Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

This memoir by Ji Li Jiang details her experience as a young girl in China during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. She and her family are living under the influence and rule of Mao Zedong, a communist leader. Her red scarf is an emblem of the Young Pioneers of the revolution.   

Ji Li was 12 years old in 1966 and lived with her mother, father, grandmother, and two younger siblings. She grew up believing that her life was nearly perfect, but that was about to change. At school, Ji Li is selected to audition for a dance training class for the Liberation Army. When she tells her parents, they urge her not to go to the audition. Her father doesn’t think the family would be able to pass the political background check, and her auditioning could cause social issues for her family. This is her first glimpse into the more nuanced reality around her. Articles are written about Ji Li in the paper that critiques her identity as a communist, and those same newspapers are used to cover the door of her grandfather’s bookstore. Ji Li’s world is changing.  

She starts to uncover truths about her family and their class status. She discovers that her grandfather was a landlord. This is against the Red Party’s code of ethics. More events like this pile on, and soon after Ji Li’s home is searched, and her father is detained. She begins to worry about her family.  Later, Ji Li finds a letter her mother wrote to the comrades of the municipal party committee about the torture the Red Guards inflict on those who oppose the Red Party. Her family’s house is searched, and the guards find the letter. The memoir is a frightening example of how quickly things can change.  

All of the events in Ji Li’s memoir occur when Ji Li is between the ages of 12 and 14, which makes the book’s pace fast. Ji Li goes from thinking her family and government are perfect to discovering that both have their flaws. This realization leaves her confused about how the world works. Young readers may relate to Ji Li’s constant mental battle between doing what she believes is right and what is wrong. She overcomes bullying by believing in herself, which may encourage young readers to be brave and believe in themselves.   

Overall, Red Scarf Girl is an engaging and informative book that provides insight into China’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. Ji Li’s story is an emotionally charged tale that will linger with readers for a long time to come. Through her personal journey from innocence to awareness, Ji Li demonstrates how political upheaval can shatter individual lives and force young people to confront difficult truths about loyalty, family, and survival. The memoir serves as both a historical document and a universal coming-of-age story that reminds us how resilience and love can endure even in the darkest of times. 

Sexual Content 

• None

Violence 

• Ji Li is visited by her father’s friend Fan Wen-Chong, who was beaten up by the Red Guards. Ji Li “stopped when [she] saw his face, it was swollen, bruised and bloody. Standing in the dark doorway he looked like a monster.” 
• The family is interrogated about a letter to the municipal party committee. A Red Guard slaps her grandmother. “Thin face slapped her with all his strength. Grandma staggered into Mom’s arms.”  

Drugs and Alcohol 

• None 

Language 

• Ji Li’s classmates bully her about her name and her family. She thinks to herself, “No, I do not want to have this damned name anymore.” 
• Kids call Ji Li’s family a black family, which means they oppose the Red movement.  

Supernatural 

• None

Spiritual 

• After Ji Li’s father is detained, her grandmother prays, “May Allah protect my son.” 

• When the family finds out Ji Li’s father is okay, “Grandma was in tears and she could not stop thanking Allah for his blessing.” 

Kayleigh Doyle