Tessa Winn’s Reviews > Daughters of Shandong > Status Update

Di was a firecracker in a society in which restraint was a virtue. For her, making an opponent lose their temper was a conquest. She was delighted, because it meant that she had broken them. They had exploded, and suddenly the world was not such a lonely place, because underneath their skin they were firecrackers too.

the rusty iron gates that were wide-open like metal arms. To me, they looked like the mighty gates of heaven. Beautiful.
The bright blue sky above us was blocked out as we passed under the arch of the city entrance…
I opened my eyes and looked at Mom.
She was covered in dust from the road, cut through by streaks of sweat running down her face, yet she glowed. We had arrived, and she was victorious.

Gently but firmly, Mom flung open the shed doors and made me face daylight again. She said that humans are like plants and we need to feel the sun on our skin. The name of her hometown, Rizhao, literally means "sunshine." "In darkness, you don't know which way is up and which way is down," she said.

"I didn't do anything! My mom didn't do any-
thing. My sisters didn't do anything. We can't control my father or my grandfather. We cannot question them! We have no power. We are girls! They didn't want us because we are girls! They left us behind because we are girls!" I hated myself for cowering before him and squealing like a frightened pig, but I was too weak to be brave, too scared to be strong.