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Little Green: Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution
I was born in a small city near the East Sea,
when the Great Cultural Revolution began.
My name is Little Green,
my country Zhong Guo, the Middle Kingdom.
When I was ten years old,
our leader had died and the revolution ended.
And this is how I remember it.
When Chun Yu was born in a small city in China, she was born into a country in revolution. The streets were filled with roaming Red Guards, the walls were covered with slogans, and reeducation meetings were held in all workplaces. Every family faced danger and humiliation, even the youngest children.
Shortly after Chun's birth, her beloved father was sent to a peasant village in the countryside to be reeducated in the ways of Chairman Mao. Chun and her brother stayed behind with their mother, who taught in a country middle school where Mao's Little Red Book was a part of every child's education. Chun Yu's young life was witness to a country in turmoil, struggle, and revolution -- the only life she knew.
This first-person memoir of a child's view of the Chinese Cultural Revolution is a stunning account of a country in crisis and a testimony to the spirit of the individual -- no matter how young or how innocent.
when the Great Cultural Revolution began.
My name is Little Green,
my country Zhong Guo, the Middle Kingdom.
When I was ten years old,
our leader had died and the revolution ended.
And this is how I remember it.
When Chun Yu was born in a small city in China, she was born into a country in revolution. The streets were filled with roaming Red Guards, the walls were covered with slogans, and reeducation meetings were held in all workplaces. Every family faced danger and humiliation, even the youngest children.
Shortly after Chun's birth, her beloved father was sent to a peasant village in the countryside to be reeducated in the ways of Chairman Mao. Chun and her brother stayed behind with their mother, who taught in a country middle school where Mao's Little Red Book was a part of every child's education. Chun Yu's young life was witness to a country in turmoil, struggle, and revolution -- the only life she knew.
This first-person memoir of a child's view of the Chinese Cultural Revolution is a stunning account of a country in crisis and a testimony to the spirit of the individual -- no matter how young or how innocent.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2005
14 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
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April 15, 2015 Little Green Book Report
---------SPOILER ALERT---------
Little Green Is about a young girl named Little Green living in the middle of the chinese revolution in the country with her brother her grandma and her mom. Her dad is in a labor camp. This story tells you about her life and how she develops. The author of this book is Chun yu. She hasn’t written any more books. The genre of this book is poetry the sub-genre is personal memoir. The narrator of this story is Little Green. The POV is 1st person. This effects the story because if the story was in 3rd person, it wouldn’t be as personal.
The story takes place in the country in china in a apartment building that many of the people in the town live in. There is fields and farms all around them. In the middle of the story they have to move to the city nearer to there Baba. The story takes place in 1966 through the 70s. I don’t think if the story was set up a different way I don’t think it would have the full effect, because then they might be closer to Baba at the beginning of the story and could live with them, so there Grandma wouldn’t be such a big part of it because she has to take care of them.
The main character in Little Green is Xiao Qing witch is Little Green in chinese. She narrates the story and is the author. She has a older brother she calls Gege. She looks up to him and does everything with him. She has her mother who she also idolizes. Her mother is very beautiful. People call her Beauty Lu. She has olive skin, short black hair and a oval face. Her mother is a teacher so there Nainai/Grandma takes care of them. Little Green loves her Nainai and respects her. She likes to tell stories to Little Green. Little Green has a Baba/dad that works in a labor camp. She doesn’t know him very well because she rarely sees him, but in the middle of the book when they move to the country, she lives with him so she gets to know him better and she likes him alot. In the middle of the book she gets a baby sister. She looks up to Little Green and plays with her a lot.
I think the protagonist is Little Green and family. It is not clear what the antagonist is, but there are many followers of Chairman mao that caused Little Green distress. One is some people who discriminated against her uncle. Another is the people who put Little Green’s Baba in a labor camp. There was also a gym teacher who harassed her Mama. The supporting characters are Little Green’s family and Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao doesn’t help, but Little Green’s family does. This book does not have a rising action and stuff, because it is a lot of little stories in one long one. For example, one of the stories in it is about when Little Green’s class goes on a field trip to farm, and they destroy the farmers field, so the farmer tries to stop them, but they won’t until the teacher finally tells them to go eat lunch. In that story there are little rising actions and beginnings, but there isn’t really any for the big story.
I think the lesson of this story is that it society can get messed up even if everyone if fighting for a just cause. Society discriminates people who are not fighting for the dominant cause. Examples of this are: When Little Greens uncle gets discriminated because he slipped up on some wording that went against Chairman Mao. Another example is when they take Little Green’s Baba. That put their family in paral and and Little Green didn’t know her Baba very well.
What I particularly liked about this book was that it educated me and told a good story at the same time. The parts of the book I particularly enjoyed was when She talked about when she was in school and all the field trips and games they played all relating to the war and revolution because it was interesting to see that everything they did related to the war. I also liked when her mother spoke out when she was being harassed by another teacher. I liked that part because it shows that she was a strong woman. I think the most compelling element was the setting because the setting was so crazy,but there lives still went on. would recommend this to ages 9+ and people who like stories about some nes real life and not fantasy.
---------SPOILER ALERT---------
Little Green Is about a young girl named Little Green living in the middle of the chinese revolution in the country with her brother her grandma and her mom. Her dad is in a labor camp. This story tells you about her life and how she develops. The author of this book is Chun yu. She hasn’t written any more books. The genre of this book is poetry the sub-genre is personal memoir. The narrator of this story is Little Green. The POV is 1st person. This effects the story because if the story was in 3rd person, it wouldn’t be as personal.
The story takes place in the country in china in a apartment building that many of the people in the town live in. There is fields and farms all around them. In the middle of the story they have to move to the city nearer to there Baba. The story takes place in 1966 through the 70s. I don’t think if the story was set up a different way I don’t think it would have the full effect, because then they might be closer to Baba at the beginning of the story and could live with them, so there Grandma wouldn’t be such a big part of it because she has to take care of them.
The main character in Little Green is Xiao Qing witch is Little Green in chinese. She narrates the story and is the author. She has a older brother she calls Gege. She looks up to him and does everything with him. She has her mother who she also idolizes. Her mother is very beautiful. People call her Beauty Lu. She has olive skin, short black hair and a oval face. Her mother is a teacher so there Nainai/Grandma takes care of them. Little Green loves her Nainai and respects her. She likes to tell stories to Little Green. Little Green has a Baba/dad that works in a labor camp. She doesn’t know him very well because she rarely sees him, but in the middle of the book when they move to the country, she lives with him so she gets to know him better and she likes him alot. In the middle of the book she gets a baby sister. She looks up to Little Green and plays with her a lot.
I think the protagonist is Little Green and family. It is not clear what the antagonist is, but there are many followers of Chairman mao that caused Little Green distress. One is some people who discriminated against her uncle. Another is the people who put Little Green’s Baba in a labor camp. There was also a gym teacher who harassed her Mama. The supporting characters are Little Green’s family and Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao doesn’t help, but Little Green’s family does. This book does not have a rising action and stuff, because it is a lot of little stories in one long one. For example, one of the stories in it is about when Little Green’s class goes on a field trip to farm, and they destroy the farmers field, so the farmer tries to stop them, but they won’t until the teacher finally tells them to go eat lunch. In that story there are little rising actions and beginnings, but there isn’t really any for the big story.
I think the lesson of this story is that it society can get messed up even if everyone if fighting for a just cause. Society discriminates people who are not fighting for the dominant cause. Examples of this are: When Little Greens uncle gets discriminated because he slipped up on some wording that went against Chairman Mao. Another example is when they take Little Green’s Baba. That put their family in paral and and Little Green didn’t know her Baba very well.
What I particularly liked about this book was that it educated me and told a good story at the same time. The parts of the book I particularly enjoyed was when She talked about when she was in school and all the field trips and games they played all relating to the war and revolution because it was interesting to see that everything they did related to the war. I also liked when her mother spoke out when she was being harassed by another teacher. I liked that part because it shows that she was a strong woman. I think the most compelling element was the setting because the setting was so crazy,but there lives still went on. would recommend this to ages 9+ and people who like stories about some nes real life and not fantasy.
January 17, 2013
Little Green: Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution
by Chun Yu
Non-Fiction, Memoir
128 Pages
Little Green is a girl born during the cultural revolution. Her father is sent to an academy where he is to be "reeducated", and her mother and grandparents work in the fields all day. Since the beginning of her school years, she is taught that Chairman Mao is a good person and that intellectuals and landlords are evil. Little Green is confused and asks her grandparents why the landlords were so evil. Her grandmother responds by saying that some landlords were good and treated peasants well(hinting that their family may have once been intellectuals or landlords). When she is in about middle school, their family is relocated to the city, where she is made fun of as a farmland girl. It is there where she sees people who were considered "intellectuals" executed. Her parents are worried about the revolution and fear they might be accused of not being good citizens because of their backgrounds. But they survive. The book ends with Mao's death and the end of the revolution.
I think this was a book that made me think about how lucky I am to live in America. In the epilogue it says that the author/Little Green made it to America, but others may not have been so lucky. This book is good because it is told in a poem/memoir format, showing snapshots of what happened during that time and gives you a chance to feel the life of a child born during the revolution. The book is kind of mysterious too because Little green is only half aware of what is happening around her, so the reader gets to feel the suspense of what is happening. Overall, I would rate this book a 4 out of 5.
by Chun Yu
Non-Fiction, Memoir
128 Pages
Little Green is a girl born during the cultural revolution. Her father is sent to an academy where he is to be "reeducated", and her mother and grandparents work in the fields all day. Since the beginning of her school years, she is taught that Chairman Mao is a good person and that intellectuals and landlords are evil. Little Green is confused and asks her grandparents why the landlords were so evil. Her grandmother responds by saying that some landlords were good and treated peasants well(hinting that their family may have once been intellectuals or landlords). When she is in about middle school, their family is relocated to the city, where she is made fun of as a farmland girl. It is there where she sees people who were considered "intellectuals" executed. Her parents are worried about the revolution and fear they might be accused of not being good citizens because of their backgrounds. But they survive. The book ends with Mao's death and the end of the revolution.
I think this was a book that made me think about how lucky I am to live in America. In the epilogue it says that the author/Little Green made it to America, but others may not have been so lucky. This book is good because it is told in a poem/memoir format, showing snapshots of what happened during that time and gives you a chance to feel the life of a child born during the revolution. The book is kind of mysterious too because Little green is only half aware of what is happening around her, so the reader gets to feel the suspense of what is happening. Overall, I would rate this book a 4 out of 5.
March 12, 2022
This memoir is told as a series of free-verse poems, and follows Chun Yu’s childhood and memories of the Chinese Cultural revolution. The country in was turmoil; educated professionals were sent to be ‘reeducated’ in the ways of Chairman Mao, tens of millions of people were denounced as ‘counterrevolutionaries’, and millions perished.
Chun (meaning Little Green)’s father was sent to the countryside for re-education, and she and her brother lived with her mother, a school teacher. Her mother belonged to the group of professionals targeted by Mao’s regime, and she publicly disparaged by local villagers.
The social and political ramifications of the revolution were far-reaching, families were destroyed and neighbours turned against each other. School children were indoctrinated in Mao’s regime through the Little Red Book. (See the poem entitled “Political Classes for an Eight-Year-Old” where Chun memorizes Mao’s political teaching, but as she says, “I had no idea what this meant.” (Yu, 2005, p 64) Key to sharing Little Green in the classroom is the discussion of political ideology, and how people come to believe and act on it, and the importance of integrity.
The issues of truth, and justice are complicated, and under the guise of Mao’s efforts for mass re-education, deliberately obscured:
From the stories told in school,
I couldn’t picture a good rich person.
It would’ve been called
feudalistic backward thinking in school.
But I knew Nainai [Grandmother] would not lie to me,
although I should not repeat what she had just said.
(Yu, 2005, p. 77)
Following the death of Chairman Mao, and witness to the grief and mass hysteria of a nation, Yu states:
But then I ran out of reasons to cry again,
while some others were still crying.
I started to worry,
wondering if they had deeper feelings
for Chairman Mao than I did.
(Yu, 2005, p 105)
The simple text and child’s perspective makes this difficult topic accessible. Little Green is suitable for guided reading and whole class read alouds; teacher support would be required to clarify some of the ideas and events in the text.
Note, this is a ‘heavy’ book, the bleakness of life under Chairman Mao is clearly portrayed; and there are parallels to Nazi Germany and other totalitarian regimes. Teachers should assess their class for readiness, and ensure that personal connections students may have are respected.
Little Green may NOT be suitable for some students depending on their family histories; some of these poems can be triggering for students who have experienced similar trauma. However, in terms of creating empathy and awareness in Junior learners and honouring diverse voices in the classroom, this is a book to share.
An alternate memoir about surviving difficult circumstances is Elly: My true story of the Holocaust by Elly Berkovits Gross (2007), published by Scholastic. Although text is very readable and accessible for Junior students, the stark details of life as a Jew under Nazi rule, and the horrors of Auschwitz are made very clear. Again, caution in using in the classroom, and truly knowing one’s students is required.
For educators, themes include EMPATHY, PERSEVERANCE, TAKING PERSPECTIVES, TRUTH, INTEGRITY, BUILDING AWARENESS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES
For children, the importance of 'telling one's own story' in various ways cannot be emphasized enough; I wish I would have seen this book as a middle grade student.
Chun (meaning Little Green)’s father was sent to the countryside for re-education, and she and her brother lived with her mother, a school teacher. Her mother belonged to the group of professionals targeted by Mao’s regime, and she publicly disparaged by local villagers.
The social and political ramifications of the revolution were far-reaching, families were destroyed and neighbours turned against each other. School children were indoctrinated in Mao’s regime through the Little Red Book. (See the poem entitled “Political Classes for an Eight-Year-Old” where Chun memorizes Mao’s political teaching, but as she says, “I had no idea what this meant.” (Yu, 2005, p 64) Key to sharing Little Green in the classroom is the discussion of political ideology, and how people come to believe and act on it, and the importance of integrity.
The issues of truth, and justice are complicated, and under the guise of Mao’s efforts for mass re-education, deliberately obscured:
From the stories told in school,
I couldn’t picture a good rich person.
It would’ve been called
feudalistic backward thinking in school.
But I knew Nainai [Grandmother] would not lie to me,
although I should not repeat what she had just said.
(Yu, 2005, p. 77)
Following the death of Chairman Mao, and witness to the grief and mass hysteria of a nation, Yu states:
But then I ran out of reasons to cry again,
while some others were still crying.
I started to worry,
wondering if they had deeper feelings
for Chairman Mao than I did.
(Yu, 2005, p 105)
The simple text and child’s perspective makes this difficult topic accessible. Little Green is suitable for guided reading and whole class read alouds; teacher support would be required to clarify some of the ideas and events in the text.
Note, this is a ‘heavy’ book, the bleakness of life under Chairman Mao is clearly portrayed; and there are parallels to Nazi Germany and other totalitarian regimes. Teachers should assess their class for readiness, and ensure that personal connections students may have are respected.
Little Green may NOT be suitable for some students depending on their family histories; some of these poems can be triggering for students who have experienced similar trauma. However, in terms of creating empathy and awareness in Junior learners and honouring diverse voices in the classroom, this is a book to share.
An alternate memoir about surviving difficult circumstances is Elly: My true story of the Holocaust by Elly Berkovits Gross (2007), published by Scholastic. Although text is very readable and accessible for Junior students, the stark details of life as a Jew under Nazi rule, and the horrors of Auschwitz are made very clear. Again, caution in using in the classroom, and truly knowing one’s students is required.
For educators, themes include EMPATHY, PERSEVERANCE, TAKING PERSPECTIVES, TRUTH, INTEGRITY, BUILDING AWARENESS OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES
For children, the importance of 'telling one's own story' in various ways cannot be emphasized enough; I wish I would have seen this book as a middle grade student.
October 17, 2020
This book explores the Ten Years of Calamity in China. The revolution is a fascinating moment in history that isn't as prevalent as others. I enjoyed getting to explore an authentic narrative about this time period. The poems were interesting, but at times, because Chun Yu kept to get limited experience as a child, I felt like we only get half the story. That's the point though, isn't it? It's only with education and reflection that we can understand our histories.
