Connections
Angela Campbell Recommends...
Wild Ginger
By Anchee Min

Wild Ginger, by Anchee Min, is a tiny story with a lot of impact. It's actually a simple story on the surface. Wild Ginger is new to school and isn't accepted by her peers. She gets bullied daily, but finds a friend in another outcast named Maple. We follow the friendship of Wild Ginger and Maple from grade school through adulthood, only to find that they are in love with the same man. Simple, right? Not so much.

Wild Ginger isn't an outcast because of something petty like the wrong clothes, bad hair, or acne. It's a lot deeper than that. She's bullied because her father is French and she has light eyes, making her different from other Maoists. This book takes place in China during the late 1960s. During that time "The Red Guards," a communist militia of civilians and students governed the schools and dealt out punishment in the likes that Westerners can't really comprehend. They were empowered to attack citizens, including party officials, who did not uphold the strict tenets of the Cultural Revolution. If you did not fit into the Maoist ideal, which Wild Ginger did not, then you really weren't worth anything. Wild Ginger took a beating daily so that she could be reminded of her place in society.

Maple, who is somewhat accepted but not good enough to be in the Red Guard because she is not from a "three generation-of-labor family," meets Wild Ginger and the two form a bond, looking out for each other throughout the years.

The story unfolds quickly with simple prose, yet great description. Although Wild Ginger goes through years of abuse, the strong-willed character is determined to find acceptance, and gradually adopts the progressive party line that helps her move up the ranks of Mao's Red Guard. She does this by studying Maoist theories with Evergreen, an attractive young man who is interested in more than just the Cultural Revolution. However, Wild Ginger's faithful following of Mao, and Mao's prohibition on romantic love, places Wild Ginger in a bit of a bind. She employs Maple to keep her in check, but Maple also has a soft spot for Evergreen. As one reviewer points out, "A tragic end is unavoidable."

There are many terrific qualities about this short novel. It's historically accurate, from a person who actually lived through the Cultural Revolution; it's lyrical; it's highly discussable for book discussion groups; and it's a good moral/history lesson for older teens and all adults. This book will have a lasting impact on all who read it.