Book 64: Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

I finally read Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin after borrowing it from my parents almost two years ago and leaving it in my car that I didn't drive for months. It's a doorstop of a book but it's easy to read, a simple biography of a man who had an interesting life. I was avoiding this one because there are so many sad stories from the cultural revolution in China and sad books aren't really my thing.

Li Cunxin grew up a peasant boy in China who was tapped on the shoulder to become a dancer at Madam Mao's academy of dance. He tells the story of the rise and fall of communism as a backdrop to the journey of his learning to dance and learning to love. During which he defects to the west, injures himself and falls in love twice.

This was an easy read and quite enjoyable. I would mildly recommend it but it won't change your life.