December 2, 2017
The strongest poems in this memoir capture the stubborn grasp of personality and beauty Chun Yi’s family had during a time when even valuing education could be seen as a betrayal of country. The reading level is 10 and up, but the account of a historical decade through the lens of one family could appeal to readers of all ages.
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April 13, 2015Little Green Mia Langford
I am writting an book report for the book Little Green. This book is written by Chun Yu, Chun Yu went by the name Little Green when she was little. Chun Yu has also co-written a book called Veteran of War and Veteran of Peace. And she is writing a sequel to Little Green it is an historical graphic novel. This book is purely non-fiction,the sub-genre of this book is auto biography. This book is humorous but it makes you realise that the world is harsh. Little Green was the narrator of this book the whole story the book was in first point of view. Making the book in first person made me feel more empathic for Little Green.
Little Green was born in a small village, meanwhile outside there were red guards roaming the streets. When little Green was barely able to walk her father was sent away to be reeducated. Littler green didnt know what to think so she went along with what everybody else believes.This is a great book about the chinese revolution.
“Great Book”-Nel
This story takes place in China. The setting switches around in around when the book is half done. For part of the story its in the countryside and for the other part of the story it placed in the city. The village seems quiet, and peaceful. The city seems like opposite of the village it’s chaotic and not ideal. This story takes place in 1966 and it goes to 1976. The setting changers the story a lot because this book would not have been in this perspective or even had been made because if it wasn't in China then she wouldn't have written this book. The main character is LittleGreen she is the daughter of mama and baba, she is a sister to sansan and gege. Tai Tai is the great grandmother, Taiye is her great grandfather. Taitai and taiye had two children Yeye( grandfather) and nainai(grandmother).Yeye got married to Waipio and Nainai got married to Waigong. Yeye and Waipio had a child which was little greens mother . Nainai and Waigong gave birth to her father and her seven other aunts and uncles. Mama and Baba have Little green, gege, and San san.
Little green seems loyal, creative, and curious. Gege seems loud, caring and conspicuous. Little greens mother seems like a person who stands up for what they believe in type of person. Nainai on her mothers side seems like an abishuis person with goals set. Chairman Mao seems like an powerful person. Who affects many people. i think what makes Little green different is that she stands out and I think she had a different perspective than most people do of what was going on in her life right then. I think what makes Gege special is that he stands up and stands up for his siblings. Little greens mother is the leader of the pack for many people not just for her family I think thats what makes her special. I think Nainai is like a sore thumb she stands out but in a courageous way. What makes Chairman Mao special is that he can change peoples life in any way shape or form it could be good or bad. the protagonist is little green Nainai, and mama. Mama and Nainai help support Little green with love and power to think whatever her opinion is. The antagonist in this story is Chairman Mao because he affected Little greene's life in so many negative ways. The supporting characters are mama and Nainai they help Little Green have a happy life even though its tough they still love her.
The story starts with her narrating where she is and how old she is. Some relationships that start are with her are with her father, mom, grandmother, and brother.Some problems that are solved are that she gets to go to the school that her mom works at.Her parents have another child. Little green starts interacting with her grandmother. When Little green is forced to act like a soldier,so she could be prepared is a war occurs. That is one of the more exciting parts. My favorite part is when chairman mao dies. Everybody comes running into the streets and starts crying for joy or sadness. One day little greens father comes back from being reeducated and little green starts having a real family. Then they go on a boat to the city so she can see her other grandparents and to live there.Littler green isn't quite used to it but shes ok.The story turns out she goes back to the village( ithink) and little green has grown a lot.
She has learned to be more empathic and to stand up for what she belives in. Some of the lessons that littler green and her family learned that life doesn't always go your way but you can always make the best of it. an example is when she goes to the city and she doesn't like it but she makes the best of it. What i liked about the book is that she didn't add any fiction it was purely her perspective. The [passage i liked the best was when Sansan and little green found silk scarf and the broken bracelet and jade. I liked this part because it seemed like such a sweet bonding moment. I think the most compelling literary element is the plot because its so interesting. How a child though of this. I would recommend this for 5th graders and up because i think it would be more meaningful to that grade.
The End
May 11, 2017
While Chun Yu's account of her childhood in China during a dark time in her country was interesting, I read the print version and had to suffer through the smallest font available. I'm sure if there's a digital version, it would read much faster since the reader can adjust the font size.
January 14, 2021
It was on my bookshelf for almost 4 years, I finally took the time to read it and it's such a beautifully written story. A different writing style since it's more of a poetry book, but it makes the stories more vulnerable and interesting.
February 1, 2022
Beautifully written. I thought this would be good for my 6th graders, but I found it a little challenging. Only dedicated readers would make it through. Perfect for adults to get a simple insight into the changes that happened in China.
May 27, 2022
I like that this book is written in verse — so much symbolism, visualization and characterization happened in these pages. If I recommend this to students, I definitely think we would need to research background knowledge to understand the perspective of the author. Very beautifully written!
June 8, 2025
From the mouth of babes
This poetic simple telling of life as the child of intellectual parents living through the cultural revolution rings true. China has been through so much. May its people earn a peaceful life of sufficiency.
This poetic simple telling of life as the child of intellectual parents living through the cultural revolution rings true. China has been through so much. May its people earn a peaceful life of sufficiency.
October 24, 2017
Not my favorite. There were parts that were interesting but much of it dragged and was very choppy.
