Overview

It was like a scene out of a thriller: one night in April 2012, China s most famous political activist a blind, self-taught lawyer climbed over the wall of his heavily guarded home and escaped. For days, his whereabouts remained unknown; after he turned up at the American embassy in Beijing, a furious round of high-level negotiations finally led to his release and a new life in the United States. Chen Guangcheng is a unique figure on the world stage, but his story is even more remarkable than we knew. The son of a poor farmer in rural China, blinded by illness when he was an infant, Chen was fortunate to survive a difficult childhood. But despite his disability, he was determined to educate himself and fight for the rights of his country s poor, especially a legion of women who had endured forced sterilizations under the hated one child policy. Repeatedly harassed, beaten, and imprisoned by Chinese authorities, Chen was ultimately placed under house arrest. After a year of fruitless protest and increasing danger, he evaded his captors and fled to freedom. Both a riveting memoir and a revealing portrait of modern China, this passionate book tells the story of a man who has never accepted limits and always believed in the power of the human spirit to overcome any obstacle.

Full Product Details

9780670067671

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for This is Your Brain on Music Endlessly stimulating. --Oliver Sacks An unusually deft interpreter. -- New York Times Deepens the beautiful mystery that is music. --David Byrne, founder of Talking Heads Praise for The World in Six Songs Will leave you awestruck. -- New York Times Masterful Eminently enjoyable. -- Los Angeles Times A fascinating, entertaining book may stick in your head forever. --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

Author Information

Chen Guangcheng, known to many of his countrymen as the barefoot lawyer, was born in the village of Dongshigu in 1972. Blind since infancy, illiterate until his late teens, he nonetheless taught himself law and became a fiery advocate for tens of thousands of Chinese who had no voice. His escape from his jailers in China made headlines around the world, and he remains uncompromising in his commitment to democracy and human rights. He now lives with his wife and two young children in New York City.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available