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Factory Girl
In order to save her family’s farm, Roshen, sixteen, must leave her rural home to work in a factory in the south of China. There she finds arduous and degrading conditions and contempt for her minority (Uyghur) background. Sustained by her bond with other Uyghur girls, Roshen is resolved to endure all to help her family and ultimately her people. A workplace survival story, this gritty, poignant account focuses on a courageous teen and illuminates the value—and cost—of freedom.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 3, 2017
Factory Girl is a story of a group of young Uyghur girls, one of many ethnic minorities living in China, that will pull at your heartstrings.
Roshen is sixteen and looking forward to becoming a teacher and marrying her sweetheart. All that changes when she is forced by the Chinese government to become a factory girl to serve her country for one year. Her family risks losing their farm if she doesn’t go. The location of the factory is very far from her home in a totally different part of the country.
Factory Girl is a familiar story. The girls are isolated, abused, underfed and overworked. The setting is different, but this is a sweatshop story. It's unfair, and makes the reader feel indignant. Their treatment is cruel, they are offered no protection, and have no contact with the outside world. The threat of sexual advances is always real.
Roshen exhibits growth and matures throughout the story, but the other girls’ characterizations are indistinct. A note at the end clarifying what is fiction and nonfiction would be helpful. I'd like to know the "real story." I wondered whether Factory Girl was set in the present time or if it's historical. It is hard to tell because of the cultural differences. The ending is a bit abrupt and convenient, however, this story of survival and resilience will appeal to younger readers who are interested.
Roshen is sixteen and looking forward to becoming a teacher and marrying her sweetheart. All that changes when she is forced by the Chinese government to become a factory girl to serve her country for one year. Her family risks losing their farm if she doesn’t go. The location of the factory is very far from her home in a totally different part of the country.
Factory Girl is a familiar story. The girls are isolated, abused, underfed and overworked. The setting is different, but this is a sweatshop story. It's unfair, and makes the reader feel indignant. Their treatment is cruel, they are offered no protection, and have no contact with the outside world. The threat of sexual advances is always real.
Roshen exhibits growth and matures throughout the story, but the other girls’ characterizations are indistinct. A note at the end clarifying what is fiction and nonfiction would be helpful. I'd like to know the "real story." I wondered whether Factory Girl was set in the present time or if it's historical. It is hard to tell because of the cultural differences. The ending is a bit abrupt and convenient, however, this story of survival and resilience will appeal to younger readers who are interested.
February 8, 2017
Noted as a YA book, I found the story of Roshen, a sixteen year old Uyghur girl, to be an interesting and easy read. Sent to work in a sewing factory in China for a year, Roshen seems to me to be similar to young girls in this country, New York particularly, the difference being that those N.Y. sewing factories were shut down here almost a hundred years ago! The book provides details of the Muslim culture and how Roshen and other Uyghur girls were misled, treated, and basically imprisoned in the factory.
La Valley has written at least one previous book, and I would like to read it as well.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
La Valley has written at least one previous book, and I would like to read it as well.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
September 17, 2018
If you thought you understood how awful cheap-labor factories in Asia must be, think again. This hair-raising story follows a young Uyghur girl from Northwest China, as she is forcibly conscripted into indentured servitude to prevent the authorities from seizing her father's farm. Given the news this very week about the Chinese government "relocating" a million Uyghurs into concentration camps, the book is extremely timely -- and terrifying.
The book is written in a very simple and engaging style, appropriate given that the viewpoint character is from a village and knows nothing about the outside world. We watch as she is ripped from her family, made to work 16 hour shifts, fed slops, housed on a plywood bed with no mattress, beaten, and denied both pay and time outside of the factory. She is little more than a slave, and is not allowed to contact her family. It's horrific, and heartbreaking.
I recently bought a dress online for $10, just because I wanted to see what kind of a garment a person could possible get for so little. It was, surprisingly, a pretty good dress. But how could anybody procure fabric and thread, pay someone to sew, ship it all the way from China to the US, double the price for mark-up, and then sell it for $10? Well, now I know. Free labor. It makes me ashamed for being a participant in the entire system -- even while knowing how it's next to impossible to avoid buying anything made in Asia these days.
Every American ought to read this book.
The book is written in a very simple and engaging style, appropriate given that the viewpoint character is from a village and knows nothing about the outside world. We watch as she is ripped from her family, made to work 16 hour shifts, fed slops, housed on a plywood bed with no mattress, beaten, and denied both pay and time outside of the factory. She is little more than a slave, and is not allowed to contact her family. It's horrific, and heartbreaking.
I recently bought a dress online for $10, just because I wanted to see what kind of a garment a person could possible get for so little. It was, surprisingly, a pretty good dress. But how could anybody procure fabric and thread, pay someone to sew, ship it all the way from China to the US, double the price for mark-up, and then sell it for $10? Well, now I know. Free labor. It makes me ashamed for being a participant in the entire system -- even while knowing how it's next to impossible to avoid buying anything made in Asia these days.
Every American ought to read this book.
January 2, 2018
This story blew me away. The blurb alone is what made me want to read it because it's based on stories the author heard while on her travels. This heartbreaking yet powerful story will stay with me for a while.
FRTC.
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Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
This book had been on my radar for a while. I kept seeing it offered by my library (Overdrive) and it really caught my attention. Finally one day I took the plunge and read it. HOLY. SCHNIKES. I was not ready for the seriousness of this story but I am so glad I read it.
Roshen is a teenager girl that is forced to work as a member of the Hubei Work Wear Company in Asia. That is actually code for indentured labor. Roshen and other girls always heard working for this company was a great adventure and a wonderful experience. However, it turned out to be a living nightmare, one most girls never escape from. Nobody knows this before Roshen is forced to go because if she doesn’t, her family will lose everything under the Transferring Surplus Labor Force to Inner China policy. Not wanting to risk the livelihood of her family, Roshen agrees to go, leaving behind the love of her life.
Once Roshen arrives in Asia, she is immediately put to work. She is forced to work very long hours in horrific conditions, fed very little food (most of which was against her religion to eat), lied to about pay, and isolated from everyone & everything. Roshen was obviously not the only girl in the factory, she is just one of dozens forced to work 16+ hours a day on very little food and sleep. Each one of the girls has a different way to cope with the tragedy they have found themselves in. Two of the girls, Mikray and Hawa, have found dangerous ways to deal: Mikray tries to escape a lot and Hawa tried to make nice with the factory owner. Roshen has a different approach – she recites tradition poetry from her childhood.
I really connected with Roshen and her experiences. I wanted to reach into the book and pull her out of that monstrous situation. While she proved to be the voice and strength that the rest of the girls pulled from, a part of me wished Roshen was not as passive as she was. I wanted to see a little more fight from her and not so much rolling over and going belly up. There were a lot of other characters in the story and they all served their part, but none of them were was developed as they could have been. Even if it had been one or two additional strong characters, that would have been amazing. Mikray was the rebel, without a doubt, but she felt like she was filling a particular role. Same with Hawa and the others. The relationship and bond they all had was beautiful to witness but I just wanted a wee bit more strength.
No matter what, this story was not for the faint of heart. The author, who based this story on experiences she had while traveling through China, did not shy away from gruesome details. It felt like it could be too much for certain YA readers. The talk of young girls being sold into slavery or sold for human trafficking, teens being forced to work long hours while being whipped in the leg with a cane, or the a sick girl being forced to sleep in a dirty bed may really be too much. I’m an older YA reader and I had moments where I had to put this down and walk away because it was too much real life. Do not go into this thinking it is a feel good read. It is a long painful journey to get to the end, and even once you get there it seemed rushed. I am glad I read this but it still fills me with a bit of unease. I would not recommend this to everyone but if you are curious, I suggest you give it a try but go slow. The shock factor could be too much.
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Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
This book had been on my radar for a while. I kept seeing it offered by my library (Overdrive) and it really caught my attention. Finally one day I took the plunge and read it. HOLY. SCHNIKES. I was not ready for the seriousness of this story but I am so glad I read it.
Roshen is a teenager girl that is forced to work as a member of the Hubei Work Wear Company in Asia. That is actually code for indentured labor. Roshen and other girls always heard working for this company was a great adventure and a wonderful experience. However, it turned out to be a living nightmare, one most girls never escape from. Nobody knows this before Roshen is forced to go because if she doesn’t, her family will lose everything under the Transferring Surplus Labor Force to Inner China policy. Not wanting to risk the livelihood of her family, Roshen agrees to go, leaving behind the love of her life.
Once Roshen arrives in Asia, she is immediately put to work. She is forced to work very long hours in horrific conditions, fed very little food (most of which was against her religion to eat), lied to about pay, and isolated from everyone & everything. Roshen was obviously not the only girl in the factory, she is just one of dozens forced to work 16+ hours a day on very little food and sleep. Each one of the girls has a different way to cope with the tragedy they have found themselves in. Two of the girls, Mikray and Hawa, have found dangerous ways to deal: Mikray tries to escape a lot and Hawa tried to make nice with the factory owner. Roshen has a different approach – she recites tradition poetry from her childhood.
I really connected with Roshen and her experiences. I wanted to reach into the book and pull her out of that monstrous situation. While she proved to be the voice and strength that the rest of the girls pulled from, a part of me wished Roshen was not as passive as she was. I wanted to see a little more fight from her and not so much rolling over and going belly up. There were a lot of other characters in the story and they all served their part, but none of them were was developed as they could have been. Even if it had been one or two additional strong characters, that would have been amazing. Mikray was the rebel, without a doubt, but she felt like she was filling a particular role. Same with Hawa and the others. The relationship and bond they all had was beautiful to witness but I just wanted a wee bit more strength.
No matter what, this story was not for the faint of heart. The author, who based this story on experiences she had while traveling through China, did not shy away from gruesome details. It felt like it could be too much for certain YA readers. The talk of young girls being sold into slavery or sold for human trafficking, teens being forced to work long hours while being whipped in the leg with a cane, or the a sick girl being forced to sleep in a dirty bed may really be too much. I’m an older YA reader and I had moments where I had to put this down and walk away because it was too much real life. Do not go into this thinking it is a feel good read. It is a long painful journey to get to the end, and even once you get there it seemed rushed. I am glad I read this but it still fills me with a bit of unease. I would not recommend this to everyone but if you are curious, I suggest you give it a try but go slow. The shock factor could be too much.
May 17, 2018
I read this in one day because I didn’t want to stop. It was a pleasure to read it, although it’s a distressing story. Sixteen year old Roshen, an excellent student, is nevertheless “chosen” to work in a clothing factory in Wuhan, Hubei, China, far to the south. She must leave their good desert farm and “boyfriend” (on the point of betrothal) for at least a year. She doesn’t want to leave her family, whom she loves, but the price of not going is to allow the Chinese to take their farm, which has been in their family for generations. The Chinese are slowly taking over their country and all the land and businesses of the Uygher people.
Having seen documentaries about Chinese garment factories, I knew it would be a sweatshop where girls are kept almost as slaves. The group of 12 Uygher girls, however, suffered even more for being a minority disliked by the Han Chinese.
The girls endure indignities, injuries, and cruelty both physical and emotional. The food is often spoiled and never is it enough, or they are served banquet dishes with pork, which they cannot eat (their Chinese hosts laugh and take it all). They often work 16 hour shifts, and their pay is withheld for transportation costs, uniform cost, and penalties. Cameras are installed even in the bathrooms to monitor their conversations.
Although they are isolated and followed on their occasional day off, Mikray, a girl fiercer than the rest, risks making connections outside the factory. Eventually she changes her fate. Hawa and another who are non-traditional muslims (wearing mini skirts, no scarf, etc.) believe their fashion sense and beauty will help them become managers. Two 14-year olds need Roshen’s help to survive sexual predation and illness. There are tragedies large and small. The kindnesses they receive from one another and from strangers are uplifting.
It isn’t easy to write an entire novel in a first person narrative and sustain the high level of interest and drama, but this author did it well. The story seemed to unfold right before my eyes.
I liked the ending, which is to say that it wasn’t perfect at all, but it made sense. Roshen couldn’t help but change after her experiences. Sadder, wiser, (aren’t we all?) she had to acknowledge her inability to resume life as before. The reader can imagine it will be a good life.
This book reminded me that in so many places, the Chinese are encroaching on other cultures and peoples in a most unfair way. The Uyghers, especially, need international recognition and help. I heartily recommend this book.
