Nine Continents: A Memoir In and Out of China

In this forthright memoir, acclaimed writer and filmmaker Guo (honorary associate professor, Univ. of Nottingham; I Am China) recounts the difficult, at times traumatic, circumstances she endured while growing up in late 20th-century China. Guo's parents left her as an infant with her illiterate and impoverished grandparents in a small fishing village on the East China Sea. Shockingly, the author witnessed her grandfather's suicide as a young child. Additionally, her grandmother's care was inconsistent, and owing to their limited means, hunger was Guo's constant companion. Although often overcome with hopelessness, the author ultimately developed unwavering determination to move beyond her desolate situation. After realizing her creative talent, Guo became steadfast in her desire to reach her potential. Eventually reunited with her parents, she persevered against tremendous odds to attend university in Beijing. Working within and against the complex political constraints of the Communist regime, she honed her literary skills with the goal of immigrating to the West, where her freedoms would be greater.