Colors of the Mountain: A Memoir

by Da Chen

Colors of the Mountain is a classic story of triumph over adversity, a memoir of a boyhood full of spunk, mischief, and love, and a welcome introduction to an amazing young writer.

Da Chen was born in 1962, in the Year of Great Starvation. Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution engulfed millions of Chinese citizens, and the Red Guard enforced Mao's brutal communist regime. Chen’s family belonged to the despised landlord class, and his father and grandfather were routinely beaten and sent to labor camps, the family of eight left without a breadwinner. Despite this background of poverty and danger, and Da Chen grows up to be resilient, tough, and funny, learning how to defend himself and how to work toward his future. By the final pages, when his says his last goodbyes to his father and boards the bus to Beijing to attend college, Da Chen has become a hopeful man astonishing in his resilience and cheerful strength.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Asia, History, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Da Chen (born in 1962 in Fujian, China) was a Chinese author whose works include Brothers, China's Son, Sounds of the River, Sword, and Colors of the Mountain. A graduate of Beijing Language and Culture University and Columbia Law School, Da Chen lived in the Hudson Valley in New York but then moved to Torrance, California with his wife, the paranormal romance author Sunni, and two children. Brothers has been awarded best book of 2006 by The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Miami Herald and Publishers Weekly.

Chen passed away on December 17, 2019 at his home in Temecula, California from lung cancer.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Ms Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author, Da Chen while waiting on a flight in LAX. He was seated next to me in the gate house for Delta Air Lines, heading out to Atlanta, Ga.

He was extraordinarily polite as he took the seat next to me and I was impressed. He got up and returned once and again was very polite. Being southern 'old school' I took pleasure in his gentlemanly behavior. We then became occupied quietly,involved in our own reading.

I observed him editing a large amount of printed word, and after a while feeling bold, as he had been so polite, I began a conversation with him. Asking if he were an author, he replied yes, with a ready smile. We introduced ourselves and had a lovely conversation about his destination, Atlanta and Georgia State University, where he was to speak. I asked him a little about himself and his family. We talked about Atlanta and he directed the conversation toward me. I enjoyed relating that my daughter worked at GA State in a research department and we chatted about that and he seemed genuinely interested in me. I never had time to turn the conversation back to him and learn about his writing. The flight was called for boarding far too soon. Da Chen was utterly charming and I was sorry to end our chat.

As he left I was delighted that he handed me his card. Instantly I found his book on Amazon, was surprised he had 3 books. I was reading Colors on the Mountain on Kindle before his flight took off!

I highly recommend his wonderful, poetic story of courage in what was one of the most terrifically challenging times in all of the modern history of China.

[Gloria Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colors of the Mountain is a satisfying read. Though I probably never would have read it had it not been for my Nonwestern Literature class, I am glad I did, and found it pretty relatable. It’s a good read, easy to get into and makes you want to finish.

Da Chen’s memoir tells his story of growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution. We learn in history class about how Mao Zedong ran the country into the ground with Communism, and how Communism is evil as we know from the Cold War. But most of us don’t learn about way day to day reality was from people living in China, and that even under hardship there is still goodness, and there are still success stories.

Da’s family was in the landlord class, and they were heavily abused. My own parents grew up in China during the same time, and I’ve heard about how different things were for them at the time, but I had no grasp of the kind of injustice Da’s family went through. The book opens with Da’s early years, and like Da as a young child, we slowly learn of the abuse that he and his family must bear. His grandfather is publicly beaten, his father is sent to labor camps, and he and his siblings are often pelted with fruits, vegetable and rocks by their neighbors. Everything about social standing, the law and schooling is slated against them, merely for coming from a landed ancestry. Da’s siblings are banned from school and forced to work as farmers, given the toughest jobs, where they have no hope for a different future.

Allowed to stay in school, Da is “lucky.” Living in the countryside, the only occupation for most is farming. Mao promised a great future build on agricultural productivity and modernization. Instead, they farmed the same way, only, as Da’s dad says, they got paid less. (My history teacher told a story about some Communist village where hardly any farms were productive. Mao himself was coming to tour the area, and in a panic, they salvaged the few healthy plants from each plot and replanted them together in one field. Mao, seeing this single beautiful plot, believed that his Communist model was perfection, and ordered that all farms be operated the same way.) So Da’s only hope for a future is to leave Yellow Stone.

Da is a stellar student, but he is bullied by classmates, teachers and the school board for being from a Black family. School is torture for him, and he finds his own way out. He makes friends with a formidable gang, and he enjoys life. He’s humorous, and his memoir is fun to read, despite his difficult circumstances. The book description calls him a Holden Caulfield, and indeed he is a rebel. He’s just cool, with his hoodlum friends and one-upping all his mean classmates.

But Da’s life isn’t really about having fun, and in the end he still needs a way to reach his dreams of escaping the dregs of adversity. He has a ridiculous work ethic, and reading the book, I so badly wished him success. It’s not hard to predict the ending, as he is retrospectively writing the memoir, but there is more than just success to his story. He is supported by his friends and family, and his success means as much to them as it does to him. Dia, his chain-smoking and half-insane friend says to him “You gotta make me proud... You could do it man, and you gotta do it for me and f-ing school. Then when you pack up and take the fabulous Fujian-Beijing train, I’ll load a shotgun and shoot the f-ing Head right on his shining skull, that son of a whore”. Da’s success is for himself, his family, and everyone who drew the short end of the stick. It’s a dream come true.

[Alexander Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having some time to ruminate, I'm changing my review from 3 stars to 5 stars.

This was one of the few books that survived the "Great Book Purge" of my childhood library when I went away to college. I'm not sure why this book was spared; my mother didn't seem to have a system, arbitrarily leaving books behind while the rest were donated. (or so she tells me.)

I actually didn't buy this book. I stole it from my older sister's room when I was in the 5th grade; I presume she was reading it for class. This was my shocking intro to the Cultural Revolution, which left an indelible impression on my young Chinese self. This was also one of the first books I can remember that spoke of the Chinese experience, awakening a keen yearning for understanding my identity - most of my reading at that time consisted of White authors.

This isn't the greatest book, but it's stirring in its own right. The struggles - to put it very lightly - that Da Chen and his family faced aren't unique; the contemporary Chinese story from so many is rooted in trauma. But his triumph - and by proxy, his family's triumph - is truly courageous and heartwarming. I returned to his book again and again throughout my childhood. It's familiar and warming, like comfort food.

When I last visited my parent's house, I rescued this book from the dusty shelf. Rereading it as an adult gave me a new perspective on the book and Chen's experience. I can't wait to share it with someone else.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that takes place in the Cultural Revolution. Josie gave this one to me years ago, and it had a great impact on the way I saw Chinese culture. What I liked was the way it didn't explain the political situation in didactic ways, but let it unravel in its complexity through the scenes of the story. The one where the children are not going to school (since all the teachers have been sent for re-education) and gambling over Chinese New Year is particularly memorable. A great story which shows the humor and hope along with the insane brutality of a dark time in history.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing memoir. As with most memoirs, it's very hard to know the degree to which the author is a reliable narrator; aspects of this recounted life feel almost too well plotted to be real. But I have no reason to disbelieve them and the book is a real pleasure to read: local boy meets all kinds of people and ultimately makes good, through the kindness and confidence of key mentors, the sacrifice of his parents, and his own incredibly hard work. And he (and his family) do it while enduring and then fighting back from brutal mistreatment during the Cultural Revolution, as his family had been local landowners before the Communists took over. While personal drive and family sacrifice take over as the key forces in the last third of the book, a lasting lesson throughout is the great impact an act of generosity can have at the right time - that happens again and again when young Da Chen is up against a wall with no way forward, and suddenly a well-intentioned adult sees potential in him and unexpectedly opens a door.

It's clear from the story that Da Chen is exceedingly gifted with language, but if that were in any doubt, his command of structure and plotting for an English-reading audience confirms it. Da Chen's memories of his childhood read like one of Dicken's more famous works, crossed with tropes from Tom Sawyer. They also have firm roots in Chinese tradition; there's a section in the second quarter of the book where he makes friends with a set of (more or less) delinquents. It reads like a sketch from Outlaws of the Marsh, and in fact, towards the end of that section, Chen makes an oblique comparison of his gang of friends to the heros of that work. But it's a reflection of Chen's craft that, although classical Chinese literature and culture echoes throughout the story, it doesn't reference those classics explicitly. The memoir is entirely accessible for an American who has never studied China or Chinese culture, and yet provides real insight into village culture, which - at least in Chen's family - appeared to retain a lot of traditional values, customs, and rituals, untouched by the Cultural Revolution.

Chen's memoirs were fairly recent history at the time they were published in 1999, so it is understandable that he did not include a 'where are they now' epilogue. Plus, some of the same figures may appear in the sequel, Sounds of the River. But, it could be really moving to learn how life has unfolded most recently for the young men who were Da Chen's friends and adversaries in the period covered by this book.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a testament to the power of family, love, honor, friendships, dreams, hope, human will, and education. When I read this book I found myself laughing aloud, and there were passages that forced tears of joy and compassion from my eyes. The imagery provided a sense of witness, and made you feel like a spectator cheering on the main character as he walked, ran, stumbled and got up. Colors of the Mountain is a beautifully written, thought provoking memoir depicting an inspiring story of courage and triumph over adversity.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the same text that was published under the title China's Son: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution. I really dislike it when publishers do that; you think you're getting a new book and you're getting the same one in different packaging. I'm just posting this here so others will know.

[Ann Lardas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book about how the grandson of a land owner, whose family and he were legally and with malice persecuted at home, at work, and at school, overcame this malice and, in the changed climate after the death of Mao, was able to overcome malice and neglect to outscore his peers and leave for Beijing (and later America!).
The book begins when Da's father is in prison and his grandfather is arrested, every year, to be paraded through the village and beaten. Every year. His older siblings are denied higher education and have to work on the village farm, where they are given the most demeaning and difficult tasks, often unnecessary, just for spite. He first does well in school and then encounters jealous and powerful enemies who go so far as to threaten him with arrest in fourth grade. He drops out and lies low for a while, then is forbidden higher education. His father finds a way to get him into middle school, to get him into high school, to have him learn English. He also makes friends in low places, finding camaraderie and help in a group of four friends on the skirts of society who smoke, gamble, and defend him.
You want to read this. First, it's a wonderful story. My Russian and Cuban friends will recognize the persecution and torments in big things and little that the family endured. Second, it's beautifully written, with language that transforms the ordinary village into a very special place in time. Thirdly, the stories of love and compassion, the many large and small acts of kindness which help the main character's family through so many obstacles will inform the heart and encourage virtue. There are tragic tales and funny stories and occasional tales of revenge. Some colleges are using this for their common read -- not a bad idea. I can see it being the focus of a book club, whether in cyber space or in real life.
The only way to overcome malice is through love, and this is, ultimately, a love story, about how a family is preserved and a town slowly transformed.

[Astrid Yrigollen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a lot of non fiction Communist area books . I actually had to check to see if this was fiction but it is a memoir.

