Colors of the Mountain |  | Author: Da Chen
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Seller: atlanta-book-company
Rating:  76 reviews
Sales Rank: 51,847
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0385720602
Dewey Decimal Number: 951.05092
EAN: 9780385720601
ASIN: 0385720602
Publication Date: January 16, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Now a writer living in New York, Da Chen describes his youth in mainland China with engaging humor and affecting warmth. It's often a harrowing tale: born in 1962, Chen was the grandson of a landlord, which rendered his entire family pariahs during the Cultural Revolution. And though initially an excellent student, he was ostracized in school and told he could never attend college. He responded by making friends with a group of young thugs who drank, smoked, and gambled but were kind to him. After Mao died in 1976, the budding juvenile delinquent discovered that higher education might be available to him after all. Chen worked hard to make up for years of neglected studies, and his memoir closes with a jubilant scene as he and his brother Jin are both accepted into college; for his suffering family, "thirty years of humiliation had suddenly come to an end." Chen's lucid yet emotional prose unsparingly portrays a topsy-turvy society where unfairness reigns and the rules are arbitrarily changed without warning, but his zest for life and sharp eye for character make even the most awful moments grimly funny. This is no saga of victimization, but a thrilling account of an ordeal that fosters spiritual growth. Readers will cheer Chen's triumph over daunting odds. --Wendy Smith
Product Description
Colors of the Mountain is a classic story of triumph over adversity, a memoir of a boyhood full of spunk, mischief, and love, and a welcome introduction to an amazing young writer.
Da Chen was born in 1962, in the Year of Great Starvation. Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution engulfed millions of Chinese citizens, and the Red Guard enforced Mao's brutal communist regime. Chen’s family belonged to the despised landlord class, and his father and grandfather were routinely beaten and sent to labor camps, the family of eight left without a breadwinner. Despite this background of poverty and danger, and Da Chen grows up to be resilient, tough, and funny, learning how to defend himself and how to work toward his future. By the final pages, when his says his last goodbyes to his father and boards the bus to Beijing to attend college, Da Chen has become a hopeful man astonishing in his resilience and cheerful strength.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 76
 Colors of the Mountain shine bright February 21, 2000
Alan K. Anzai (Carmichael, CA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Da Chen's tale is both entertaining and inspiring. His perseverance and hope despite the chaotic times of the Cultural Revolution are uplifting. His story illustrates the power of the human spirit, and also the profound impact that kind adults (his cousin, Wen Qui, and his English teacher, Professor Wei) can have on an impressionable youngster, as he stood at various crossroads in his life. If you enjoyed reading Gus Lee's coming-of-age story, "China Boy," you'll also appreciate this book. Hopefully, the author will write a sequel to further track his adventures, from country bumpkin to prestigious Beijing Language Institute, and later, Columbia University Law School.
Think for yourself and READ THIS BOOK! May 21, 2001
D. Singh (Grapevine, TX United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I'm sick of the reviewers that are China apologists that have attacked this wonderful book. If you're such defenders of that cruel government, why are you living in the United States? Da Chen's story of how he survived the cultural revolution and brought honor to his family is inspirational and TRUE! He lived it, not YOU! The ending is especially touching as to the relationship between a father and his son. Again, don't listen to the negative reviews and read this book. You won't regret it!
This is a moving memoir. August 3, 2001
Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I have no way of knowing whether this story is true or not. It certainly feels authentic to me. It is strange to me how the cultural revolution is remembered differently among several of the chinese I know. Everyone admits it was a tough time, but some are willing to let Mao off the hook in the name of order. Others see Mao as a killer. Hey, they aren't mutually exclusive views! Mao was a killer and he provided order for China. Which do you prefer, life or order?Like a recession, it is serious when you are unemployed and mild when others are out of work. If you and your family survived without being damaged by the cultural revolution you may think it wasn't all that bad. However, Da Chen's family was almost destroyed by it. It seems that all sides would consider this huge historical event a bit more deeply than it appears they do. It seems kind of silly that in a country as large as the US or the even larger China one would categorically say what one family could or could not experience based upon some generalized study of the culture. Life is full of oddities and exceptions. The facts are that under Communism there are totalitarian powers given to the party and those are excersized all the way down to individuals and often in petty, vicious and horrible ways. And to say that because it was Da Chen's grandfather that was the landlord and therefore it wouldn't have affected the author is a very odd criticism given that families, even in the west, carry stigma from outcast ancestors for generations. It would be great to see verification one way or the other, but in any case it is a powerful story of life as an outcast. It is an easy read that you won't want to put down until you finish it.
LOVED IT August 31, 2000
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I was amazed at the negative reviews of this marvellous book, and can only put it down to what one could call "ownership". In other words those who have studied Chinese history, or who lived there during the time of the biography, feel that their paper studies, or their memories, are the only valid ones. I am quite ready to believe this biography and revelled in every minute. Most unlike other popular biographies of China (Wild Swans etc ..)and a pleasure because of that. A young boy's memories, which may be skewed by time, but valid none the less. Read it with a fresh mind, and allow yourself to wallow in the memories.
Powerful Painting March 12, 2000
Lowell W Reynolds
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Colors of the Mountain is the story of a small boy's struggle to understand and fit in. The story is set in China during the oppressive regime of Chairman Mao. Da Chen paints the story of his struggle during a time when his family was ostracized, because of his grandfather's success prior to the revolution. This is inspirational! Truly a pleasure to read... I couldn't put it down! Li Chen's review, I found way off the mark. I also sensed some envy and hostility. Maybe Li Chen wishes he/she were capable of communicating as effectively as Da Chen does. This book is definitely worth reading!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 76
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