Having seen documentaries about Chinese garment factories, I knew it would be a sweatshop where girls are kept almost as slaves. The group of 12 Uygher girls, however, suffered even more for being a minority disliked by the Han Chinese.
The girls endure indignities, injuries, and cruelty both physical and emotional. The food is often spoiled and never is it enough, or they are served banquet dishes with pork, which they cannot eat (their Chinese hosts laugh and take it all). They often work 16 hour shifts, and their pay is withheld for transportation costs, uniform cost, and penalties. Cameras are installed even in the bathrooms to monitor their conversations.
Although they are isolated and followed on their occasional day off, Mikray, a girl fiercer than the rest, risks making connections outside the factory. Eventually she changes her fate. Hawa and another who are non-traditional muslims (wearing mini skirts, no scarf, etc.) believe their fashion sense and beauty will help them become managers. Two 14-year olds need Roshen’s help to survive sexual predation and illness. There are tragedies large and small. The kindnesses they receive from one another and from strangers are uplifting.
It isn’t easy to write an entire novel in a first person narrative and sustain the high level of interest and drama, but this author did it well. The story seemed to unfold right before my eyes.
I liked the ending, which is to say that it wasn’t perfect at all, but it made sense. Roshen couldn’t help but change after her experiences. Sadder, wiser, (aren’t we all?) she had to acknowledge her inability to resume life as before. The reader can imagine it will be a good life.
This book reminded me that in so many places, the Chinese are encroaching on other cultures and peoples in a most unfair way. The Uyghers, especially, need international recognition and help. I heartily recommend this book.
December 23, 2016
Factory Girl by Josanne La Valley covers some very serious subject for young adults. At first it seemed a bit slow but that was a big contrast to her life before and afterhe she has been selected. Roshen is sixteen and life seems to be off to a great start. She is a good student, loves her family and the boy that she is to marry in the future.
Then she is selected to spend a year at a Chinese sewing factory in Hubei. It is billed as a great honor to be selected but the truth is that her family's farm will be taken away by the government if she does nor comply.
She decides to sacrifice a year of her life so they can keep the farm. She has been warned that there are spies on the trip, and to only communicate to her family and one she is to be married by messages from a black internet cafe. She has a very long an uncomfortable journey with the other girls to the factory. They all go through many hardships while working there and it is very difficult to know who to trust and who to be wary of. She is forced into some very horrible experiences.
What is really terrible is that this story is based on true experiences as told to the author. . The version that I read was an Advanced Reading Copy and did not include the Afterword. I was very sad that it did not make it into this version.
The author writes with great sensitivity and gives just enough detail to let know what is good on but not enough to overwhelm the reader. This is the second book that I have read by her and I look forward to reading more.
I received this Advanced Reading Copy by making a selection from Amazon Vine books but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review. I also posted this review only on sites meant for reading not for selling.
Then she is selected to spend a year at a Chinese sewing factory in Hubei. It is billed as a great honor to be selected but the truth is that her family's farm will be taken away by the government if she does nor comply.
She decides to sacrifice a year of her life so they can keep the farm. She has been warned that there are spies on the trip, and to only communicate to her family and one she is to be married by messages from a black internet cafe. She has a very long an uncomfortable journey with the other girls to the factory. They all go through many hardships while working there and it is very difficult to know who to trust and who to be wary of. She is forced into some very horrible experiences.
What is really terrible is that this story is based on true experiences as told to the author. . The version that I read was an Advanced Reading Copy and did not include the Afterword. I was very sad that it did not make it into this version.
The author writes with great sensitivity and gives just enough detail to let know what is good on but not enough to overwhelm the reader. This is the second book that I have read by her and I look forward to reading more.
I received this Advanced Reading Copy by making a selection from Amazon Vine books but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review. I also posted this review only on sites meant for reading not for selling.
May 27, 2017
I have literally never heard of this ethnic group before, but the apparent hostility they face from Chinese government is shocking. I've also never quite been faced with the fact that China apparently has some 19th century factory conditions with a side of involuntary indentured servitude going on. My heart ached for Roshen the whole way through the book. On the bright side, reading this for a while will really make you appreciate your current work conditions (including being paid), the ability to talk to your friends and loved ones, selecting your own food and not having get approval to leave your house, which itself most probably does not resemble a prison.
