Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Book description
"In a single year, my father left us twice. The first time, to end his marriage, and the second, when he took his own life. I was ten years old."
Master storyteller Madeleine Thien takes us inside an extended family in China, showing us the lives of two successive generations-those…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Do Not Say We Have Nothing as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Reading this book was like listening to beautiful music. It’s similar to Pachinko in that it covers a generational family saga, but this story has bite!
I loved how much I learned about pre-communist China in this book, but I also loved that the stories of family resonated so deeply.
From Kern's list on family drama, sacrifice, and how beautifully messy a family can be.
This multigenerational saga leaps across decades and continents, from the life of a Chinese-Canadian girl growing up in Vancouver in the 1990s, to the horrors of WWII and the Cultural Revolution in China, when Western classical music was banned. The role of music in the book is complex: it can be both passion and livelihood, private beauty, or blunt political instrument. When love for music can threaten someone's physical survival, a “pretty” piece of piano music is anything but: the notes “drip down to the parlour, seeping like rainwater over the persimmons on the table, the winter coats of her…
From Caitlin's list on featuring classical music.
Want books like Do Not Say We Have Nothing?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Do Not Say We Have Nothing.
Browse books like Do Not Say We Have Nothing
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in China, family, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about China, family, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution.