Book Review: A HEART FOR FREEDOM

Few books have affected me like A Heart For Freedom, authored by Chai Ling and published by Tyndale House Publishers.  I have been changed; forever looking differently at China — and the world — because I’ve done nothing more than read this book. (And I’ve already adopted two young children from China, by the way.)

If you are at all familiar with the Chinese massacre of dozens of college students that took place at Tiananmen Square back in 1989 then you will likely know the name Chai Ling.

Chai Ling was an energetic, brilliant student who grew up in oppressive China, eventually finding herself as one of Beijing’s elite university students.  Through many toils, challenges and circumstances, Mrs. Ling was thrust into the international spotlight as one of the key student leaders in protest against the oppressive Chinese regime.  However, when the massacre reached its fatal, world-changing climax, Chai Ling found herself both on the run and as one of China’s most wanted criminals.

Fleeing China’s mainland, and being forced to leave her family behind, Ling was then flung into the political spotlight time and time again, even being twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But this is much more than a book about the Chinese government, political oppression, and a massacre of college students.  It also has to do with a woman finding her own identity after the consequences of unprotected premarital sex, multiple abortions, adultery, grief, divorce, remarriage, and a search for the one true God.

This autobiography made me think about my own life as a man growing up in a “free” country.  It caused me to think culturally, spiritually, and politically; and in ways that I never have before.  It forced me to realize that there are billions of people around the world who are struggling against powers and political systems that are far beyond their control; powers that I couldn’t even imagine if I tried.

I highly recommend A Heart For Freedom.  It is an autobiography that I will likely read again someday, but only after digesting the thick, controversial content I’ve swallowed.

Here is some commentary from the back cover of the book:

Facing imprisonment and possible death at the hands of the Chinese authorities, Chai Ling went deep underground—eventually hiding in a cargo box for five days to escape to safety in the United States.  Though haunted by her past, Ling threw herself into pursuing the American dream, completing Ivy League degrees, finding love, and becoming a highly successful entrepreneur.  She was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Yet her longing for true freedom, purpose, and peace remained unfulfilled.  Years after the events at Tiananmen Square, she was still searching to find the meaning in all the violence, fear, and tragedy she’d endured.

A Heart For Freedom is a tale of passion, political furor, and spiritual awakening.  An inside look at China, then and now.  A love song to a now forbidden country.  And the inspirational true story of a woman who has dedicated everything to giving people in China their chance at a future.

(* This post is from a Blog Series on Book Reviews)