June 16, 2017
Roshen is 16. She is one of the Uyghur people who live in Northern China. She loves school and hopes to be a teacher one day. However, a cadre from the Chinese government come and basically conscript her into working at a factory far from her home. She and the other girls are treated harshly for very little pay. But Roshen is tough and determined to survive this and return to her family.
Based on real events that are little known. I think this is an important book for awareness of the Uyghur culture and for the forced labor that is happening in China. Sexual situations, including a brothel make this a better choice for more mature readers.
Based on real events that are little known. I think this is an important book for awareness of the Uyghur culture and for the forced labor that is happening in China. Sexual situations, including a brothel make this a better choice for more mature readers.
February 11, 2017
Thanks Goodreads for my copy of Factory Girl by Josanne La Valley. This is a book of fiction but it is a story about girls in the northern part of China who are forced to work in Chinese factories. This part of the story is true based on the author's understanding of working in these sweat shops. I could not put this book down and I highly recommend it. Since the girls are Muslim, the author describes some of the religious customs and dress. I found the book informative as well as touching.
March 22, 2017
Inspired by the author’s experiences while traveling in northern China, the author uses the fictional story of Roshen to shed light on the young Uyghur (pronounced WEE-gur) women who are transported thousands of miles to work in Chinese factories. Intense and eye-opening, but a little spoiled by a passive protagonist. See my full review here.
January 5, 2017
Factory Girl is about a girl who gets selected to work in China. She knows that if she doesn't go, her family will lose the farm. This story was hard to read at first because of it being slow, but it picked up. She and the rest of the girls go through hardships along the way. It was quite an interesting read.
May 8, 2017
I’ve written a review for this book, but because I type my reviews on library card catalog cards, I am unable to share it here. Please go to https://insearchoftheendofthesidewalk... to see my review of this book and many others.
February 28, 2017
Everyone should check to be sure they are buying products that are not made in countries that use child and unethical labor. This book follows the story of a girl in China taken against her will from her village to work for very little pay in a factory. It is an emotional and captivating story.
March 27, 2017
I learned about a whole culture through this novel. I'm glad their story was told. My heart breaks for these people, and many others throughout the world in similar situations.
March 27, 2017
Very good! I can't believe this is happening in our current day! I thought it was history.
April 12, 2017
A not-so-happy book, but an important one. It's clear the author did a great deal of research and hard work to accurately portray the experiences of these girls.
July 13, 2017
3.5 /5
The second half saved it
The second half saved it
August 3, 2024
powerful.
July 19, 2017
Josanne LaValley’s Factory Girl seemed like a kind of read I needed to get my hands on. I’m usually reading mysteries, thrillers or contemporary romances, so this was actually a new kind of story for me that I was quite interested in. It has a new setting — the mountains of China — that no other author has really wrote about before in the Young Adult genre, so I was quite excited to request this from the publishers. Although it originally seemed to be something I might be interested in, this was a disappointing read that is making me regret picking it up.
Factory Girl almost put me in a reading slump. I don’t think I need to say more — that’s quite negative. I decided to pick this up during the school year, and I couldn’t find myself getting into it because it is a heavy, deep read that needs time to get through. When the school year ended, I decided that I would pick this up once again and see how good it really is.
I was disappointed yet again. This book is extremely boring and I couldn’t find any emotion in the writing. LaValley is a great writer, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I felt that the premise was the main focus of the story, including the setting, but the deep messages and characters were just another aspect that needed to be written about.
I kind of wish that I DNFed this because I expected that the ending would be phenomenal. But instead, it was extremely predictable and nothing special. I wanted this book to be a new favourite, a new outlook on the way contemporary stories, but I just felt that this was SO slow-paced. Agh.
In conclusion, Factory Girl featured a promising story about a girl named Roshen who is forced into slavery due to her social status. She has a life set for her, wanting to be with a man who she loves, however, everything changes when her family is unable to purchase her freedom. It’s a sad story, but something was definitely missing from this being a great story. I wish it was more interesting and unpredictable. I felt like I knew of all the answers and solutions.
*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*
Factory Girl almost put me in a reading slump. I don’t think I need to say more — that’s quite negative. I decided to pick this up during the school year, and I couldn’t find myself getting into it because it is a heavy, deep read that needs time to get through. When the school year ended, I decided that I would pick this up once again and see how good it really is.
