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“Terrific fictional perspective of a Chinese soldier caught behind enemy lines in the Korean War, and his ensuing political schisms with his American captives and his own countrymen. ”
Joseph F wrote this review Friday, October 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was assigned to read this book for a Modern China class. It was pretty good, and I finished it faster than I usually do book with historic contexts, but this is actually a novel. It's not telling an actual story, though some of the events are very real. But the author focuses more on the thoughts and happenings centered around the main character's life as opposed to the detached "historian" style of writing. Therefore, it's a pretty interesting read. The reasons I gave it only three stars are that it did get quite disgusting at times, so you shouldn't read it if you have a weak stomach; and that parts of it felt made up specifically to garner some type of emotional reaction from the reader, like the five or so pages dedicated to a dog that frequented the camp. Other than those things, it really shows an outsider what life was like in the Communist vs. Nationalist era of China, and especially how POWs are treated upon repatriation. Very insightful look into POW camps and war itself.”
Jennie T wrote this review Saturday, February 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Korean War story written from the perspective of a Chinese soldier in a POW camp. ”
Michele P wrote this review Tuesday, December 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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Jane W wrote this review Sunday, October 5 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book describes the everyday life of Chinese POWs held by the US during the Korean War. The chronicler of the story -- Feng Yan -- is telling his tale many years later from the perspective of a 79-year-old man. He starts the story while he is visiting his son and grandchildren in America. He will be returning to China where he has spent most of his life. He does not think he will ever get back to America.
Feng Yan -- as a soldier and a POW -- was smart and reserved but had not fear of fighting for his life if necessary. His goal was simple: survival: survival under inhumane conditions and the constant threat of violence.
Many of the POWs were in his situation. They were not Communists. Actually they feared the Communists, with good reason. But they wanted to return to Mainland China to help their families. For Feng Yan, it was his mother and his fiancée.
During their confinement the POWs were adept at keeping themselves occupied and scrounging for food and communicating with each other. At times they resorted to protests, hunger strikes, or even the kidnapping of a US officer to protest the conditions of their confinement. Yet they were aware of the strong probability of retribution.
This novel portrays men under stress in impossible situations with great psychological acuity. The reader is transported to a barbarous world with very few good guys. The plot is believable and suspenseful. There is no way to know how any of the characters will end up -- wounded physically or mentally, murdered -- and where he will go when released: to mainland China or to Taiwan.
The Los Angeles Times describes War Trash as a work of profound humanism, and this is an apt description. Ha Jin's artistry lies in his ability to detect humanity among starving desparate men, and to make the reader care deeply about their fate.
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“Former soldier-turned-author Ha Jin offers this moving tale of a Chinese “volunteer” soldier held captive as a POW during the Korean War. As captivity is a crime of disgrace to his Chinese contemporaries, young Yu Yuan is essentially forced to remain his war camp and adjust to the internal clashes between Nationalist and Communist prisoners. Rivals any American prison movie.”
~China Photojournalist Tom Carter~ wrote this review Friday, July 11 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A well-written novel about the experience of little-talked about-in-history-books Chinese POWs from the Korean War. ”
Lesli F wrote this review Friday, June 13 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Inspite of a good narrative and good pace I have decided to leave this unfinished...Im just not interested in the continual violence and the political fanaticism seen in the book.. Life is too short ... Maybe I will come back to this later...maybe not..”
Dips wrote this review Wednesday, April 16 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