March 10, 2019
This little book describes some difficult years through the eyes of a child. It is well written and an interesting story.
September 5, 2019
Memoir is in poetry - kind of hard to understand sometimes, but interesting
August 22, 2021
Lyrical prose
November 29, 2025
Great first hand account of the Chinese cultural revolution!
November 6, 2017
This book was a perfect balance between informational and a moving story. It tells of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, in the form of an autobiography, by a young girl. I really recommend this book to those who enjoy informational books as well as those who prefer a storyline. It is not well known, but it is very moving and sweet. I loved this book and hope that you consider reading it.
May 19, 2022
So interesting….
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April 15, 2015Little green was written by Chun Yu.
When she was small they called her little green. Chun wrote this book
Because She Wanted you to see that the world is not always a happy place
that sometimes there's dark times. Chun narrated this book, Chun Yu was born in china
She left china when she graduated Beijing University. And moved to America Little green was the first book she wrote she won lots of rewards in America. Now she works in Biotech and medical industries. She lives around the San francisco bay area. The genre was non-fiction and the sub-genre was auto biography.
Little green grew up in a small village near the east sea of china.
when the Chinese revolution began her father was taken away for labor
Red guards were everywhere! doing harsh things like making teachers beat themselves up.
this book really explains how the Chinese revolution was really like.
settings
This book took place in china in a small city and the country side off the east sea of china.
there was not much places they went because of the revolution that was going on.
china had lots of revolutions. This revolution last to (1966-1976 The country side seemed more
peaceful and beautiful And the city is kinda the opposite Like for example the city was more violent
and noisy. most of the books setting was the city. and country side was like a not to big but not to small
part of the story.
Characters
(Little green) creative,curious, shy,kind,
(Gege) seems like a person who cares a lot
(Mama) She is a strong person she's bold and is not scared to defend whats right.
(Nainai) is kinda like mama she is responsible and knows whats right
other characters but didn't come out a lot
: Baba,Yeye,Taitai, Taiye , Mao
Summary
Little green was born in a small city near the east sea. When she was really little before she can even walk
her dad was taken for labor. Red guards were very harsh they made teachers beat themselves up in front of stage for entertainment. Little green and her mom and brother moved to the country side were her mom teaches in a small little school it was very peaceful there not a lot of noise. Little green hangs out with her grandmother a lot. Little green was forced to be a soldier as a war was about come.chairman mao (the leader) dies and Everybody was happy some ran into the streets with tears of joy. I would say the protagonist is little green and the antagonist is the revolution.
Theme
Sometimes life can be Challenging but you got to tuff in it out. Like for example when little green was forced to be a soldier she was scared but she tuff it out. Or like have hope or at least a little in you. like for example little green made it past the revolution and she got to see her dad again so now she has a complete family.
personal
respond
What i liked about this book is that Chun Yu wrote everything that she remembers so non of it is fiction.
My favorite part of the book is when she got to see her dad again i thought of that as a happy moment
because she can wake up in the morning knowing her dad is with her. I would recommend this for 5th or maybe 6th and up because some words are hard to read. I think this was a great book that shows how the chinese revolution was like. So if you want to know more about the book you should read it.
END
When she was small they called her little green. Chun wrote this book
Because She Wanted you to see that the world is not always a happy place
that sometimes there's dark times. Chun narrated this book, Chun Yu was born in china
She left china when she graduated Beijing University. And moved to America Little green was the first book she wrote she won lots of rewards in America. Now she works in Biotech and medical industries. She lives around the San francisco bay area. The genre was non-fiction and the sub-genre was auto biography.
Little green grew up in a small village near the east sea of china.
when the Chinese revolution began her father was taken away for labor
Red guards were everywhere! doing harsh things like making teachers beat themselves up.
this book really explains how the Chinese revolution was really like.
settings
This book took place in china in a small city and the country side off the east sea of china.
there was not much places they went because of the revolution that was going on.
china had lots of revolutions. This revolution last to (1966-1976 The country side seemed more
peaceful and beautiful And the city is kinda the opposite Like for example the city was more violent
and noisy. most of the books setting was the city. and country side was like a not to big but not to small
part of the story.
Characters
(Little green) creative,curious, shy,kind,
(Gege) seems like a person who cares a lot
(Mama) She is a strong person she's bold and is not scared to defend whats right.
(Nainai) is kinda like mama she is responsible and knows whats right
other characters but didn't come out a lot
: Baba,Yeye,Taitai, Taiye , Mao
Summary
Little green was born in a small city near the east sea. When she was really little before she can even walk
her dad was taken for labor. Red guards were very harsh they made teachers beat themselves up in front of stage for entertainment. Little green and her mom and brother moved to the country side were her mom teaches in a small little school it was very peaceful there not a lot of noise. Little green hangs out with her grandmother a lot. Little green was forced to be a soldier as a war was about come.chairman mao (the leader) dies and Everybody was happy some ran into the streets with tears of joy. I would say the protagonist is little green and the antagonist is the revolution.
Theme
Sometimes life can be Challenging but you got to tuff in it out. Like for example when little green was forced to be a soldier she was scared but she tuff it out. Or like have hope or at least a little in you. like for example little green made it past the revolution and she got to see her dad again so now she has a complete family.
personal
respond
What i liked about this book is that Chun Yu wrote everything that she remembers so non of it is fiction.