I was disappointed yet again. This book is extremely boring and I couldn’t find any emotion in the writing. LaValley is a great writer, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I felt that the premise was the main focus of the story, including the setting, but the deep messages and characters were just another aspect that needed to be written about.
“The taste of a few peas and nuts leaves a gnawing hunger in my stomach. For food. For home. For my life as it was” (32).
I kind of wish that I DNFed this because I expected that the ending would be phenomenal. But instead, it was extremely predictable and nothing special. I wanted this book to be a new favourite, a new outlook on the way contemporary stories, but I just felt that this was SO slow-paced. Agh.
In conclusion, Factory Girl featured a promising story about a girl named Roshen who is forced into slavery due to her social status. She has a life set for her, wanting to be with a man who she loves, however, everything changes when her family is unable to purchase her freedom. It’s a sad story, but something was definitely missing from this being a great story. I wish it was more interesting and unpredictable. I felt like I knew of all the answers and solutions.
*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*
April 14, 2018
This was a great eye opener albeit a sad read on what’s going on with the Uyghur and how they’re being treated by the Chinese government. They’re not a very well known group of people and after finishing this book it’s an eye opening experience.
Throughout the novel you follow the narrative of Roshen, who’s left her family behind and a potential fiance to work in a factory. As a reader you already have an idea on how this is going to go as factories over there are usually sweatshops with grueling horrifying conditions. What I was not expecting, and because I didn’t know much of these peoples is they’re on the bottom rung of the ladder everywhere they go. Since they don’t look like your average Chinese, they stick out as a visible minority and because their beliefs are very much different, they get treated horribly and are pretty much slaves.
You follow Roshen and a group of Uyghur girls as they toil through the factory under horrible conditions. You can feel their fear and mistrust, even amongst themselves because anyone can become an informant. What I was not prepared for, was for Hawa’s character. You already had an assumption about her because of her behavior but when she does something completely unspeakable on behalf of Roshen it was a complete blindside. The negative feelings you had towards Hawa disappears completely and is replaced with a kind of respect for what she went through.
Definitely recommended to read. It’s horrifying what these families and girls go through, and awareness is key.
Throughout the novel you follow the narrative of Roshen, who’s left her family behind and a potential fiance to work in a factory. As a reader you already have an idea on how this is going to go as factories over there are usually sweatshops with grueling horrifying conditions. What I was not expecting, and because I didn’t know much of these peoples is they’re on the bottom rung of the ladder everywhere they go. Since they don’t look like your average Chinese, they stick out as a visible minority and because their beliefs are very much different, they get treated horribly and are pretty much slaves.
You follow Roshen and a group of Uyghur girls as they toil through the factory under horrible conditions. You can feel their fear and mistrust, even amongst themselves because anyone can become an informant. What I was not prepared for, was for Hawa’s character. You already had an assumption about her because of her behavior but when she does something completely unspeakable on behalf of Roshen it was a complete blindside. The negative feelings you had towards Hawa disappears completely and is replaced with a kind of respect for what she went through.
Definitely recommended to read. It’s horrifying what these families and girls go through, and awareness is key.
February 24, 2018
YA book that caught my eye at the library. It is about Uyghur (pronounced WEEgur) girls that the Chinese force to leave their homes to work in Chinese factories. According to the book, they are indentured (paying off the costs of getting them to the factories, their uniforms, and terrible food they are fed). They are practically slaves, so far from home that they cannot escape, not allowed to speak their language or contact their relatives. Some of the families have to send the girls because they need the money. One would hope they wouldn't, even in dire need, if they knew what awaited their daughters. Others are compelled to do so, threatened with the loss of their properties and livelihoods.
Good story, well told, though a little breathless. Was surprised how supportive the girls were of each other. It gets a little repetitive in some areas. I didn't find the characters that believable but it was interesting to read about the plight of workers in Chinese factories. Makes me want to be more aware of the labels of things I buy. I wonder why the despicable clients of the company were made Australian as opposed to some other nationality.
