I agree! Balancing darkness and hope is certainly a challenge, especially when writing about true events. I'm still trying to figure it out myself, honestly.
I got a similar feeling reading your work as I did when I read the Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. What gripped me was that the Girl lives an impoverished, hungry, desperate existence created by an overwhelming propaganda machine enforced by extreme violence. I understand that huge swaths of the world's population currently live this way, and I spend a lot of time wondering if literature can be used to break the cycle of government lies.
Hi Dr. Timothy! You bring up some really thought-provoking points, especially about the relationship between literature and government. I believe that literature is a powerful vehicle for disseminating truth to combat oppression. Though it'll take more than words to incite change, people need to know the truth first in order to take action. At the very least, literature can make people more sensitive to their milieu and help them be more conscious of the larger social consequences of their day-to-day decisions. This effect was certainly true for me after reading 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. I hope to walk in the footsteps of these authors someday 🙂.
Wow macy, this is great! As I was reading, I thought of some tales shared by an older chinese couple I witness to, they left china back in the 1950’s and now they are in their 90’s. I was also reminded of excerpts of Brother Yun’s accounts while in Henan. Are you familiar with his book, “The Heavenly Man”?
Hi Court! This is actually my first time hearing about this book. I read the blurb and it sounds super fascinating. I've watched some news reels on Christian persecution in China, but I'm not super up to date on this topic. It's going on my TBR list for sure.
Truly a devastating time in Chinese history, well done for bringing attention to it. I’m not Chinese but have worked in China for a number of years and have occasionally heard stories about it from older Chinese friends. Have you read “Mao’s Great Famine” by historian Frank Dikötter, or “Tombstone” by former journalist Yang Jisheng? The latter includes some of the author’s personal recollections as well as analysis of why it happened, well worth reading (although deeply disturbing).
I haven't heard of “Mao’s Great Famine”; however, I have heard of "Tombstone". Some of the historical references made in this story are drawn from articles written by the NYT, The Guardian, and NPR on the book and its author. Definitely on my TBR list though!
Thank you for writing this, it's heartbreaking and really places us back to that time and place.
My husband and his family emigrated from China and talk about those days, but it's hard to imagine the scale of this famine and how it affected so many people... and you're right, we don't talk about it enough.
My grandmother and her family also lived through this event. The tales she told me as I was growing up are partially what inspired me to write this story!
Wow. So many mistakes. So much dishonesty. I had heard of "Let 100 Flowers Bloom", but nit the repercussion; do you think the actual intent was to identify dissidents? Or do you think Mao actually thought things were going well and he would receive favorable critique?
Hi Mark! Great question. I'm not sure if anyone can truly speak to what Mao's initial intentions really were since there is evidence that shows that he may have been leaning either way, but we can take our best guess. His decision seemed to have been heavily influenced by the premier at the time, Zhou Enlai, who wrote, "What do a few flowers matter in a land of our size—nine million square kilometers? What’s so upsetting about a few flowers?" This indicates that perhaps Mao allowed the Hundreds Flower Campaign because he didn't expect to receive as widespread and scathing criticism as he ended up receiving. On the other hand, Mao would later claim that the campaign had "enticed the snakes out of their lairs", which suggests that perhaps he'd intended to use it to worm out the dissenters in the first place. Fascinating stuff. :)
Such An important aspect of history to write about. Thank you for this
Thank you for reading, Jenna!
You are a tremendous author, especially for someone so young. I sure hope there is some light in the dark tunnel this story is taking me.
But I fear, since it is based on historical facts.
I’ve tried to convey some of this sense of hopelessness in my own work about the future, but I can’t compare with what you’re doing here.
Keep up the great work!
I agree! Balancing darkness and hope is certainly a challenge, especially when writing about true events. I'm still trying to figure it out myself, honestly.
Part 3 is up, if you'd like to check that out (https://macyseestheworld.substack.com/p/sparrow-bones-part-iii) It's the darkest installment of the series so far; however, hopefully, the ending offers some much needed catharsis.
I got a similar feeling reading your work as I did when I read the Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. What gripped me was that the Girl lives an impoverished, hungry, desperate existence created by an overwhelming propaganda machine enforced by extreme violence. I understand that huge swaths of the world's population currently live this way, and I spend a lot of time wondering if literature can be used to break the cycle of government lies.
Hi Dr. Timothy! You bring up some really thought-provoking points, especially about the relationship between literature and government. I believe that literature is a powerful vehicle for disseminating truth to combat oppression. Though it'll take more than words to incite change, people need to know the truth first in order to take action. At the very least, literature can make people more sensitive to their milieu and help them be more conscious of the larger social consequences of their day-to-day decisions. This effect was certainly true for me after reading 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. I hope to walk in the footsteps of these authors someday 🙂.
It’s difficult to describe something so heartbreaking as “beautiful,” but this was really beautifully written. Thank you Macy.
Thank you for your kind words, Timothy. It means a lot to me 🤍.
Wow macy, this is great! As I was reading, I thought of some tales shared by an older chinese couple I witness to, they left china back in the 1950’s and now they are in their 90’s. I was also reminded of excerpts of Brother Yun’s accounts while in Henan. Are you familiar with his book, “The Heavenly Man”?
Hi Court! This is actually my first time hearing about this book. I read the blurb and it sounds super fascinating. I've watched some news reels on Christian persecution in China, but I'm not super up to date on this topic. It's going on my TBR list for sure.
Truly a devastating time in Chinese history, well done for bringing attention to it. I’m not Chinese but have worked in China for a number of years and have occasionally heard stories about it from older Chinese friends. Have you read “Mao’s Great Famine” by historian Frank Dikötter, or “Tombstone” by former journalist Yang Jisheng? The latter includes some of the author’s personal recollections as well as analysis of why it happened, well worth reading (although deeply disturbing).
I haven't heard of “Mao’s Great Famine”; however, I have heard of "Tombstone". Some of the historical references made in this story are drawn from articles written by the NYT, The Guardian, and NPR on the book and its author. Definitely on my TBR list though!
Excellent piece, excited to read more of your work!
Thanks so much, William 🤗!
Thank you for writing this, it's heartbreaking and really places us back to that time and place.
My husband and his family emigrated from China and talk about those days, but it's hard to imagine the scale of this famine and how it affected so many people... and you're right, we don't talk about it enough.
My grandmother and her family also lived through this event. The tales she told me as I was growing up are partially what inspired me to write this story!
Wow. So many mistakes. So much dishonesty. I had heard of "Let 100 Flowers Bloom", but nit the repercussion; do you think the actual intent was to identify dissidents? Or do you think Mao actually thought things were going well and he would receive favorable critique?
Hi Mark! Great question. I'm not sure if anyone can truly speak to what Mao's initial intentions really were since there is evidence that shows that he may have been leaning either way, but we can take our best guess. His decision seemed to have been heavily influenced by the premier at the time, Zhou Enlai, who wrote, "What do a few flowers matter in a land of our size—nine million square kilometers? What’s so upsetting about a few flowers?" This indicates that perhaps Mao allowed the Hundreds Flower Campaign because he didn't expect to receive as widespread and scathing criticism as he ended up receiving. On the other hand, Mao would later claim that the campaign had "enticed the snakes out of their lairs", which suggests that perhaps he'd intended to use it to worm out the dissenters in the first place. Fascinating stuff. :)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-silence-that-preceded-chinas-great-leap-into-famine-51898077/