A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters by Chai Ling

Mar 21, 2013 Dawn Peers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine-reviews

"A must-buy must-read"

A "dramatic and fascinating story" is a simple and very understated way of describing this amazing tale.

Born in to relative privilege through the endeavours of her parents in their education and rise through the Communist Party, Chai Ling nevertheless felt obliged through her childhood to conform. She guides us through her inner struggles to realise who she is and what she is here to accomplish, in a society which did not allow her even the most basic freedom of expression;...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Kip rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like Chai Ling's memoir. It is at times intensely personal, incredibly insightful and full of tense moments. It's heart-wrenching to see the love of democracy emerging in Chai's writing, and to struggle as she does with survivor's guilt of living through the Tianenmen massacre. Her prose, while at times stilted and impersonal, bares the evidence of tremendous self-doubt and difficulty in coming to terms with her past.

But the promise set up in the narrative throughout 3/4 of th...more I really wanted to like Chai Ling's memoir. It is at times intensely personal, incredibly insightful and full of tense moments. It's heart-wrenching to see the love of democracy emerging in Chai's writing, and to struggle as she does with survivor's guilt of living through the Tianenmen massacre. Her prose, while at times stilted and impersonal, bares the evidence of tremendous self-doubt and difficulty in coming to terms with her past.

But the promise set up in the narrative throughout 3/4 of the book is never delivered upon. The final few chapters of the book detail Chai's conversion to Christianity. The story subsequently substitutes substance for scripture. Chai's story is subsumed by long lamentations and repurposing the words of the Bible to cast a broad stroke detailing the difficulties of her life. While I understand the importance of the faith in her life and coming to terms with the events that led to Tianenmen and her new life in America, the strategy completely turned me off as a reader.

I was also turned off by the long quotations frequently appearing that couldn't possibly have been direct quotes unless the young Chai was fervently taking notes throughout her time on the Square. The fact that she places recorded speeches and words from documents in quotations as well casts much doubt on what is real, what is recollection and what may be exchanges massaged to fit the purpose of Chai's story.

Also, as a copy editor, I was appalled by inconsistencies in statistics that appear in Chai's plea for attention to the abortion issue in America and China. This is where Chai could be making the most powerful, poignant observations in her book. Instead, we're treated to a lengthy pitch for her organization, citing statistics I could have found and copied down (and, might I add, more accurately — at one point, Chai claims more than 40 percent of American women by age 45 will have had an abortion, when the number is much closer to 33 percent, still high, but nowhere near the 50 percent figure the previous statistic placed in my head) to the same effect.

It's a great read for someone examining Christianity and having trouble reconciling their past transgressions on the path to forgiveness. Don't expect a factual retelling of history from a dispassionate source. This is a women clearly writing to reconcile her public and private personas, and she should be commended for revealing so much. But with its faults, the impact falls flat.(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Rich rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is the memoir of one of the leaders of the student movement during the days of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre in Beijing. As such it offers a unique window into the tumultuous events of that period told from the vantage point of someone who was right there in the thick of it.

The story embraces more than the student movement. It takes us from Chai Ling's childhood with glimpses of life in rural China at the time; and brings us up to date with her escape to the U.S. and subsequent career an...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Julie G rated it 4 of 5 stars

This amazing story is the autobiography of Chai Ling.

It begins with her life as the daughter of Chinese military doctors, through relationships, going off to college and quite accidentally becoming the face of student leadership in what began as a peaceful protest and ended with the massacre of Beijing citizens and Chinese students.

With brutal honesty, Ling shares her upbringing and what life in China was like for women in the '80s; how limited the freedom and how strict the expectations. Permit...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Debra Brinkman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This autobiographical book tells the story of Chai Ling and her life in China as a child, and her life as a college student leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. Once I hit the events starting in April of 1989 the book became very difficult to put down.

In April of 1989, I was busy preparing to take the CPA exam, and my finals, and to graduate from the University of Minnesota. I was vaguely aware of events happening in China, but it wasn't until I started reading this book that I r...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Lisa Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Title: A Heart for Freedom
Author: Chai Ling
Pages: 329
Year: 2011
Publisher: Tyndale
Note: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Follow my other reviews at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspo... and on twitter @lcjohnson1988
This is a story that took a long time to reach the publisher—more than 20 years. It is the true story of real life events from one of the student leaders of the Tiananmen Square uprising. She has a longing for a free China and democracy for men and...more Title: A Heart for Freedom
Author: Chai Ling
Pages: 329
Year: 2011
Publisher: Tyndale
Note: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Follow my other reviews at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspo... and on twitter @lcjohnson1988
This is a story that took a long time to reach the publisher—more than 20 years. It is the true story of real life events from one of the student leaders of the Tiananmen Square uprising. She has a longing for a free China and democracy for men and women. The author tells her story from some of her earliest memories as a child up to her present day life. This is not fiction, and the events told are sometimes painful to read.
The narrative begins with our main character and author, Chai Ling, as a little girl in rural China living with her family. Her parents must travel a lot as they are in the military and trained as doctors. Grandma is brought to live with them to take care of the three children. Grandma, however, can’t take care of three small children so they send Chai Ling to live with a foster family on a farm at the age of five. They pay the farmer a bag of grain to take care of her. She is so homesick the farmer returns her to her home. Her father is angry at her for not being able to handle the separation and the fact that she cost him a bag of grain. She has brought shame to her family. This sets the tone for the relationship between father and daughter.
As Chai Ling gets to be around 10-12, she is in charge of taking care of her younger brother and sister along with her grandma. She enters high school and begins to get recognition for her academic performance. Now, her father is proud of her temporarily. He is proud of what she has done, but not of whom she is. The atmosphere in the house though is repressive and Chai longs to be free. She studies hard so she can skip the last year of high school and go away to college in Beijing. At college, she thinks she will be free. Once at college though she exchanges the low opinion of her father for a string of men with similar viewpoints. Most think it their right to abuse her physically, mentally, and emotionally. Chai Ling longs for freedom and love. Instead, she experiences more personal hardship through forced abortions, being accused as a thief, and finally running for her life as a leader of the students protesting at Tiananmen Square.
She escapes to the United States through a long series of constant moves and great physical hardship. She attends Princeton and Harvard. She is able to bring her sister, brother-in-law, and brother to America from China. She longs to bring her father, but doesn’t have enough money. She meets an American man she falls in love with. He is a Christian, and she at that point is a Buddhist. She agrees to learn more about God, but makes no further commitment than that. She begins her own business and becomes successful.
Throughout her life, she has been searching for freedom and love. She loves her father, but doesn’t find true love or acceptance from him. Through her various other relationships, she is searching for that elusive love and freedom. She has a place in her heart that she can’t seem to fill. Finally, she is shown the love of Jesus and is willing to open her mind to know more. She comes to realize that only God can fill that place in her heart. She accepts Jesus as her Savior and the healing and forgiveness He offers. She still has a heart for China, especially woman, who have aborted their children, either willingly or unwillingly. She knows the guilt, heartache and anger that can accompany this. She realizes only God can save China and firmly believes that he will. Her years of searching led her to Christ. Are you searching to fill a void in your heart? Are you willing to hear about Jesus and open your mind and heart?
My rating for this book is three stars.
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Jul 07, 2012 Tammi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Growing-up in America it is hard for me to imagine the things that the people of China have experienced. I have read books about missionaries who have ministered to the people who live there, I know that missionaries have a love for the people they are called to serve. They wouldn’t go if they didn’t. Chai Ling, grew-up in China and has a love for her homeland, as well as, for the people that live there that grew out of her personal experiences of being raised and schooled in China.

Chai Ling’s i...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-life, biographical, christian-non-fiction, christian-true-life, inspirational, religion, tyndale, women

Grab the tissues and prepare to have your eyes, heart and mind opened to what has and is continuing to go on in China. Chai Ling has done a superb job in re-telling her story from her actions as a college demonstrator and part of the Tiananmen Square massacre to her life as a woman who has built a successful career, built a family and started a ministry to help educate the world about gendercide, trafficking, abortion and getting the Word of God to a lost and hurting world, especially China. I'v...more

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May 26, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, faith-and-spirituality, law-policy-and-justice, relationships

I really wanted to like this book. The author's story is, in fact, remarkable. I give regularly to her nonprofit, All Girls Allowed; AGA is doing innovative and life-saving work in China, and I hope that the publicity from this book will open lots of doors for them.

Unfortunately, the book is not well written. A significant part of the problem is that Chai ("Chai" is her surname, as Chinese surnames precede given names) learned English as an adult. Learning any language (and, I think, particularl...more I really wanted to like this book. The author's story is, in fact, remarkable. I give regularly to her nonprofit, All Girls Allowed; AGA is doing innovative and life-saving work in China, and I hope that the publicity from this book will open lots of doors for them.

Unfortunately, the book is not well written. A significant part of the problem is that Chai ("Chai" is her surname, as Chinese surnames precede given names) learned English as an adult. Learning any language (and, I think, particularly English) is difficult, and it seems unfair to fault her for not being entirely fluent. However, given that she chose to prepare the book without a co-author, it made the book more difficult to read. I regularly encountered bits of the narrative that were phrased awkwardly. Additionally - and this was more distracting than the narrative - most of the dialogue comes across as being wooden and artificial. From my studies of Chinese, I suspect that this is a consequence of translating expressions in Chinese into the literal English equivalent, rather than paraphrasing. Chai acknowledges this at one point in the book when one person uses a Chinese expression that, when translated in English, is especially awkward. I respect what I take to be her decision to honor the people she knew by not taking liberties with the translation, but it might have been better to acknowledge her reasoning for the decision earlier, and it did detract from the story. (I also wonder whether some of the dialogue may have been recreated in Chinese and then translated in a near-literal way, as some of the dialogue that takes place in English is also a bit clunky.)

The pacing was also problematic (and had nothing to do with the language barrier). The portion of the book where she describes the alliance-making and strategizing of the student movement moves very slowly and bored me. Once the hunger strike began, I thought the pacing improved: she spent an appropriate amount of time recounting the conversations of the protesters, describing the political climate, and setting forth her own musings about the implications and risks of their activity. I was surprised that she spent so little time describing the massacre itself and her thoughts and feelings in the immediate aftermath (though perhaps it was because she was on the run and wasn't doing much processing then). The pacing of her time in hiding, her flight, and her work in France and the United States was pretty good. However, I thought she should have spent much more time discussing how her conversion from Buddhism to Christianity came to pass: she does mention her first couple of introductions to the faith, but it seems that she jumped from being a relatively devout Buddhist to a committed Christian very quickly. I know that sometimes people do make the transition quickly, but I would have appreciated much more elaboration about how she came to adopt the faith as her own, particularly about how she left her Buddhist beliefs and practices behind. Given that she hadn't done this, her adoption of the evangelical vocabulary seemed jarring.

Finally, I felt that the book didn't hang together thematically. Towards the beginning of the story, when she describes her experiences with abortion and her troubled relationships with men, I understood where she was going. Then she virtually never mentions it for the next two-thirds of the book, until her fourth abortion and then after her conversion. She tries a bit in the last couple of chapters to explain how she had been seeking after freedom in her political activism and in her relational and spiritual life, and how all of that led to her work with AGA... but she didn't try very hard, and I didn't find it convincing.

All in all, the book was a disappointment: there's a really good story to be told, but this really wasn't a great delivery.(less)

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May 04, 2012 Melinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although the writing was choppy and disconnected at times, I did enjoy this book. I have always been interested in the Tienanmen Massacre as I remember the news footage of it vividly. At the time, as a young woman of 14, I couldn't imagine living in a country that would murder its own citizens, young college students who had their whole lives ahead of them.

