“Under the Red Flag” by Ha Jin, Book Review Example

This book consists of a group of short stories from author Ha Jin about the village, which appeared to exist under the rule of Communism and the hand of the People’s Liberation Army in China. This book demonstrates how Communism was one of the greatest evils of the twenty first century. The way it was written, I think the stories are gruesome, violent and dark at some point, thus creating the atmosphere and feeling one would have experienced back then. Each and every story of this book is well-written and powerful delivering necessary facts. All of the stories articulate the conflicts of villagers who lived in China under the Communism, thus involving the bad fortune and outside forces imposing on the lives of individuals. Even though these common threads describe Under the Red Flag as a logical collection of stories, at some point after reading all of them at one I felt it was pretty formulaic. Astonishingly, I was not surprised when things did not end well in the stories; moreover, it was pretty acceptable. After I have read the book, I realized that it was a bit oppressive to read, but isn’t it oppression that this book is supposed to convey? I think it is, for that is what the book was meant for. I am attracted by social and cultural manifestation under severe social, political and cultural restrictions, which this book incorporates in whole. Each and every story of “Under the Red Flag” depicts the degradation and brain-washing that complemented the great Chairmen’s reign. This book incorporates the word ‘simplicity’, being lucid and luminous.