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Forbidden City
Seventeen-year-old Alex Jackson comes home from school to find that his father, a CBC news cameraman, wants to take him to China's capital, Beijing. Once there, Alex finds himself on his own in Tian An Men Square as desperate students fight the Chinese army for their freedom. Separated from his father and carrying illegal videotapes, Alex must trust the students to help him escape.
Closely based on eyewitness accounts of the massacre in Beijing, Forbidden City is a powerful and frightening story.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Closely based on eyewitness accounts of the massacre in Beijing, Forbidden City is a powerful and frightening story.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
199 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
67 people are currently reading
772 people want to read
About the author
William Bell
124 books51 followersWilliam Bell is an award-winning author of more than a dozen books for young adults.
Born in Toronto, Ontario in 1945, he has been a high school English teacher and department head, and an instructor at the Harbin University of Science and Technology, the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, and the University of British Columbia.
Born in Toronto, Ontario in 1945, he has been a high school English teacher and department head, and an instructor at the Harbin University of Science and Technology, the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing, and the University of British Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
January 21, 2012
I read this book my sophomore year in high school (late 90's). From what I remember, the book started off so slowly I dreaded reading it. The fist half of this book could have been condensed to one chapter. Then all of the sudden it got really good and I couldn't put it down because it was so good. Here is my issue with this book: if it wasn't an assigned book, I would have missed the second half because by then I would have stopped reading it. If you are patient, read it. If not, don't bother (unless your teacher assigns it to you).
March 11, 2013
"Forbidden City" is a fictionalized account of the Tian An Men Square incident that occurred in China in 1989. The account is shown in the first person format, seen through the eyes of Alexander Jackson, a seventeen-year-old boy from Canada. Alex travels with his father, a cameraman for the CBC news corporation, on his latest assignment to China. They aren't there long before the student protests start, and the situation degenerates rapidly.
I actually really liked this book. I thought it was well written, and it was really interesting reading about what led up to the 'incident' (I'd probably think of it more as a massacre, but apparently this is what it's referred to as). I was really drawn into the story, and i found it frustrating that so many bad things were happening to characters I'd grown to like, but since it's a book I couldnt' do anything. *spoiler* The book really doesn't end on a happy note - he does get out safely, with his father, but some other events that take place make the reunion more subdued than it might have been otherwise. *spoiler* I think it's probably more realistic this way, though, and it would probably cheapen the book to have a 'happily ever after' sort of ending - it wouldn't really fit.
I actually really liked this book. I thought it was well written, and it was really interesting reading about what led up to the 'incident' (I'd probably think of it more as a massacre, but apparently this is what it's referred to as). I was really drawn into the story, and i found it frustrating that so many bad things were happening to characters I'd grown to like, but since it's a book I couldnt' do anything. *spoiler* The book really doesn't end on a happy note - he does get out safely, with his father, but some other events that take place make the reunion more subdued than it might have been otherwise. *spoiler* I think it's probably more realistic this way, though, and it would probably cheapen the book to have a 'happily ever after' sort of ending - it wouldn't really fit.
December 19, 2007
I bought this book when I was in high school from school library for 50 cents. It was about Massacre? Tien Men Square In China in 1988? I do not remember the detail but I recommend this book to people who are into world history, Chinese history or social studies.
November 27, 2022
Five stars for nostalgia!
I read this as a child and it sparked a huge interest in me in both China and communist regimes. Was recently able to find title (which I had long forgotten) through Google and it was great to read the book again.
Was it as good as I remembered, reading it as an adult? Of course not. But I can still see why it sparked that fascination, so that was a great trip down memory lane.
I read this as a child and it sparked a huge interest in me in both China and communist regimes. Was recently able to find title (which I had long forgotten) through Google and it was great to read the book again.
Was it as good as I remembered, reading it as an adult? Of course not. But I can still see why it sparked that fascination, so that was a great trip down memory lane.
April 8, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4. The main character is only 17, but I still felt that his thoughts and insights were a little too childish. Still a very important subject and really opened my eyes!
February 20, 2023
i remember really liking this novel as a teen. it felt realistic and tense. never really forgot it, and curious to reread soon.
November 10, 2023
AHHHHH IM HAPPY. IM DONE READING 😭
Ok ok I chose this book for my independent novel study because it lowkey sounds interesting, like the hook on the cover got me soooo. Butttt this was honestly good. The beginning was boring. Like I wanted to cry every time I had to read this. When we(me) got towards the middle it got all messed up and I got invested🤷♀️. For this study I had to look through character tracking and while going through it… damn. Alex changed a lot with the events he went through throughout the book. Anyways I’m happy I finished now I can read my other books😋.
Ok ok I chose this book for my independent novel study because it lowkey sounds interesting, like the hook on the cover got me soooo. Butttt this was honestly good. The beginning was boring. Like I wanted to cry every time I had to read this. When we(me) got towards the middle it got all messed up and I got invested🤷♀️. For this study I had to look through character tracking and while going through it… damn. Alex changed a lot with the events he went through throughout the book. Anyways I’m happy I finished now I can read my other books😋.
October 31, 2017
I can't believe I visited China and was in these places without reading this book. This is a must read for any study of world history, and a great choice for middle and high school students who need a fast paced and also moving survival story to make history come alive. The cover, however, is in need of a makeover!
September 4, 2018
Reading this certainly showed me how little I knew about the events in Tiananmen Square. The point of view was effective, especially after the narrator really got to meet Chinese people outside of his hotel. The writing style was typical of the time, but didn't distract me too much. I read this for a challenge, but I'm glad I did.
September 24, 2021
This book was definitely NOT for me. I found it quite boring and tedious. I took forever to get through it despite the fact that it is not that big. That being said, I am sure someone else might appreciate it for it's historic appeal, cultural relevance also because it has a teenage, male protagonist.
April 3, 2022
This felt so real to me and I enjoyed it from beginning to finish. It gave me some real insight into what really happened in the forbidden city. I understood why the students were protesting and why it angered the PCA so much. It made me really angry and really sad. But I do appreciate the courage that the students and foreigners had in this massacre.
September 4, 2020
I didn't really like this book. Maybe because it wasn't for me, or maybe because it was actually a bad book. I can't really give a proper review because it didn't fit my interests, but that is what I think of the book.
June 19, 2017
It was very confusing. Two different things wold happen at once.
May 19, 2018
This started out really strong, but then I got kinda bored in the middle. However, it ended on a really strong note too.
March 12, 2022
Forbidden City written by William Bell, a Canadian author that lived in Toronto, born in 1945. Forbidden City is about a protest that happened on April 15th, 1989 and ended on June 4th, 1989. It took place in Tiananmen Square, Beijing. The protest was done by students and they were protesting for more freedom of speech, greater accountability, democracy and so on. The main characters in the book are Alex, Ted, Eddie and Lao Xu. Alex is a teenage Canadian boy that loves history, especially military history. Tom is Alex's dad, he is a news cameraman for CBC, he is a childish character that lives life behind a camera lens. Eddie is Tom's boss, he is also a camera man, he is considered famous in Canada. Lao Xu is a spy for the CCP but is disguised as a tour guide, he was sent to spy on Alex, Tom and Eddie. Lao is a nice person though, he is a very mysterious character. Alex, Tom and Eddie went to China and found themselves in the midst of the protest, Tom and Eddie had to capture the scenes from the protest so they got to be in all the action. The protest was very dangerous and many people died. The main theme of the book is how injustice and communism is terrible.
The Forbidden City is an excellent book, it starts off slow, but once it picks up, I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job in making you feel like you're actually in the action. It's a suspenseful book, there are many parts of the book that make your heart race, “A bolt of fear shot through me as I remembered I had been captured by soldiers” Page 120 this quote is one of the many suspenseful, action parts of the book. One flaw in the book is that there wasn't much detail given about the setting in many parts of the book. Nonetheless, the book is easily a 4 star. The Forbidden City is a good book for ages 14+, there are some concepts and words that younger kids wouldn't fully understand.
The Forbidden City is an excellent book, it starts off slow, but once it picks up, I couldn't put it down. The author did a great job in making you feel like you're actually in the action. It's a suspenseful book, there are many parts of the book that make your heart race, “A bolt of fear shot through me as I remembered I had been captured by soldiers” Page 120 this quote is one of the many suspenseful, action parts of the book. One flaw in the book is that there wasn't much detail given about the setting in many parts of the book. Nonetheless, the book is easily a 4 star. The Forbidden City is a good book for ages 14+, there are some concepts and words that younger kids wouldn't fully understand.
