Really Enough: A True Story of Tyranny, Courage and Comedy - Softcover

Martens, Kathleen; Zhao, Margaret

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0985689889 ISBN 13: 9780985689889

Publisher: Really Enough, Margaret Q. Zhao & Kathleen L. Martens, 2012

Synopsis

This astonishing, intimate memoir by Margaret Zhao with Kathleen Martens charts one young woman's daunting struggle for survival, freedom and forbidden love while exposing the shocking lives of the Enemies of the State under the tumultuous rule of Chairman Mao. Set against the backdrop of a China in chaos, Really Enough is a relatable and touching celebration of rising up against all odds. Born into a disenfranchised family in rural China in the 1950s and branded an Enemy of the State, Margaret Zhao quickly learned her abject lot in life. With Chairman Mao Zedong's new Communist Party policies-virtually hidden from the world's eyes- innocent, affluent families like the Zhaos were punished as evil capitalists and remnants of the feudal past. Empowered by her determined mother in a world of burning books, this passionate daughter of a long line of ancient scholars secretly set out to carry on her illustrious family legacy. Clinging to the power of humor in humorless times when the pursuit of learning from the past was a crime against the state, Margaret used her wits to capture unimaginable dreams. And when a forbidden love with a "foreign devil" raised the stakes even further, what emerges is a testament to the human imperative to be free, and to the redemptive, rallying strength of women and the oppressed everywhere. Readers interested in true-life accounts of survival, freedom, strong mothers, immigrants rising, and interracial romance will be enthralled by this intimate story of determination and hope. With heart, humor, conviction, and the uplifting power of learning, her personal triumph will embolden you. Margaret's indomitable spirit is contagious-you will laugh, you will cry, you will be inspired. Really Enough will write itself into your heart.

About this title

About the Author

Author Biographies Kathleen Langmaack Martens is a San Francisco Bay Area-based author and former “Jersey Girl” with a lifetime passion for writing and intercultural communications. After attending the Foreign Service Language Institute for one year where she studied intensive Thai Language and Southeast Asian Area Studies, she moved to Thailand and began her consulting career. While living and working in Southeast Asia as an intercultural consultant and trainer in Bangkok, Thailand and Jakarta, Indonesia, she helped employees of major US corporations adjust to life working in remote areas of the world. Traveling to China as one of the early tourists admitted to the country, she took in the sights and sounds of a commune that would later become a foundation for writing Really Enough: A True Story of Tyranny, Courage and Comedy with Margaret Zhao. At a social event in 2010, Margaret Zhao shared stories of her early childhood in rural China under the tyranny of Chairman Mao. Martens took an instant interest in her fascinating past. This chance meeting led to their collaboration on Zhao’s memoir. Kathleen has a B.A. in English Literature and Sociology, and an M.A. in Educational Psychology from the University of Connecticut. CO-AUTHOR Margaret Zhao's biography is omitted to avoid "spoiler" information that would give away the story of her life that is told in her memoir, Really Enough.

About this edition

• Publisher: Really Enough, Margaret Q. Zhao & Kathleen L. Martens
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0985689889
• ISBN 13: 9780985689889
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 374