My favorite part of the book is when she got to see her dad again i thought of that as a happy moment
because she can wake up in the morning knowing her dad is with her. I would recommend this for 5th or maybe 6th and up because some words are hard to read. I think this was a great book that shows how the chinese revolution was like. So if you want to know more about the book you should read it.
END
April 14, 2015
Little green
Book Report
By Jaylen
Beware spoilers!
For my lit circles (a group were we meet together to read a same book) we read a book called Little Green, which is about the author (Chun Yu) who grew up during a time of revolution in China. Chun Yu, moved to America after graduating Peking university. She moved to pursue her PhD and career in science, she now works as a principal scientist in a medical company. She lives in San Rafael, California. If I were to put this book into a genre my opinions and proof based on what the book is about I would say it's and autobiography, a sub genre would either be historical or adventurous if you asked me. It's in a nice first person view, and has many Chinese culture.
Setting
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This book takes place in China, in a small country and a small city. This book went through several years. (1966-1976) and everything was pretty much chaos because of the revolution that was becoming.
Characters
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There are several characters in the book, for a whole family tree.
Xiao Qing (Little Green) Main character, shy,kind, young, cheerful.
Mama - Main character, bold, daring, protective, loving
Nainai - Main character, wise, hard worker, nice
Gege and Meimei (Sansan) - main characters, siblings.
And other family members such as Yeye, Taiye, Taitai, and Baba.
Summary
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Protagonist - Little green and her family
Antagonist - Revolution
Little green was born during the Chinese revolution, revolutionaries sand anti-revolutionaries filled the streets of chaos. And the leader Chairman Mao, gets votes by many who chant "Ten thousand years of chairman Mao!" Little green experiences going through revolution through a young age, her family does the best to support her and her siblings. But many things happen due to the chaos, will ten thousand years of chairman Mao rise or fall?
Story Mountain
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Start - Little green was born
Rising Acrion - Little green moves in with her Nainai, revolution becoming bigger.
Climax - Little green reunited with family and moves to city.
Falling action - Little green give speech to many people at mass meeting.
Resolution- Chairman Mao dies.
Theme
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Life is not wasted- Epilouge
Don't cry for the lost, smile for the living. (Little green stopped sobbing for chairman Mao)
Hard times don't last - (Little green survived revolution)
The will to live is key (little green fills everyone with her cheerful mood)
My personal response at this book was it was amazing how Little green dealt with the hardship of a revolution at a young age. This book wasn't very hard to read but I did have troubles with some words. (Forgot what denounce meant for a while.) I would say to recommend for 5th grade and up, not for anything bad just would probably be hard to read in fourth grade. Some violence but barely...
I would recommend if you liked this book and its chaos and revolution is some more history books, either if it's fiction or not. Like slavery or the French Revolution.
This concludes my book report, have a good.... Year?
April 15, 2015
Book Report by Ren Yu Rita
Little Green: Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution was written by Chun Yu. It is a nonfiction memoir. She writes about her first 10 years of life as a child in China during the 1960s and 1970s when Chairman Mao was alive. Chun Yu/Little Green is the narrator. Everything is through her perspective plus the things her grandmother and mother and other family members told her.
The story was about a girl who survived the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The Revolution was that people who were educated like teachers were sent to the countryside to be re-educated. Chairman Mao started it because he thought life would be more fair. But that didn’t happen. It was bad for children because they were separated from their parents. It was bad for food because Chairman Mao said kill all the birds so they don’t eat the rice. The bad thing was after the birds were gone, there was nothing to eat the bugs that ate the rice. So no rice and people got very hungry and angry that there was no food.
Little Green was born in a small city near the East Sea of China. Her dad was sent to work in the countryside. Her family lost their city home, and she, her mom, and big brother stayed by the country school. The family tried to help each other. Grandma helped take care of the kids. They only got to see their dad twice a year. The kids were supposed to learn from the farmers, but they confused the good cotton seedlings with weeds and pulled them out. Oops!
A lesson is to not believe everything is ok just because someone says so. It is good to think for yourself. Another lesson was about family, you can love them even though they are far away. Also don’t trade shoes for candy, your mom will get mad.
Personally, it was interesting to learn about Chairman Mao. I saw statues of him in Guiyang. I really didn’t know who he was at first. He is on the Chinese money too. I guess I like hearing about people’s personal life and history. I wondered what happened after the story ended. One of the things I didn’t like about it is that it was real and stressful and I wished it wasn’t real. Is that confusing?
Little Green: Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution was written by Chun Yu. It is a nonfiction memoir. She writes about her first 10 years of life as a child in China during the 1960s and 1970s when Chairman Mao was alive. Chun Yu/Little Green is the narrator. Everything is through her perspective plus the things her grandmother and mother and other family members told her.
The story was about a girl who survived the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The Revolution was that people who were educated like teachers were sent to the countryside to be re-educated. Chairman Mao started it because he thought life would be more fair. But that didn’t happen. It was bad for children because they were separated from their parents. It was bad for food because Chairman Mao said kill all the birds so they don’t eat the rice. The bad thing was after the birds were gone, there was nothing to eat the bugs that ate the rice. So no rice and people got very hungry and angry that there was no food.
Little Green was born in a small city near the East Sea of China. Her dad was sent to work in the countryside. Her family lost their city home, and she, her mom, and big brother stayed by the country school. The family tried to help each other. Grandma helped take care of the kids. They only got to see their dad twice a year. The kids were supposed to learn from the farmers, but they confused the good cotton seedlings with weeds and pulled them out. Oops!
A lesson is to not believe everything is ok just because someone says so. It is good to think for yourself. Another lesson was about family, you can love them even though they are far away. Also don’t trade shoes for candy, your mom will get mad.
Personally, it was interesting to learn about Chairman Mao. I saw statues of him in Guiyang. I really didn’t know who he was at first. He is on the Chinese money too. I guess I like hearing about people’s personal life and history. I wondered what happened after the story ended. One of the things I didn’t like about it is that it was real and stressful and I wished it wasn’t real. Is that confusing?
June 21, 2015
Little Green
By Chun Yu (formerly Xiao Qing)
Little Green is “A Memoir of Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution” by Chun Yu. The girl Xiao Qing, in English “Little Green” was born in 1966 when the Cultural Revolution started. She talks about the tragic events happening in those years until Mao’s death 1976.
Chun Yu has chosen poetry as her genre. The book is divided into six parts. Every part corresponds to a different period in her life: her background, the country side, countryside tradition, stories, city life and differences between the countryside and city life. These parts consist of several poems. She has a lot of imagery in her poems and they are story like.
“Her face had a smooth oval shape. Her short black hair glowed under the sun. Her skin had a light olive color.” (p.12) It gives me a very clear picture.
She gives no judgment and does not share her perspective/feelings. “When night fell, all of the children were locked up at home. To save energy, no lights were left on for any of us.” (p.13) Chun Yu explains what she saw but does not say what she thought or felt about it. I like this writing style because it makes me think of it in my way.
I recommend this book because it makes you really picture its content in your mind. It helps you understand the Chinese Cultural Revolution. You feel like you are in that situation at that moment. Chun Yu describes the events during the Chinese Cultural Revolution very detailed and dramatic. For this reason the content of the book is not appropriate for little children.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution is a major part of the Chinese history and this book is the way to understand this event.
By Chun Yu (formerly Xiao Qing)
Little Green is “A Memoir of Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution” by Chun Yu. The girl Xiao Qing, in English “Little Green” was born in 1966 when the Cultural Revolution started. She talks about the tragic events happening in those years until Mao’s death 1976.
Chun Yu has chosen poetry as her genre. The book is divided into six parts. Every part corresponds to a different period in her life: her background, the country side, countryside tradition, stories, city life and differences between the countryside and city life. These parts consist of several poems. She has a lot of imagery in her poems and they are story like.
“Her face had a smooth oval shape. Her short black hair glowed under the sun. Her skin had a light olive color.” (p.12) It gives me a very clear picture.
She gives no judgment and does not share her perspective/feelings. “When night fell, all of the children were locked up at home. To save energy, no lights were left on for any of us.” (p.13) Chun Yu explains what she saw but does not say what she thought or felt about it. I like this writing style because it makes me think of it in my way.
I recommend this book because it makes you really picture its content in your mind. It helps you understand the Chinese Cultural Revolution. You feel like you are in that situation at that moment. Chun Yu describes the events during the Chinese Cultural Revolution very detailed and dramatic. For this reason the content of the book is not appropriate for little children.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution is a major part of the Chinese history and this book is the way to understand this event.
February 5, 2013
a. Historical Fiction
b. 107 pgs
c. Little Green is about a girl born at the start of the Cultural Revolution. She grew up being taught that rich landowners were bad and that socialism was good because everyone got their equal share. Her father was sent to be reeducated when she was young and she lived with her mother's family for the beginning of her life. Her mother was a teacher and taught at a country school. In school she learned that Chairman Mao was great because he had defeated the Capitalist regime. When her father was allowed to come back to the city, Little Green and her family moved to the city to be close to her father, who was almost a stranger by that time. She and her brother went to school and over the summer she visited her grandmother and little sister. The rest of the book is about her life during the Cultural Revolution and when it ended.
d.I liked this book because it gave a portrayal about the author's childhood during the Cultural Revolution. The story is told in poetry which makes it more interesting. The poetry adds another element to the story. The difference between living in the country and living in the city was described well. In the country there was more food and freedom, in the city there was less food and less freedom. You had to watch what you said in front of people so you wouldn't be mistaken for a counterrevolutionary. Overall it was a pretty good book.
b. 107 pgs
c. Little Green is about a girl born at the start of the Cultural Revolution. She grew up being taught that rich landowners were bad and that socialism was good because everyone got their equal share. Her father was sent to be reeducated when she was young and she lived with her mother's family for the beginning of her life. Her mother was a teacher and taught at a country school. In school she learned that Chairman Mao was great because he had defeated the Capitalist regime. When her father was allowed to come back to the city, Little Green and her family moved to the city to be close to her father, who was almost a stranger by that time. She and her brother went to school and over the summer she visited her grandmother and little sister. The rest of the book is about her life during the Cultural Revolution and when it ended.
d.I liked this book because it gave a portrayal about the author's childhood during the Cultural Revolution. The story is told in poetry which makes it more interesting. The poetry adds another element to the story. The difference between living in the country and living in the city was described well. In the country there was more food and freedom, in the city there was less food and less freedom. You had to watch what you said in front of people so you wouldn't be mistaken for a counterrevolutionary. Overall it was a pretty good book.
September 7, 2009
I've had this book for a long time but never botehr to read it. Maybe it was a good choice, maybe it wasn't. Either way, i thought this book was really touching. Little Green is memoir about a child's (Chun Yu) view of the Cultural Revolution. When her father was sent to a peasent village, Chun Yu and her brother are left to take care of mother during the time of when china was struggling,in turmoil and uner revolution. The book is written sort of like a poem? it has verses and titles to each writing which recalls a specific memory. Although some "verses" are short,like a poem, it still is realy powerful.