During the author's descriptions of the inner workings of the Tienanmen leadership, the dizzying relay of Chinese politicians and officials...more

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Apr 24, 2012 Socraticgadfly rated it 2 of 5 stars

The first 4/5 of the book was great, but the last 1/5 clearly jumped the shark.

I have no problem with Chai talking about specific spinoffs of her conversion to Christianity, since that's part of her biography. I'm not so OK with her equating forced abortions for gender in China with all abortions, for serious medical issues even, in the U.S. But, that's a belief that's part of her conservative evangelical conversion. So, it's not the shark-jumping, yet.

What is?

Her belief that China must become a...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-that-changed-my-life, political, tough-women, favorites

This is an amazing story of the life of Chai Ling. It starts with a young girl and her dreams in China, you learn about her challenges and about her family dynamics. Then she reaches one of her dreams to go away to university, then she became commander-in-chief of the student protesters in Tiananmen Square while attending university, after the terrible attack June 4th 1989 at Tiananmen square of protesters by their own government and military she had to escape from the country to save her life,...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Carri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I almost didn't read this book because I had already read several books this year about the oppressions and restrictions of women, but something made me try just one more. This was a remarkable story of Chai Ling who, through a series of seemingly innocent decisions, became one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square student protest that occurred China in 1989. Although the tragic events that occurred as part of that protest happened over 20 years ago, and those things they were protesting still...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Barbara Falconer Newhall rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion-spirituality

Twenty-two years after the deadly crack-down at China’s Tiananmen Square, Chai Ling, a young leader of the student protests there, finally tells her story.

Why did it take so long?

Because Chai’s story is not simply one of political activism in China followed by escape to a new life in the United States. It is also the story of a woman who has had four abortions.

In the two decades since she left China, Chai has sat down to write her story several times. But each time she has been paralyzed by the...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction

My favorite thing about this book was the way God worked in this woman's life to bring her to Himself. The first part about her childhood was interesting, but I found the section on student politics slightly confusing and hard to follow. Her personal life's twists and turns brought her to America. As she searched for meaning and peace, she encountered several Christians whose lives made her curious about God. This book was not primarily about her conversion; in fact, she mentioned that she strug...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Pamela rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, china

The good: I did find her version of events leading up to the Tienanman Square massacre interesting. I have read a great deal about 20th century China, but I seemed to have stopped at Mao's death, so this was a nice addition to my knowledge base.

The bad: At the beginning, I found her relating the stories of her relationships very disjointed. Something would happen and I *kind* of got what happened, but she seemed to be leaving some things out. I assumed this was due to the passage of time and tr...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Maribeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

This woman has unbelievable courage, and her book is the story of all different kinds of freedom that she fought for (and still is trying to achieve) both in her homeland of China and in her own personal life.

The first half of the book details the events leading up to the 1989 student protests and massacre in Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China. As one of the 6 original student leaders of the movement and commander-in-chief of the thousands of students in the Square in May-June 1989, she gives a fi...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Tori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, christian

Written by Chai Ling, one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square massacre she tells all about the actual events of the massacre that we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Partly current events and partly a memoir, this novel is sure to be eye opening and emotional.
We start by following her life as a young girl learning the disappointment and sadness she feels that she is not the boy her father always wanted. However she redeems herself in his eyes by working diligently and hard, making him proud o...more Written by Chai Ling, one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square massacre she tells all about the actual events of the massacre that we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Partly current events and partly a memoir, this novel is sure to be eye opening and emotional.
We start by following her life as a young girl learning the disappointment and sadness she feels that she is not the boy her father always wanted. However she redeems herself in his eyes by working diligently and hard, making him proud of her. She gets out of her small town and goes to Beijing which has been a family dream long-standing. While there, she learned just how much the government did not hear the people of China as well as how mistreated and degraded the people were. She staged a protest in hopes of it leading to a better government that would connect and hear it’s people. However, this soon turned into a disaster as it erupted into a full fledged battle with tons of innocent lives lost.
Chai Ling became one of the most wanted women in China and fleeing, eventually found her way to America where she also struggling with various battles in her search for true freedom. Eventually she is led toward Jesus and that is the one and only place she finds true solace and comfort. In the novel we see true examples of how God often uses evil for good showing that good will ALWAYS triumph over evil when you have God by your side. She now leads the ministry No Girls Allowed which strives to bring freedom and comfort to the daughters of China as well as abolish China’s one child policy. Many of us don’t know but in China if you are unmarried, or under the age of twenty-five you are not allowed to bear a child. You have to have a permit to become pregnant and if you do not get approved for a permit and you get pregnant anyway you will be forced into an abortion. There is also the fact that in China, due to the one child policy, there is an issue with gendercide where boys are always chosen over girls. This leads to infanticide, child trafficking, abandoned babies, and women who commit suicide. It is truly heart-breaking and it warms my heart that Chai Ling has a ministry in help of these young Chinese women. If you want to learn more about her organization you can visit Chai Ling’s website here @ : http://www.allgirlsallowed.org/