November 3, 2016
The book "Forbidden city" by William Bell is about 17 years old Boy-Alex Jackson find that his father, a CBC news cameraman, wants to take him to China's capital, Beijing at 1989. When they arrive Alex finds himself on his own in Tiananmen Square as desperate students fight the Chinese army for their freedom. Separated from his father and carrying illegal videotapes, Alex must trust the students to help him escape.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
I personally really liked the book, is so good I have the chance to read this (This book is a banned book in China). The book is a novel based on the events of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre was a real history event. As a Chinese, I am very Interested it, but Chinese government are not telling the truth. I really like Chinese history between world war 2 and now, I was searching Tiananmen Square massacre on Google, YouTube (Chinese government block those website, so you cannot visit those websites in when you in China). Even I asked my parents about this thing (my parents both born in Beijing, grown up in Beijing and now my family still live in Beijing), I know something about the real the Tiananmen Square massacre. It so interesting to read a Canadian writer's book about my own country, I really like the book.
FAVORITE QUOTES
“Anyway, I’m only saying that I think that’s when I started getting interested in all this miltary stuff. What I like most about reading battle plans was the feeling that there were rules and strategies and traditions and everything was clear. And when I got into building model soldiers and reconstructing battles I like the feeling of control. I’d draw plans and try to picture the troop movements, attacks, feints, retreats, traps, all that, and I’d lose myself for hours in a world that made sense.” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 12
“I passed a road sign with some characters and an arrow on it pointing down a side street. The arrow triggered thoughts about Ziu Ge-liang and the way he fooled both Cao Cao and Sun Quao. He did it by feigning one thing and doing another. Classic strategy, I thought. Then I remembered a famous quotation from Sun Zi’s The Art of War in the chapter on strategy. Make yourself appear to be weak in order to make the enemy proud and rash, he wrote. Even though you are capable, feign incompetence. The enemy would be put off guard.
Were the PLA playing games with the people? And, in their eyes, were the people now the enemy?” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, pages 81-82
“If I told them that in China one of those little washing machines was a status symbol, they’d laugh. If I told them about Nai-nai’s house and how peaceful her courtyard was, they’d tell me to get real. But whose world was more real? Ours, or the world Xin-hua lived in?
She was different from the girls I knew, too. Really different. Their idea of a tragedy was running out of mousse or breaking a fingernail. They were a lot like the woman I had seen this morning on the movie billboard. They were almost all heavily into feminism and talked about being taken seriously as persons while they put on purple lipstick. I don’t know. Maybe I was being too hard on them. But nobody I knew was like Xin-hua. To me, she was a hero. A strong woman with more character than most of the kids I knew, male or female, put together.
Including me.” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 167
“I took a long drink of my warm tea. ‘Nothing will be the same now, will it, Dad? Everything will be different, and we will too.'” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 197
From Publishers Weekly
Despite certain shortcomings, this fictionalized account of the tragedy of Tiananmen Square is as engrossing as it is appalling. When Alex's father, a news cameraman, is assigned to Beijing, Alex leaps at the chance to join him. At loose ends in the alien metropolis, the teenager studies Chinese and explores the city on his bike, filming with a makeshift hidden camera. Not surprisingly, these skills come in handy during both the student protests and the subsequent crackdown. In fact, Alex's avocation, along with his father's profession, seem to have been chosen solely to provide the reader with a bird's-eye view of the events of that brutal spring. Even Alex's obsession with military history seems tacked on in order to facilitate the lumbering symbolism of the novel's conclusion. By contrast, Bell's descriptions of the action in and around the Square are vivid and heartbreaking--there are moments when the searing force of this fragment of recent history shines through the thin characters and eclipses the contrived plot. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-12-- Alex, 17-year-old war aficionado and son of a Canadian cameraman, accompanies his father to China and becomes enmeshed in the Tiananmen incident of 1989. He gets separated from his father, is befriended by some students, witnesses a good deal of the massacre, and is finally smuggled out by a student who pays for his liberation with her life. This is a blood-and-thunder story, and Bell tells it with gusto. Incidents are piled on one another, background descriptions are very convincing, and at times readers will almost feel they are there. All this amounts to an incredibly compelling novel. Curiously, when the protagonist is not in China, he becomes somewhat one-dimensional. The beginning is a tad contrived to lead to the real meat of the novel, and the ending is pat beyond common decency (in a grand, melodramatic scene, Alex destroys all his war toys back in comfy surburban Toronto). Yet the preponderant part of this novel is marvelously realized, partially from the immediacy of using first-person narration, partially from telling vignettes that really bring the time, place, and situation to life in a most memorable way. There is also a certain ring of truth about some elements of the story that resonates long after putting this novel down. In spite of the flaws, this is an excellent tale, well told, and a historical novel of note. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
I personally really liked the book, is so good I have the chance to read this (This book is a banned book in China). The book is a novel based on the events of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre was a real history event. As a Chinese, I am very Interested it, but Chinese government are not telling the truth. I really like Chinese history between world war 2 and now, I was searching Tiananmen Square massacre on Google, YouTube (Chinese government block those website, so you cannot visit those websites in when you in China). Even I asked my parents about this thing (my parents both born in Beijing, grown up in Beijing and now my family still live in Beijing), I know something about the real the Tiananmen Square massacre. It so interesting to read a Canadian writer's book about my own country, I really like the book.
