Not a Dinner Party is a quick, but powerful read.
    • 5/5
      Ling is an only child of two doctors who live in Wuhan, China during the Cultural Revolution set in the years of 1972-1976. Her family struggles to survive during many hardships brought on by the military. She matures from a daddy's girl into a strong, willful young adult who stands up for herself and her beliefs. This novel could be used in grades 4 and up with students ranging in ages from nine and above. It would be great in a world history class or in a thematic unit on China. The inside front and back covers have a map of the area described in the story which could be used in a geography lesson. I learned about a time, culture, and political information I didn't know about before. My favorite part of the story is reading about the main character's feelings toward others. The least favorite part is when the military makes people suffer saying it will benefit all.
    • 5/5
      A truly compelling story that children should read. All children should know history and this books make the history of Mao's revolution come alive. All children should know the struggles other cultures go through and this is a great example.
    • 4/5
      This is a book that all teens and other children should read. It is not so much that the writing is that good, but the subject is something that all people should know about. Learning history, through the words of fiction writers is an interesting way to discover new things. I think that knowing about what happened during the Cultural Revolution is as important as knowing about the Holocaust and other atrocities that have been committed.
    • 4/5
      Novel based on the life of the author growing up in China during the mid to late 70's. Although other books have been written on the same subject (Red Scarf Girl) the voice in this one is really well done. Also, the character has spunk - which in a way is painful as she makes herself a target with the little red guards. A good read for middle schoolers that will give them a good like at this period in China. It is one I'd like my Chinese daughter to read when she is older.
    • 4/5
      In some ways, Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party strikes one as yet another story of the life of a young girl coming of age during the Cultural Revolution. Think ... Red Scarf Girl ... Compestine's young LIng, however, is brought to life with such nice skill that in spite of the fact that I have read numerous variations of this now familiar tale, there were sections of the read where I was moved to tears.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful historical look at a time that many young people know nothing about. I am planning to pass this along to a young lady who was adopted from China. The story takes place in the mid-1970s, preceding Mao Zedong's death and is told by a young girl who sees the horrors happening around her and refuses to give in to them, while learning to do as she must to survive. Her father is taken away and her mother is almost paralyzed by thoughts of what might happen to them, but history takes its course and the future is a little bit brighter. While the book is fiction, it is written by somebody who lived during those times and Compestine has based many of her characters on people she knew and events that did happen. This was an eye opener and has encouraged me to read more about the history of China - a country I know very little about. Really a great read - girls should particularly like it. And even though we don't all face such hardships, the courage of Ling can teach us all a great lesson.
    • 3/5
      Based on actual events from the author's childhood, this novel tells the story of Ling, a young girl growing up during China's Cultural Revolution. Her whole world is turned upside down as people she loves are taken away, food becomes scarce, and her classmates torture her for being part of the bourgeois. I've always had an interest in China and I thought this was a fairly accessible glimpse into the Cultural Revolution. Content-wise, I think it's appropriate for middle schoolers (though there is some violence), but I'm not sure they would have the historical background to understand it. Still, this could be a useful classroom book to pair with a study of the Cultural Revolution or Communism. There is an author's note included and a note on the history of the Cultural Revolution. I wish that the historical note had come before the novel instead of after it (although... does anyone besides librarians read authors and historical notes?).