Huang writes this book about his family and it is centered around a coffin that his father had made for his grandmother. I enjoyed this book because it provided a glimpse of what it was like to grow up in the 70s and 80s in Communist China.
Huang notes that in communist China burial was illegal and every one was cremated. His grandmother made his father promise that he would bury her. This caused considerable strain in his marriage as he agreed to do so. Huang notes “I was often vexed by her adherence to the old ways” when speaking of his grandmother.
His father tried for years to gain admission into the communist party and he was finally admitted. Huang notes “Party membership rekindled his hope in life.” It was about the same time that grandmother asked for a coffin. Huang’s father often feared what owning a coffin would do to his standing in the party.
At school Huang was being taught “Only Chairman Mao and the communist party are your closest relatives, said our teacher. If your parents or relatives engage in any counterrevolutionary activities you should not hesitate in reporting them or publicly denouncing them it is a true test of your revolutionary will.” Huang wondered about the coffin but his father taught him to never betray your family.
As Huang read outside of the classroom he noted “I had learned a different set of values. Friendship could transcend ideologies. Friends protected and made sacrifices for each other.”
When his father died Huang reflected “For all his loyalty to the party, when China was freed from the radical ideological control of chairman Mao and began slowly to prosper he and millions of workers, the vanguard of the proletariat, who underwrote communist China were left behind confused and disillusioned. He died because his lungs had been scarred by years of exposure to industrial pollutants. His heart broken by the unrealized 6.5 yuan promotion and the depth of corruption that had twisted the ideals of the party he supported.”
Overall this was a quick read that presented many ideas to think about. I give it 4 out of 5 stars
William Wilberforce has been called an agitator for his commitment to ending the slave trade. One of his well known speeches on the subject was given on May 12, 1789.
Cardinal Richelieu has been hailed as a great statesman and as a subversive authoritarian. Depending on who you talk to he was a man needed to strengthen the monarchy in France, or he was a tyrant seeking personal power. Next week I will have a book review that may shed more light on Cardinal Richelieu.
When Lenin was working on his major writing projects he would often pace across the room formulating the ideas that he would write down by saying them out loud. Once he had the idea for what he wanted to write he would often repeat the idea to Nadezhda Krupskaya, who would provide feedback. Once this process was complete he would then write the ideas down.
Here is an AI rendering of what that might have looked like when he was drafting What is to be Done.
This month this community will focus on political subversion. What is subversion? When is it justified? What is the interplay between subversion and agitation? These are some of the topics to be discussed this month.
“You get used to the despot’s shortcomings, when they are not great vices, and the change of an autocratic ruler leads to involuntary fear.”
Sergei Trubetskoi