Good story, well told, though a little breathless. Was surprised how supportive the girls were of each other. It gets a little repetitive in some areas. I didn't find the characters that believable but it was interesting to read about the plight of workers in Chinese factories. Makes me want to be more aware of the labels of things I buy. I wonder why the despicable clients of the company were made Australian as opposed to some other nationality.
August 25, 2018
Few people know about the Uyghur people. (I know I didn't.) But the oppression of this minority Muslim group in China is ongoing. Their homeland is being overwhelmed by the majority Chinese population, and their culture is being eliminated. This book tells the fictional tale of sixteen-year-old Roshen who is forced to leave her family and assume an almost slave-like role as a factory worker in a Chinese factory, with other Uyghur girls. Roshen is a strong female character, but the experience nearly breaks her. Subtle torture, expectations of "entertaining" visiting clients, impossibly long work days and poor food all combine to change her from the sweet and naïve girl she wished to remain. She has strengthened others. Who will help her? While fiction, the author has interviewed Uyghur women who were part of this program and written the story with their stories in mind. It is sobering and will fill the reader with indignation at the situation, and admiration for Roshen's courage.
May 17, 2019
This book was an audiobook borrowed from the local library’s digital collection. I picked it on a whim, as it was from the YA section, available, and without zombies or vampires.
The thing reads like historical fiction. And it is. But the history is just two years old. I mean. It’s based on bad stuff happening right now. I want to go read about it in the papers and on the internet.
I “think” it would be a good book for middle schoolers. There are difficult subjects. For sure high schoolers could handle it. Maybe not middle school because ... I don’t want to give a spoiler. But ...
Ok bye.
The thing reads like historical fiction. And it is. But the history is just two years old. I mean. It’s based on bad stuff happening right now. I want to go read about it in the papers and on the internet.
I “think” it would be a good book for middle schoolers. There are difficult subjects. For sure high schoolers could handle it. Maybe not middle school because ... I don’t want to give a spoiler. But ...
Ok bye.
April 19, 2020
I think La Valley is the only English-writing author who has written about Uyghur characters. I cried the entire way through. The ending left me feeling hazy, which... is true to real life, I guess. Not sure about how well it was written or if I would have liked it if the entire story, characters and message weren't so ridiculously close to home.
January 22, 2018
Mon Dieu .... au 21eme siècle des choses pareilles peuvent encore exister...
y penser la prochaine fois qu'on achete des vetements a bas prix fabriques en Chine..
a mettre dans la meme catagorie de livres qui ouvrent les yeux que Diamond Boy et The bitter side of Sweet- sur les diamands et le chocolat.
y penser la prochaine fois qu'on achete des vetements a bas prix fabriques en Chine..
a mettre dans la meme catagorie de livres qui ouvrent les yeux que Diamond Boy et The bitter side of Sweet- sur les diamands et le chocolat.
February 4, 2017
I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion
September 2, 2017
Sensitive story, perhaps a little long in the telling, but touches upon a group of people not yet covered in YA multicultural literature.
March 26, 2018
Felt like this book took me longer to read than a book of this length normally does, but still a good read nonetheless
September 1, 2018
Thank you for writing this!
Read
May 17, 2020I have mixed feelings about this book. The realities it portrays are horrific and certainly deserve to be better known. For that, it is a good artifact. The afterword says it wants to "open readers' eyes to a startling reality" and in that it succeeds.
But as a book?
The narrative primarily consists of one act of sadism after another. There is no actual story arc and ultimately Roshen is just... rescued. Repeatedly. Honestly I understand that she's a victim, but she's not much else. She doesn't do anything. There's no depth to any character, it's like reading a Stephen King novel: lambs and sadists and nothing in between. Again, I understand that the purpose is to highlight the plight of Uyghurs. The book succeeds. It just doesn't really tell a story or have interesting characters. It's repetitive and... well... kind of boring.
But as a book?
The narrative primarily consists of one act of sadism after another. There is no actual story arc and ultimately Roshen is just... rescued. Repeatedly. Honestly I understand that she's a victim, but she's not much else. She doesn't do anything. There's no depth to any character, it's like reading a Stephen King novel: lambs and sadists and nothing in between. Again, I understand that the purpose is to highlight the plight of Uyghurs. The book succeeds. It just doesn't really tell a story or have interesting characters. It's repetitive and... well... kind of boring.
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