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Who: Andy Zhang What: The author will read from his novel "Memories of an Eastern Sky" When: Noon Saturday Where: Kingstowne Library
Local author Andy Zhang's first novel is about China's Cultural Revolution.
(Fawad Haider)
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The Chinese Cultural Revolution began on May 16, 1966, when Mao Zedong and his political allies launched a campaign to shore up the Communist Party's power. During the 10 years of political and social upheaval that followed, tens of millions of Chinese were persecuted, killed or died as a result of policies put in place to further the revolution.
Andy Zhang was born right in the middle of it. His family's experiences in China during that time provide the background for his semi-autobiographical debut novel, "Memories of an Eastern Sky."
Zhang, a former freelance journalist who moved to the United States in 1996 to work as a software engineer, will read from the book at the Kingstowne Library Saturday in conjunction with the celebration of Chinese New Year. The library hosts a writers group that helped guide Zhang, who lives in Franconia, in shaping the novel.
Set in Zhang's home city of Harbin in northeastern China, "Memories of an Eastern Sky" tells the story of one family's struggles to survive the Cultural Revolution. Early in the novel, the father is arrested and tortured under suspicion of being a counterrevolutionary, and the mother, days after bearing a child, is imprisoned and forced into hard labor at a reeducation camp.
Zhang conceived the novel as a way for his 3-year-old daughter to learn about her father's history when she grows up. In a podcast interview on the library's Web site, Zhang said the finished novel should find a wider audience -- history students and those with a general interest in China.
Before his reading, at 10:30 a.m., Zhang will participate in a library program about Chinese New Year aimed at children ages 6 to 12. The program will include stories, snacks and an introduction to Chinese calligraphy.
-- C. WOODROW IRVIN
The Kingstowne Library is at 6500 Landsdowne Centre, at Beulah Street and Telegraph Road in the Alexandria section of the county. The event is free. An interview with Zhang is available on the Web athttp:/
