I don’t tend to read non-fiction books, but I thought this one looked interesting. And my sister recommended it, so I thought I’d give it a try.
This book dealt with an extremely intriguing subject, as indicated by the title. Considering there is a problem with overcrowding of the population on Earth, I think it’s worth reading this book.
The voice of the author came through clearly, but – and this is probably my own opinion – I found the book a bit disjointed at times. There were a lot of different elements that were related to the main subject, but I sometimes found it difficult to follow the new trains of thought.
While it was good to see bits and pieces of the interviews the author had with key figures, the style of the writing – more of a narrative one – made it hard for me to picture the different people and what they said. I kept getting confused over whether quotes came from those who supported the policy or not.
I did think the way the book started was extraordinarily powerful, as I can’t imagine a worse pain than losing a child.
Even though this was a non-fiction book, the style of the narration did make it feel like fiction. It was good to see events from a more personal viewpoint, but I kept losing the thread of what I was reading.
I found the book grew a bit more intense towards the end, with the details about the children who were forcibly taken from their families, as even if they were adopted by loving families outside of China, they still lost their culture and heritage, along with their blood families.
The other thing that really triggered strong emotions in me – namely anger – were the indications that women who were kidnapped and forced to marry were treated as if they’d done something wrong. That’s so far from ethically right, I’m actually struggling to reconcile how anyone could think it was okay.
In truth, I finished this book with the strong sense that authority in China had reaped the consequences of their own actions. And it was those people lower down on the totem pole who suffered.
And, no matter how far you travel, those in power are always above the rules. ‘Do as I say, not what I do’ indeed.
Ink of Blood 