MY THOUGHTS:
This novel really pulled my heartstrings. Imagine being forced into an abortion whether you want to or not. Imagine a government that never listens to what you have a say and living in a country where you have no voice. Some of the events in this novel really opened my eyes to real issues we also have going on in America. I must admit that our government does not always listen to what we have to say, but we have the freedom to stage a protest without having to worry about tanks coming towards us. We have the choice to have children and get married when we see fit, and best of all we have the choice to choose our religion and God is not banned here.
Toward the end of the novel when Chai Ling begins to go into depth about the one child policy was especially hard for me. I look at my own two children and I couldn’t imagine ever having to give them up. I was married when I had them, but they were both born with me under the age of twenty-five. If I would have been one of China’s women I would have been forced to abort them. China’s people are seriously suffering, particularly the women, and something that from now on I will make people aware of. I am going to recommend this book to anyone I come across. These are events and circumstances that many of us in America either aren’t aware of or we don’t really pay much heed to. Thanks to Chai Ling our eyes can be opened and we can help spread the word about these tragedy’s possibly one day preventing further ones. Hopefully one day this will all end in China and that country as well as ours can be bettered for it. If we need to be reminded of God’s miracles even through hardships and calamity’s this is the book to read. And our prayers do go heard by God’s ears whether we may believe it or not.
　
　
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House. All opinions expressed are mine alone.　(less)

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May 13, 2012 Randall Secrest rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having travelled to China when Mao still remained revered, I was not able to tour the many buildings on the main square in Beijing. However, reading Ms. Ling's, "A Heart for Freedom," enlightened me how the Chinese leadership continues to abuse the citizens. How Ms. Ling escaped only to realize perhaps she was not wanted in the West? She overcame, after receiving a BA from Peking University after she came to America she received an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Princeton Unive...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Paul Kotheimer rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 05, 2011 Dennis Henn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chai Ling was one of the student leaders during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. This is her memoir describing the events in China that led to the student protests and explaining what has happened to her since as she has become a voice for Chinese women, girls and the abuse they experience. Hers is a redemption that involves four abortions, a failed marriage, the sense she was responsible for other people's deaths when the Chinese army killed protesters, and blame placed upon her for runni...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Calley rated it 3 of 5 stars

I always feel like I can't be critical of autobiographies, I don't know why. Maybe its because they aren't professional writers or anything. I enjoyed reading her story; I knew little of the Tiannamen Square incident and the high abortion epidemic in China. *However* I felt like certain parts were her rambling musings, especially the last bit of the book after she "found Jesus" as it were. I love religion, don't get me wrong, but it sounded like me when I'm trying to carry on a conversation afte...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-books, 2012

I have some pretty mixed feelings about this book.