I found this book to be really sad. Maybe it was because it's under the lens of a child. There are some parts that made me glad for Chun Yu, but there were a lot of parts that made me say "dear god" I actually didn't know what the Cultural Revolution was (or at least I forgot). So i had to research it, yet i felt that i learned more about the cultural revolution from the book, than from Wikipedia. The book shows a part of history that even Wikipedia doesnt describe. I reconmend this book for anyone
I found this book to be really sad. Maybe it was because it's under the lens of a child. There are some parts that made me glad for Chun Yu, but there were a lot of parts that made me say "dear god" I actually didn't know what the Cultural Revolution was (or at least I forgot). So i had to research it, yet i felt that i learned more about the cultural revolution from the book, than from Wikipedia. The book shows a part of history that even Wikipedia doesnt describe. I reconmend this book for anyone
March 27, 2016
What: Chun Yu writes a brief memoir of her childhood growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
So?: I'm sorry, I really didn't like this book. I started it with high hopes, but I couldn't get into it. It is written almost like an epic poem of sorts and is very short (thankfully) but still the sections drag on. I think I may have liked it better if it had just been written in standard paragraph form. The story itself, while it has potential, falls flat for me. She tells lovely anecdotes about how it affected her childhood, but they bored me terribly. This book seems to have been written for younger children, and indeed, I believe it would be a nice book for elementary age children for a lesson supplement or something. That's about it, though. However, since it is so short, one can quickly get through it to get a loose feel for how life was during the Cultural Revolution, but I would recommend reading something else for a fuller view.
So?: I'm sorry, I really didn't like this book. I started it with high hopes, but I couldn't get into it. It is written almost like an epic poem of sorts and is very short (thankfully) but still the sections drag on. I think I may have liked it better if it had just been written in standard paragraph form. The story itself, while it has potential, falls flat for me. She tells lovely anecdotes about how it affected her childhood, but they bored me terribly. This book seems to have been written for younger children, and indeed, I believe it would be a nice book for elementary age children for a lesson supplement or something. That's about it, though. However, since it is so short, one can quickly get through it to get a loose feel for how life was during the Cultural Revolution, but I would recommend reading something else for a fuller view.
October 15, 2013
Written in poetic form, this is the true story of the author's childhood in China, specifically Mao Tse Tung's China at the time of the Cultural Revolution.
Seen through a child's eyes, Chairman Mao's outlandish, repressive, iron-fisted policies came to life for me. I found myself rooting for Little Green's (slightly) independent-spirited mother and grieving for her father who understandably suffered bouts of depression. I also came to see how, being raised in this political atmosphere, Little Green and her schoolmates could embrace the highly propagandized activities at school. Thankfully, Little Green occasionally caught glimpses of a freer way of thinking from her grandmother and mother.
A wonderful way to gain insight into this period of China's recent history. Recommended!
Seen through a child's eyes, Chairman Mao's outlandish, repressive, iron-fisted policies came to life for me. I found myself rooting for Little Green's (slightly) independent-spirited mother and grieving for her father who understandably suffered bouts of depression. I also came to see how, being raised in this political atmosphere, Little Green and her schoolmates could embrace the highly propagandized activities at school. Thankfully, Little Green occasionally caught glimpses of a freer way of thinking from her grandmother and mother.
A wonderful way to gain insight into this period of China's recent history. Recommended!
July 5, 2016
Little Green was born as the Cultural Revolution began. With the innocence of childhood, she tells the story of this precarious time in China's history. We see the incomprehensible effects of the regime's decisions through the odd changes that take place in her life. Some don't have much effect on their life, but others do. It's hard to not get mad at the senseless actions of the government, like ripping out the gardens of people who are trying not to starve. This whole story makes me wonder how I would actually react in the face of such events? There is a righteous anger as I read, but it is easy to feel this way when I am so far away from the events, both in time and geography.
August 3, 2016
A simple book that is a fairly quick read, this book contains memories and stories from a girl growing up during the Great Cultural Revolution in China.
This is a good book for young readers, because it simplifies a serious subject in a way that is easy to understand. I liked the narration style, because it is very straight forward, which I think it beneficial for a young audience.
At times the narration itself is a little confusing, especially when Little Green herself isn't sure what's going on, but it paints a great picture of what it was like growing up in such a time. It is interesting to see the Cultural Revolution from a child's point of view.
This is a good book for young readers, because it simplifies a serious subject in a way that is easy to understand. I liked the narration style, because it is very straight forward, which I think it beneficial for a young audience.
At times the narration itself is a little confusing, especially when Little Green herself isn't sure what's going on, but it paints a great picture of what it was like growing up in such a time. It is interesting to see the Cultural Revolution from a child's point of view.
February 23, 2008
This book is non-0fiction book that tells Mrs.yu's experiences in the Culture revolution. This book is the first of three books. Manny adults now that grew up during the Culture Revolution can relate to her story. Chun also meantions how her father had to be reeducated by Chairman Mao's methods. She also remembers people getting nervous because some people might be convicted of counterrevolutionary.
November 3, 2009
I would recommend this to 8th and up. Chun Yu was born right as Mao was starting the lead China. The book starts at her birth and ends at his death. We read her confusion about what is going on in the society around her, her times at school, her survival stories, secret conversations of her parents. THis book is broken up into little shorts stories of her life. Little vignettes, that when put together, tell her story. There is an epilogue that explains about about the revolution.
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