The book comes off as a peaches & cream childhood where they have pigs, chickens & rice in the country side at a time according to history, there was mass starvation and canalbalism under Mao. Every other page featured people smoking, talking about smoking or handing out smokes. Either the author works for Philip Morris or is in love with cigarettes. Any hard labor done by his father or siblings seemed thrown in there and vague.
He constantly comes out on top , best student, ping pong camp for best player, highest scores in all the countryside etc etc . All while he is the son of a land owner ( which does not jive with everything else I have read about how harsh families of land owners were treated) The book had me interested until the middle and then it seemed like someone put on a rose colored pair of glasses & added dull conversations and situations as a filler. Shrug , of course who am I to say how he should remember his childhood , but when he thumbs his nose at the end of the book at " the spoiled city kids" I just rolled my eyes. The voice is too Americanized as he is writing as his "child self " he mentions things like M.I.T and other things a child in the country, in communist China , would not know about. His whole persona is written as an older and more sophisticated man, the man he might be now that he has grown older and has been educated in the U.S. When you step back, it's a okay, sometimes boring Cinderfella story for those of you that do not want any harsh realities.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd love to find more books like this, a simple story of one's childhood, and the stresses and struggles that affect it. This one just happens to deal with someone who grew up during the Maoist Cultural Revolution, and had to deal with the hatred people had towards successful families before the uprising, where owning any land immediately put you on a black list. It makes one appreciate one's own upbringing and what parents have dealt with just to put you through your own lives, when others have had to endure violence and prejudice for such (what we would consider) odd and illogical reasons. Da Chen does a good job retelling his own tale, and fills you in on some of the feelings of the common folk out in rural and small town China in the 60's. It paints the picture of a kid who overcame a lot to 'escape' what many consider a maddening existence as a farmer. My only real disappointment with the book was that it didn't include any prologue to give some clue as to what life had in store for some of the folks in Da's tale.

[Mark Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colors of the Mountain is an intriguingly honest look at growing up and coming of age in China in the 60's and 70's. Da Chen lays bare the reality of life for the underclass of that time as only an expatriate can. His honesty is tempered with touches of humor and I found myself wanting to meet him. Perhaps someday, I shall.

[Sean Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

Da Chen did a great job telling a story about himself. It was a heart-wrenching, action-packed thriller about a boy who studies hard in Maoist China. The only reason I'm giving it a four star is because it mentioned the phrase "benevolent umbrella" which tormented me for days. Oh well. We still love you, Da Chen!

[Charlotte Ruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/6/15

The book Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen is a great book of a young boy living in communist China. The boy Da Chen was born in 1962 in a tiny town called Yellow Stone. His family used to be landlords so they owned land and now China was under the power of Mao. In this period of time landlords were disrespected and had become poor and were starving as well as mistreated. Da Chen's grandfather was working in fields and started becoming sick. Da Chen's family asked for him to stay home because he was sick but, so Da Chen wen tot work in the fields with a man "the field we were to watch was five miles away from the town of Yellow Stone"(Chen 10). In conclusion Da Chen was living in vey harsh time in China.

Da Chen also had his school work to go do and was surprised by the result. Da Chen was going to pay his tuition but he only had 50 fen and didn't know if they were going to let him pay later. Da Chen Would be nervous to go he would "go there and beg the hell out of him, though he was prepared for the worst. The window looked reasonably large and there was a soft patch of grass for landing"(Chen 14). Da was surprised that the teacher didn't do anything to him and let him use the teacher's book, this didn't often happen. Da was a great student in the teacher's class Da would always try his best and was one of the best students. in conclusion Da enjoyed and always worked hard at school.

Da Chen was sad when his new teacher left. The new teacher didn't like Da because his family used to be landlords and landlords were rich and in Communist China every one was equal so now they were poor. Da was treated unfairly in school "Occasionally, La Shan would throw disgusted glances my way" (Chen 25). Da's teacher wanted him to write a confession of something he did but Da had done nothing. Da gave him nothing so La Shan Da's Teacher was angry and told him to go to the principals office. When Da told his mother she said that he was going to go see his faraway cousin right now because she didn't want bad stuff to happen to her child. In conclusion Da is having to deal with a harsh life.


2/13/15

Da was going to see his distant cousin who lived someplace faraway. Da was going to leave to his cousins house which was out in the mountains. His cousin was very welcoming and were also a politically a bad family just like Da Chen's family. His cousin, Wen and his wife had had the saddest wedding. The bride's family "had tied her to her bed in an attempt to prevent the ceremony" this had happened because she was in a politically good family and Wen was not, but later they secretly got married with a couple of close friends (Chen 32). in conclusion Da had a couple days with his far away cousins so Da could be safe from the communist.

When Da came back there was no excitement or anything. Da came back and didn't go to school. Da didn't want to go back an see the people he hated. Da did work at in the farms such as "On a good day, I could pick three large baskets with only a ten minute for lunch"( Chen 35). Da also terribly missed school and really wanted to go back. One day a teacher came and asked if Da wanted to come to school but would be in a lower level class. therefor Da came back from Wen's house and didn't like doing all that farm work.

While Da was in this lower class at school he was much happier than working and doing farm work. The class Da was in was really un behaved. In the class "Mr. Chu kept shouting and screaming and the students kept laughing and teasing. It was like a circus where everybody was a clown" (Chen 29). Later on in the week Da got along better with the crazy students in his class. "all of my new friends in school had to help their families on the farm as soon as they got home" the students in his class were very different then Da but he managed to make some new friends (Chen 39). In conclusion Da went back to school and made new friends.

2/20/15

In this part of book Da went to visit an island to see friend or a person he new. While he was there he was introduced to all the children and laughed hen they heard his name was Da. They all laughed because "None of the local children have a real name" they are given one such as an animal or object (Chen 46). Then he went on a boat ride with a man named Old Mountain and a son named Monkey. Monkey and Da became good friends and had a really good afternoon. To conclude Da had a great afternoon on the boat with Old Mountain and Monkey And had a great meal.

When Da came back it was new year. A lot of family was here and Da enjoyed it a lot. One of the reasons he enjoyed it a lot was because there was a lot of good food that he usually didn't get because his family couldn't afford. Da had nothing to do after they had eaten and everything his siblings had left. "After lunch when my brother jin was out playing poker and my sisters had long since gone out with their friends giggling" Da just told his mom there was a game and left(Chen 59). In conclusion Da was missing the friends he had made and wished life was simple like on he island he wen tot visit.

Da just went in the sugar cane fields with his half a yuan. Da was walking in the sugar cane fields knowing somewhere there was a hidden gambling place. Da had stumbled on it and when he found it "they all froze. Their angry faces stared at me as if i had already overstayed my welcome"(Chen 60). The guys told him that he could sta just this once an dwatch them. The people they were playing with got into fight and left without their money because Da had kicked it into the sugar cane and then the guys got all the money. inconclusion Da satrted to hang out with the people who played poker and told him to come back.

3/6/15

Da came back and became good friends with th epeople who played poker. Da learned how close his firneds were. HIs friends were called Sen, Mo Gong, Yi, and Siang. His friends were all really close and do alot of stuff together. they all really wanted to see this new movie in the city Putien so they all went but didnt know if they could find tickets. So they wen t to this place where this guy had everything. They asked if he had tickets. The guy had tickets and they were arguing about the price "'He's a tricky guy, Da. ' Sen shot me a cool look ' Fifteen fen'" but finalyy go the tickets (Chen 87). In conlcusion they finally go tto watch the movie they really wanted to watch.

The day after Da and his friends watched the movie Da was at school. In school Da's teacher tild him to give him Da's bag. Da didnt know why the teacher wanted. Da did know that society was against him and was wondering what was wrong. The teacher was looking for cigarettes and Da was shocked. Da's enemie saw him and his friends smoking and he had to tell he teacher. then the teacher humiliated Da in from of the class and than the "'teacher trashed them" ( Chen91). therefor Da was Hated by his town becasue his family was a landlord family.

Then the school wanted to choose a person to go in a pingpong competion. in his moment The small town was all about ping pong. Da was chosen to go train with other people for a toutnament. Da got chosen because the school did a mini tournament to chose the bets player and that was Da. Da spent a month traing for the competition with other people. At the competition Da "turned out to be a failure at the match"(Chen 108). In conclusion Da wasnt really that good at ping pong.

[Kathie Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

category: commie book

a moving memoir, nothing necessarily particularly special in its writing, but special in its role as a true story. was interesting to learn more about rural life under mao's rule. i would've appreciated a bit more background about the communist rule/government, but i understand it's from his pov as a child.

i was rooting for him and was so so proud of him at the end!!!

[Nate Jacobsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's voice oddly changes on and after page 186, and not for the better. Quite enjoyed the first half, second was fair but tedious and the stylistic change jarring.

[Palitha Arachchillage · Rating 4 out of 5]

සරල ඉංග්‍රීසියෙන් ලියා ඇත. සමහර කොටස් බෝරින් උනත් සමස්තයක් වශයෙන් හොද පොතකි. මාඕගේ චීනය ඩිෆෙක්ටර් කෙනෙකු දුටු අයුරු කතාව තුලින් දැකගත හැක. ස්මහර කරුනු මගේ ලමා කාලය අවර්ජනය ක්ලේය. සත්‍යය කතාවක් නීසා ජීවිතයට ගත හැකි බොහ��මයකි. කියවීමට නිර්දේශකරමි.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review ends 2014 for me with book #34. “Colors of the Mountain” by Da Chen is an autobiography and a coming of age tale of a boy who makes “good” growing up in southern China during the Cultural Revolution. It is easy to read and follow and it is also humorous along the way (thanks to the author’s descriptions), in spite of the oppression and hardships he had to endure. He was born in 1962 which he describes as “the Year of the Great Starvation.” Whether you know a lot or a little about this time in China’s history, it is well worth reading. To think that in less than 40 years since Mao’s death (1976), China has become a global presence unimaginable to many observers.

His family (three sisters and a brother) was considered outcasts because they were “landlords” before Mao came into power and consequently stripped of all material goods. Both his father and grandfather were forced to work in labor camps and the family lived on moldy yams for months at a time. In spite of adversity, Da manages to get into school (unusual for his background) and for the most part stay in school, even though he is resented and bullied by most of the students and teachers. He survives by joining a group of older hooligans and through them learns to protect himself. He also forms a deep friendship with them. For some time during Da’s period of growing up, academic studies were considered useless and the schools became a place to go for fun and games for the day. After Mao’s death the country changed and education became important again. Both Da and his brother spend month preparing for the college admission exams, and both score very high and are admitted into college. This isn’t a spoiler for the book, because the real story touches on universal themes like family, friendship, betrayal, oppression, and other topics most readers can identify with. The last line of the book sums it up nicely as he is leaving on the bus for the university. “I love you, Dad. I am your son, forever.”

A few other quotes worth mentioning:

It's up to you to choose who to make friends with. You are grown-up now. I can't watch you every second. But no matter who your friends are, do not forget who you are.> (Advice from his mother)

A poor child knew what it meant to be poor. We didn't ask for much, and sometimes we didn't even ask.

I often wondered why Englishmen greeted each other with phrases like “good morning,” “Good afternoon, and “good night.” Simply “good” everything.” If I walked around the dirt street of Yellow Stone and greeted people with the “good” formula they would think I was crazy. Some might even knock my teeth out and ban me from the town forever. Those folks were content asking each other “Have you had breakfast [lunch or dinner] yet?” After all, nothing was “good” about a day till your stomach was filled. (Talking about his difficulty with the English language)

[Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Da Chen’s Colors of the Mountain was a particularly enthralling memoir. The autobiography follows the story of a young boy born at the height of China's starvation under the leadership of Chairman Mao Zedong during the Cultural Revolution (1966-67) and follows the drawbacks he faces throughout his adolescence and into adulthood. Inheriting a social rejection from his community for being the by-product of a landlord in Communist China, Da and his family face ridicule every time they leave their home. Intended to break him down, Da is discriminated against by his teachers, classmates, "friends," and safety department throughout his entire young life. This intolerance is the very thing that forces Da to persist even when the world is against him. Not only did these drawbacks mold his character, but they also fueled his ambitions. Ambitions that drove him to be one of the most intellectually smart young adults in China.

I reckon that everyone read Colors of the Mountain. Regardless of where we come from and what we decide to do with our lives, we all struggle. Sometimes we struggle with little inconveniences in our day-to-day lives, and sometimes we struggle with lifelong predicaments. We don't decide what difficulties we face all of the time. But we do choose how we respond. By reading his book, we can see how Da Chen managed to overcome the appalling number of tasks he inherited by chance. What we learn from his story can better prepare us to overcome obstacles in our own.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Chen's novel. Initially, I was skeptical because it has been a while since I've last read a memoir. However, after being hurled into a riveting historical event and introduced to a boy who endured more hardship in his years of childhood than most adults experience in their entire lives, I knew I had to keep reading. I strongly believe that everyone can learn from the traumatic story of Da Chen and learn the true meaning, regardless of the situation, of what it means to overcome.

[Vivienne Cholmeley-Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite but not too bad 2.5/5

[Jessica McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it came out more than 20 years ago, and it still holds a place on my bookshelf. Books such as this one are powerful, necessary reminders that we should not attempt to erase the past or force conformity.

Every time I hear a politician, news commentator or other talking-head proclaim the “need to deprogram Trump supporters,” I shudder. It’s not a fun buzzword or catchy phrase to hashtag. It’s a terrifying weapon used by dictators to erase history and control the masses – think Stalin, Hitler, Castro, Mao... It’s human history. And if you try to erase history, you are doomed to repeat it.

If you find yourself buying into the idea of “deprogramming,” I suggest reading Chen’s memoir. It’s a gripping story about the millions of Chinese citizens who were brutalized in 1962 by Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. Once respected, hardworking people had their wealth stripped away. They were spit upon, beaten in the streets, hauled off to labor camps – despised for their capitalist beliefs and success. It’s heartbreaking to know that millions of Chinese citizens continue to be held under the thumb of communism.

That said, Chen’s memoir is also an uplifting story about the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity and build a new life thanks to democracy and the American dream.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir has changed my perspective on the years of education that I have taken for granted. Reading about Da Chen's fervent yearning to be able to go to college--the sacrifices, the studying, the praying, all of it--was really inspiring. When I finished, I was overwhelmed by the thought: "And to think that some people DON'T WANT to go to college because they don't want to have to work that hard or for that long." I never realized how fortunate I am.

Aside from enjoying the basic theme of the book, I found that it was also enjoyable reading. Da Chen's descriptions of rural China and childhood exploits are captivating. Sometimes I felt like I was reading Huckleberry Finn instead of a memoir. There was, unfortunately, one glaring exception to my reading enjoyment: there is A LOT of profanity, including probably 20 instances of the f-word. If you're not bothered by that, you probably wouldn't have any complaints about the book. For me, it's the one factor that will keep me from reading this book again.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 1 out of 5]

This started out as the true story of a young boy who loves school but who starts to find that his life is falling apart during the Chines Cultural Revolution because his grandfather was a landowner, and seen now as a traitor. He witnesses the way his family are treated-shunned, humiliated and working in labour camps, then he starts to be singled out at school for bullying by fanatical teachers and children.
That was the good bit of the book but then Da Chen falls in with an older gang of boys-the town hooligans-who don't care who his family is. The book then drifts into his stories of hanging around with them, the crimes they commit and what they do when they hang out each night. This got boring after several chapters and I lost interest in the book. It went from being a good look at how children suffered under Mao to an essay titled 'What I did during my Summer Holidays' kind of thing and that got really annoying. Book abandoned!

[AtomicSymphony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read The Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen, expecting a memoir that would give another view on Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution. I was deciding to expand my horizons of reading to more genres and was a bit hesitant of doing so since my comfort genre is fantasy and adventure. After reading the short summary on the back of the book, I was sure that it would be an interesting read concerning historical events and how Da Chen viewed them, but not a story that would engage and draw me in. My initial view on this book was changed drastically after reading it; I was wrong to be hesitant. The Colors of the Mountain was like a familiar “coming-of-age” story for me, and I read it as eagerly as I do with books in my comfort genre.

[Iva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I have read too many Cultural Revolution memoirs, and perhaps Da Chen's success in the U. S. was revealed way too soon, but I was disappointed in both the writing and the lack of suspense. This book is used as a One Book, One College and on this level it has merit. What he had to do to obtain an education and learn English is certainly something most Western students take for granted. And as the youngest in his family he saw his siblings become older than their years working on the farm with no hope of any other future. And everyone in the book smoked way too much!

[Allen William · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding detail of the horrors of a totalitarian and abused system. This not only happens in China, but in America and Europe as well. It doesn't happen with as much frequency or to such an extreme extent most of the time, but give the Trump administration more time and soon America will be no different than China in regards to human rights and atrocities.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book gained me a reputation for not liking Chinese authors - not true, but there you go. I thought the descriptions were forced; the use of foul language was affected and unrealistic. I didn't like it at all.

[Katie Kaage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book because it gave a cultural background and historical information while also telling the coming of age story of a young boy. I like how it followed Da from being a young child to leaving for college.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this novel was very truthful and I feel as if I am inside the novel and experiencing Da's challenges. I thought the story and Da and his friends is very inspiring and inspires me to work as hard as Da did to enter a college and succeed in life.

[Rebecca Moll · Rating 5 out of 5]

History is full of those who conquer and create. Even more so, of self-made men who discovered and forged, leap frogging humanity forward. Today, skyscrapers stand testimony, manmade wonders defiantly curtail nature, exploration and technology lay far reaches of land, sea, and sky at our feet, pushing the future present all because of such formidable individuals. We only have to reach out and touch what’s near to reap the gifts of such fortunes.
Da Chen was one such man; however, Da’s legacy, his gift to mankind, is less tangible and more intrinsic. The human spirit. Born in a “landlord” family, Da Chen’s family suffered through Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, unbearable oppression, cruelty, physical and mental abuse, indelibly marked by those who held party favor and yet, hope still flickered, their dedication to their gods, life and liberty inextinguishable. With this flicker of hope, love and support of his family, friends, and mentors Da scaled mountain after mountain to overcome immense odds. Slipping between the eye of a needle so small with such breath of spirit and determination, defying the laws of nature, he found freedom from bondage and a life where his spirit soared.
Yet, despite the horrors of his childhood, the tragedy of his family’s circumstances, it was his love of country, China’s majestic mountains, roaring rivers, lush valleys, his credit to those who kept the wick aflame, sense of self-depreciating humor and honest reflection that stands testimony to his true spirit, the Colors of the Mountain forever painted upon his heart.
See not with your eyes. Hear not with your ears. Touch not with your fingertips. Yet, feel the Colors of the Mountain and know the true breath of hope flickers within.
Thank you for sharing your story, Da. May your spirit live on.

[Llama123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially drawn to the book because I enjoy books about history, and this book, though not historical fiction, was still an autobiography about a time in history. The book did pleasantly surprise me, as I had thought that it would be mundane and dull. The author’s style of writing in this book incorporated a lot of dialogue that helped me, the reader, understand what was going on and helped me attain an understanding of how characters communicated, talked, and lived their lives. The author was also able to use elaborate word choice to set the tone in some areas, using somber words to set a melancholic tone, and using light-hearted, playful language to set a carefree tone. The author, however, could’ve used more descriptive words to describe certain scenes and situations, which would help the reader understand and visualize what was occurring. The book, at the beginning, was not a page turner that I could not put down. It was indeed quite mundane and required a bit of effort to get through. As the book progressed, however, the story became more engrossing. One of my favorite characters was Jin, the older brother of the main character. Jin is a great character because he works hard without complaining and is able to study to become successful. Jin is a good person throughout the book and doesn’t have any moments where he acts in an improper and bad way. There is one section that lasts a few pages that might be mature for some readers, especially younger ones. The beginning is quite hard to read, but the book will get better as you go along. You’ll probably enjoy this book if you’re into books about history or autobiographies.