Secrets and Siblings: The Vanished Lives of China’s One Child Policy

by Mari Manninen, Mia Spangenberg (Translator)

Mr. Li and Mrs. Wu from Zhejiang abandoned their second baby daughter at a marketplace and are still reeling thirty-two years later. Mrs. Wang Maochen from Beijing has seven children, but six of them—all illegal—cannot go to school, get a job, go to the doctor, or marry, or even buy a train ticket. An Li from Guangzhou spent her childhood in a town where there were no sisters or brothers and so did not learn about the idea of a sibling until she went to college. Each of these lives are unique, yet their experiences are all achingly common in modern China.

With the Chinese government now seeking to phase out its one child policy, Secrets and Siblings reveals the scale of its tragic consequences, showing how Chinese families and society have been forever changed. It is based on the personal testimonies of people from across Chinese society, and it tells of both the horrors and hopes created by the one child policy than ran from 1980 to 2015. In doing so, this book also overturns many of our misconceptions about family life in China, arguing that it is the state, rather than popular prejudice, that has hindered the adoption of girls within China.  

At once brutal and beautifully hopeful, Secrets and Siblings is a timely look at this issue as the children of a once one-child state are now becoming adults.    

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Adoption, Asia

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2019

Reviews

[Xiao Jiang · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I was meh about the author being a white woman but realized that this book was likely only written because of her privilege. I kept crying for people that I've never met and likely will never meet, but it felt like I was learning a piece of my history as someone who was born under the One Child Policy in China and was affected by it in my own way.

[Tracey P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as research intensive as Mei Fong's books on the same topic but still full of fascinating insight. Gives a solid glimpse into the affect of the one-child policy on women and girls.

[Rachel Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

An insightful book. The author gives a great understanding, through true stories, about one child policy in China, which has always seemed unreal to me.