I very much enjoyed most of it... but, the end of the book did not sit well with me, though.
For the bulk of the story, we learn of an extremely intelligent, driven, and hard working girl who grows into a pretty amazing young woman (in spite of extreme hardship). Her account of her childhood and college years is a compelling read - I found that I had developed great admiration for the strength and leadership she developed. I continued to feel th...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Holly Casos rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was 19 when the conflict in Tiananmen Square broke out. I really did not understand very much about the politics of what was happening, except that the college students wanted more freedom, and that many died. This book is written by one of the youth leaders of the movement, and helps explain what was happening from the view of those who were in the middle of the movement. It was very interesting to get a better understanding of those proceedings, as well as how she was able to escape from Chi...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Theresa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Here we go again, another book I really wanted to like, but I just didn't. It's the story of a student leader from China who became a believer in Christ. I think her book could have easily been split into a few different volumes...perhaps a historical one dealing with the T-square details that really dug deep into what that experience was like, one that dealt with adjustments in the States, and one that dealt with the transformation after becoming a believer in Christ. I just did not connect wit...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Rebecca Holland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Most girls have dreams of getting married, moving to the suburbs, having 2.5 kids and a dog and a cat.

Growing up in the rural country side of China as the oldest child of two doctors from the Chinese army, Chai Ling didn't have those dreams.

And she reveals her dreams (or the dreams of her family and China for her), her journey from birth until now and more in her book, "A Heart For Freedom."

Ling's journey took a much different path than all thought it would.

As a child, as she details in her book...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Nikole Hahn rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Tiananmen event was a milestone in God’s redemptive plan for China. He allowed evil to happen—the massacre—to kill our belief in the Communist system. This revelation brought an end to my search for an answer to the question I asked during the last hours of the protest: Why do they have to kill us when all we wanted was a dialogue? I believe that God allowed the leaders to harden their hearts, just as he hardened Pharaoh’s heart in the time of Moses, so he could reveal the true nature of Com...more The Tiananmen event was a milestone in God’s redemptive plan for China. He allowed evil to happen—the massacre—to kill our belief in the Communist system. This revelation brought an end to my search for an answer to the question I asked during the last hours of the protest: Why do they have to kill us when all we wanted was a dialogue? I believe that God allowed the leaders to harden their hearts, just as he hardened Pharaoh’s heart in the time of Moses, so he could reveal the true nature of Communism and kill the false belief and hope the people had in it. God used the massacre to work toward his plan for China. – A Heart For Freedom (Pg. 327, by Chai Ling; Tyndale Publishing)

Over twenty years ago, Chai Ling led more than a million protestors to Tiananmen square. In 1989, this protest ended in a blood path. Chai Ling became China’s most wanted fugitive and escaped first to France and then, America. This book details her struggles, her fears, her tears, her grief, and ultimately how she came to be saved.

There were so many similarities of China to our struggling country now. I read a few paragraphs to my husband and we stared uneasily at each other. “Sounds like us.” He finally spoke. Chai Ling said in regards to her first taste of freedom and opportunity in America:

“My education in freedom continued. Once again I was shocked by the realities of America’s prized system: First, it’s politics were not totally dedicated to freedom; then it’s private companies were not immune to pressure from China; and now the media were marching in lockstep. It was the last place I had expected to be attacked, but there it was. The American media, which had been so instrumental in getting the true story out of China, had now turned its guns on the students and me. These false accusations shifted responsibility for the massacre onto the students and justified the murders.”

(Pg. 262)

How many of us Tea Party members could heartily agree! Then, she speaks frequently throughout the book about her abortions—the forced abortions and the voluntary one. She speaks about the evil and corruption in the China government and police. Ling had been raped in college and the police did nothing except persecute her. She had to have an abortion. Unmarried women and women under the age of twenty-five years old are not given permits to have children in China. China has a one child policy and only one permit goes per married couple. Women who insist upon having their child are hunted down and forced to have an abortion; or they have an abortion out of shame and emotional blackmail from their families. Ling’s father forced her to have an abortion.

