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Book of the Month

Blurb

Inconvenient Memories is a rare and truthful memoir of a young woman's coming of age amid the Tiananmen Protests of 1989.
In 1989, Anna Wang was one of a lucky few who worked for a Japanese company, Canon. She traveled each day between her grandmother’s dilapidated commune-style apartment and an extravagant office just steps from Tiananmen Square. Her daily commute on Beijing’s impossibly crowded buses brought into view the full spectrum of China’s economic and social inequalities during the economic transition.
When Tiananmen Protests broke out, her Japanese boss was concerned whether the protests would obstruct Canon’s assembly plant in China, and she was sent to Tiananmen Square on a daily basis to take photos for her boss to analyze for evidence of turning tides. From the perspective as a member of the emerging middle class, she observed firsthand that Tiananmen Protests stemmed from Chinese people’s longing for political freedom and their fear for the nascent market economy, an observation that readers have never come across from the various accounts of the historical events so far.

What Our Readers Think

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and the China Before and After
Author: Anna Wang

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 17 readers:
16 would read another book by this author.
17 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
17 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
17 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
‘This is as political as it is personal. The author has a clever eye for what matters, offering the reader an intimate analysis of the event and what happened after.’ Male reader, aged 42
‘China’s human rights record is terrible. Everybody in the free world knows that. But a book of this sort really highlights the mentality of Chinese officialdom. Superbly written, this is an eye opener for anybody who wants to understand (at ground level) the terrible happenings of 1989.’ Female reader, aged 62
‘The author is incredibly insightful, offering the reader an easy to follow analysis of the happenings in Tiananmen Square.’ Female reader, aged 76
‘This is a fascinating read. You finish the book understanding the Chinese - and the Chinese government – that little bit better. Anybody interested in the history of this country should read this.’ Male reader, aged 50

To Sum It Up:
‘A very personal and revealing look at the Tiananmen Protests of 1989. A GOLD MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards