Every parent of a high school or college student should give this book to their child and require them to read it.
Many of us who know history often comment about how it seems our country is rapidly sliding down the slope from freedom to Marxist Communism that rivals that of the USSR and Mao’s China. When we state these observations, some on the Progressive left give that little derisive chuckle they employ so much in an effort to dismiss our thoughts as ridiculous.
Others don’t laugh but ask us, “What’s wrong with that? Capitalism is unfair to the poor and underprivileged.” Those people are downright scary.
The first group is delusional. They think the Constitution and Washington will protect us from becoming a tyrannical, Communist dictatorship. The second group has been indoctrinated so much that they believe that Communism would be BETTER for the people of this country. Years in the public school system and the university system have taught them to hate our country, our history, and our Constitution.
They have no idea what Marxist ideas will do to this country. They look at us and tell us we don’t know what we are talking about when we describe the horrors of this political system.
They need a firsthand description. This book, written by a survivor of Mao’s cultural revolution, gives a terrifying close-up view of what happened in China under the rule of Mao Zedong and how the events in our country are shockingly similar. From the author’s bio:
Xi Van Fleet, was born in China, lived through the Cultural Revolution, and was sent to work in the countryside at the age of 16. After Mao’s death, she was able to go to college to study English and has lived in the United States since 1986. In 2021, she delivered a school board speech in Loudon County, Virginia, against Critical Race Theory that went viral and ignited national media attention. She now devotes her time and energy full time to warning about the parallels between Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China and what’s unfolding in America today.
I have read many other books that compare what is going on in our country now to what has happened in other countries as they were overcome by Marxism. They all were very illuminating, but this book has a bigger impact as it is written by someone who was a believer in the system as a child and who was a firsthand witness to all the atrocities and tactics used.
She was living proof that the indoctrination worked. From her book:
“In allowing schools to reopen, Mao proclaimed that restoring teaching in schools would mean we could continue the Cultural Revolution in school, but this time through classroom “study” of his book. I remember most of the quotations, and I can still sing those songs as well as recite Mao’s poetry… Studying and reciting Mao’s quotations and poems was mostly what we did in class, day after day. I couldn’t help but remember them. After a while, I just couldn’t get that stuff out of my head.”
Later she describes how hard it was to “detox” herself from what she had learned under the CCP. ” I might have left CCP China, but it took years for the CCP mindset to leave me.” Eventually, she was able to understand the freedom we have here in the United States as well as the threat against it.
Most of the book describes the alarming comparisons between Mao’s cultural revolution and what is happening now in our country. While Mao preyed on dividing people by economic status, Communists in the United States are using race as seen in classroom sessions telling children that Whites are the Oppressors and Blacks are the Oppressed.
As a comparison, Xi describes her experience trying to join the “Little Red Guards” as a young girl. When she asked to join, she was told that because her paternal grandmother was a “landlord” she was disqualified by being on the “wrong side” of the Revolution. Decades later, she became sick to her stomach as a mother testified in front of the school board, ” My six-year-old daughter somberly came to me and asked if she was born evil because she was a White person- something she had learned in a history lesson at school.” The replay of her past was stunning.
Both groups of Marxists know they need the minds of the children to be successful.
As the book continues, it describes more of the ways that recent events in the United States mirror the Cultural Revolution. Xi also shares the sheer ignorance (my words) of Americans in believing that China has changed and that the ideas of the Cultural Revolution were somehow noble. Xi reminds us that China is still a “ruthless totalitarian regime armed with surveillance and AI that will control every move of individuals 24/7.”
For those who advocate for true freedom and belief in our country and our Constitution, this book is filled with examples of how we are getting away from our core values. Van Fleet provides an index and documented sources that support her viewpoints while also sharing a compelling narrative of her life in both China and the United States, a life that has had hardships many of us cannot imagine.
Yet, she is able to accurately parallel those events to what is going on in our country in 2024.
As said in the beginning, this book should be required reading for all of our young people, especially those who believe they Communism is the answer. Xi warns them that the beliefs they are allowed to express now will soon by shut down once the absolute power of elites is established.
It is valuable resource for us who fight against creeping tyranny in the U.S. so we can shut down those chuckling, delusional fools who promote Marxist ideals in our country.
Van Fleet ends her book with this statement: “Dear Reader, this has been my warning.”
The book is available on Amazon and at other booksellers.
Jan Greenhawk, Author
May 27, 2024
Jan Greenhawk is a former teacher and school administrator for over thirty years. She has two grown children and lives with her husband in Maryland. She also spent over twenty-five years coaching/judging gymnastics and coaching women’s softball.
This article was originally featured on the Easton Gazette.