Did you know that according to the Chinese government statistics for 2009 and 2010 that, “70 percent of the 16 million abortions each year—that’s 11.2 million women and children affected—are for unmarried women?” Ling also speaks about her healing. The quote below moved me to tears:

“Because of past wounds, I am especially vulnerable to attacks on my reputation—the insults, the judgments behind my back, the silent avoidance. Then I knew God was calling me to humble myself, like Jesus did, to show my brokenness to the world so that he could bring healing to many, even as he brings healing to me.” (Pg. 318)

I closed the book on the last page and wiped the tears from my eyes. I related to her emotional pain (not abortions) and felt shame for those times in the past when I, too, unintentionally lacked love when I spoke truth about abortions. Abortion is wrong. It is murder, but many times we forget the women coming to get an abortion are just as lost as we once were and most are shamed into it by boyfriends, husbands, or families. Instead of wearing tee-shirts that put down abortion, we should stand in prayer vigil outside abortion clinics and pray for the workers and those coming for abortions. We should love them. This book is quite moving and tells the story of political and emotional China as Chai Ling tells her story. I have a new view on China.

If you are interested in learning about Chai Ling’s ministry www.allgirlsallowed.org, please go to the web page. Do you have a place in her ministry?

Tyndale gave me a copy of this book for the purpose of review. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although biographies are not usually my first pick, I really enjoyed reading this book.

In this book Chai Ling tells her story about participating in a student attempt to promote a change for democracy in China. What began peacefully eventually ended in bloodshed and Chai Ling became one of China's most wanted fugitives. Her story of the Tiananmen Square is compelling, exciting and will keep you reading. From beginning to end, her struggles, trials, finding faith in Jesus Christ and coming to und...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm going with a neutral rating on this because I cannot say I liked it, and I cannot say that I didn't. Rather, I am conflicted about the text and the message. In many ways this was a fascinating read, thought-provoking at times, and even inspiring. For me, the biggest mark against it was the length. There was a lot of repetition, which spoke to the authors hesitation to address certain events (rather than going into detail, there was a trap of abstraction, the steady beat of saying over and ov...more I'm going with a neutral rating on this because I cannot say I liked it, and I cannot say that I didn't. Rather, I am conflicted about the text and the message. In many ways this was a fascinating read, thought-provoking at times, and even inspiring. For me, the biggest mark against it was the length. There was a lot of repetition, which spoke to the authors hesitation to address certain events (rather than going into detail, there was a trap of abstraction, the steady beat of saying over and over that event were humiliating). I very much appreciate the trouble expressing details, the reliving of events, the re-traumatizing that occurs when giving account, and how well the slow monotone of the bulk of the book conveys that. It is a very human, not stylized voice, that is narrating. Yet, slogging through it does a disservice to the story.

I recognize that I also bring my own bias to reading this. Perhaps one day I change my opinion, get past some of my hold ups and rate this text a bit better because I am more in sync with the message. In the meantime... I was not expecting such a Christian message when I picked this up. I wasn't prepared for that, and if I had been, perhaps I would not have picked it up. And yet, I pushed passed the introduction, and I am glad I did. By no means am I converted, but in the end, when the text became lively, and clearly inspired, the author expressed some ideas beautifully. If individuals from the pro-choice camp think that they can't see eye-to-eye with individuals from the pro-life camp, or visa versa, I definitely recommend this for some of the hidden gems toward the end of the book (you have to get through the whole of it though, for the sparkle of the ideas to real shine, though).

My sense is that I need to revisit this text later. I have faint childhood memories about the student protests at Tienanmen Square, which is the reason I picked up this book. That part is mostly what I expected, and I took away a lot from that. My understanding of the ramifications of the One-Child-Policy in China were limited were limited, and for the perspective and insight on that, I am grateful for the reading. The thing that is currently difficult to digest is the intersection of phases of Feminism -- the right choose motherhood (to be a mother or not to be).(less)

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Dec 01, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had the privilege of receiving this book free from the publisher in exchange for reviewing it. However, my opinion is my own.

This book is an autobiographical work, telling of the author's childhood in China and her college years when she was involved in the Tiananmen Square protests. Following that, she came to America and made a new life for herself here. It's probably a spoiler to say that she comes to know Christ, but I think you'd know that from the marketing of the book or you might guess...more

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title link	preview: A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters
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A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters

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