FAVORITE QUOTES
“Anyway, I’m only saying that I think that’s when I started getting interested in all this miltary stuff. What I like most about reading battle plans was the feeling that there were rules and strategies and traditions and everything was clear. And when I got into building model soldiers and reconstructing battles I like the feeling of control. I’d draw plans and try to picture the troop movements, attacks, feints, retreats, traps, all that, and I’d lose myself for hours in a world that made sense.” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 12
“I passed a road sign with some characters and an arrow on it pointing down a side street. The arrow triggered thoughts about Ziu Ge-liang and the way he fooled both Cao Cao and Sun Quao. He did it by feigning one thing and doing another. Classic strategy, I thought. Then I remembered a famous quotation from Sun Zi’s The Art of War in the chapter on strategy. Make yourself appear to be weak in order to make the enemy proud and rash, he wrote. Even though you are capable, feign incompetence. The enemy would be put off guard.
Were the PLA playing games with the people? And, in their eyes, were the people now the enemy?” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, pages 81-82
“If I told them that in China one of those little washing machines was a status symbol, they’d laugh. If I told them about Nai-nai’s house and how peaceful her courtyard was, they’d tell me to get real. But whose world was more real? Ours, or the world Xin-hua lived in?
She was different from the girls I knew, too. Really different. Their idea of a tragedy was running out of mousse or breaking a fingernail. They were a lot like the woman I had seen this morning on the movie billboard. They were almost all heavily into feminism and talked about being taken seriously as persons while they put on purple lipstick. I don’t know. Maybe I was being too hard on them. But nobody I knew was like Xin-hua. To me, she was a hero. A strong woman with more character than most of the kids I knew, male or female, put together.
Including me.” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 167
“I took a long drink of my warm tea. ‘Nothing will be the same now, will it, Dad? Everything will be different, and we will too.'” – Alex from Forbidden City by William Bell, page 197
From Publishers Weekly
Despite certain shortcomings, this fictionalized account of the tragedy of Tiananmen Square is as engrossing as it is appalling. When Alex's father, a news cameraman, is assigned to Beijing, Alex leaps at the chance to join him. At loose ends in the alien metropolis, the teenager studies Chinese and explores the city on his bike, filming with a makeshift hidden camera. Not surprisingly, these skills come in handy during both the student protests and the subsequent crackdown. In fact, Alex's avocation, along with his father's profession, seem to have been chosen solely to provide the reader with a bird's-eye view of the events of that brutal spring. Even Alex's obsession with military history seems tacked on in order to facilitate the lumbering symbolism of the novel's conclusion. By contrast, Bell's descriptions of the action in and around the Square are vivid and heartbreaking--there are moments when the searing force of this fragment of recent history shines through the thin characters and eclipses the contrived plot. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-12-- Alex, 17-year-old war aficionado and son of a Canadian cameraman, accompanies his father to China and becomes enmeshed in the Tiananmen incident of 1989. He gets separated from his father, is befriended by some students, witnesses a good deal of the massacre, and is finally smuggled out by a student who pays for his liberation with her life. This is a blood-and-thunder story, and Bell tells it with gusto. Incidents are piled on one another, background descriptions are very convincing, and at times readers will almost feel they are there. All this amounts to an incredibly compelling novel. Curiously, when the protagonist is not in China, he becomes somewhat one-dimensional. The beginning is a tad contrived to lead to the real meat of the novel, and the ending is pat beyond common decency (in a grand, melodramatic scene, Alex destroys all his war toys back in comfy surburban Toronto). Yet the preponderant part of this novel is marvelously realized, partially from the immediacy of using first-person narration, partially from telling vignettes that really bring the time, place, and situation to life in a most memorable way. There is also a certain ring of truth about some elements of the story that resonates long after putting this novel down. In spite of the flaws, this is an excellent tale, well told, and a historical novel of note. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.
February 14, 2018
......disappointment, boring, and unappealing. the perfect words to describe this book. I dread having to read this book in class. the beginning of this book is extremely long and played out. Alex is constantly traveling all over china with his father. The Author, William Bell, does not go into detail about the places Alex and his father visit, he is constantly focusing on the opinion of the Naratetor, Alex. However the book does pick up in the middle when he and his father record the shooting during the protest in Tian An. The ending of the book is very thrilling with the loss of his son in the chaos. but i am disappointed in how long it took for the excitement to start. This novel could have been shortened by 40% and you would have not lost any core value to the plot. This book was structured completely wrong and if i were the author of this novel i would have changed a majority of the plot and shorting the time span this book was set in.......
April 2, 2021
Book Review for Forbidden City
I would rate this book three out of five stars because the start was quite slow. Very few things happened in the start however the middle was definitely better. I feel like one of the reasons why it kicks off slowly might be because, in the beginning, the author was explaining things. Nonetheless, I still feel think the author could do a better job. I’m not that interested in the historical topic but I still liked learning about China. I would rate this book a higher rating if there was more action included in this book. However, I love how this story shows that people have given up their blood and sweat in order for us to get freedom. Forbidden City can remind us to not take freedom for granted because many countries might not be able to get such great of a privilege. I would say this book is great if you have the patience to read the start of it since the middle and the end are really phenomenal.
I would rate this book three out of five stars because the start was quite slow. Very few things happened in the start however the middle was definitely better. I feel like one of the reasons why it kicks off slowly might be because, in the beginning, the author was explaining things. Nonetheless, I still feel think the author could do a better job. I’m not that interested in the historical topic but I still liked learning about China. I would rate this book a higher rating if there was more action included in this book. However, I love how this story shows that people have given up their blood and sweat in order for us to get freedom. Forbidden City can remind us to not take freedom for granted because many countries might not be able to get such great of a privilege. I would say this book is great if you have the patience to read the start of it since the middle and the end are really phenomenal.
May 22, 2019
3.5/5
I rated this book 3.5 stars out of 5 because of two main factors. Firstly, it provided a good historical story of the Tian an men massacre. However, I felt that this book was not able to pique my interest. It was pretty boring and dull until the later parts of the story. The characters have basically no characterization, and the reader feels nothing about them.
I would recommend this book to people who want to know the basic information and culture of China, as this book does an excellent job of that.
I rated this book 3.5 stars out of 5 because of two main factors. Firstly, it provided a good historical story of the Tian an men massacre. However, I felt that this book was not able to pique my interest. It was pretty boring and dull until the later parts of the story. The characters have basically no characterization, and the reader feels nothing about them.
I would recommend this book to people who want to know the basic information and culture of China, as this book does an excellent job of that.
July 7, 2017
Great book with lots of history. I enjoyed it, even though I had to read it for school.
January 25, 2018
i’m sorry goodreads, but i need a 0 star option
June 1, 2018
This was a great, but sad, book. It's told through the eyes of a 17 yr old Canadian boy who accompanied his cameraman father to China in 1989.
July 6, 2019
incredibly well written.
Door to another culture and situation, taps into a reality I didn't know then.
Door to another culture and situation, taps into a reality I didn't know then.
October 23, 2019
the pages of this book taste good its not a good book though
September 16, 2020
PogChamp
December 19, 2020
Loved the perspective of a young boy being caught in the middle of this revolution in China. A powerful, quick read, a glimpse of how this revolution came about...I thought it was excellent.
January 14, 2021
Build up was necessary to see how this whole event changes Alex. A good read for young students to understand, without prejudice, what happened in China.
January 18, 2021
This was read to us in sixth grade. I still vividly remember it.
May 27, 2021
My teacher made me read this book because I’m a shitter.But now she’s not teaching me anymore so I’m not a shitter anymore. 😎
June 25, 2021
Read this quite young, probably 13 or so. I had no idea about Tien An Men Square. Great history lesson, and definitely kick started my interest in historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews