--- product_id: 119609113 title: "Red Sorghum: A Novel of China Kindle Edition" brand: "mo yanhoward goldblatt" price: "$30.50" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 7 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/119609113-red-sorghum-a-novel-of-china-kindle-edition store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Red Sorghum: A Novel of China Kindle Edition **Brand:** mo yanhoward goldblatt **Price:** $30.50 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Red Sorghum: A Novel of China Kindle Edition by mo yanhoward goldblatt - **How much does it cost?** $30.50 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/119609113-red-sorghum-a-novel-of-china-kindle-edition) ## Best For - mo yanhoward goldblatt enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted mo yanhoward goldblatt brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Red Sorghum: A Novel of China Kindle Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41X2Me9MR2L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars There's Mo to Yan *by L***N on Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012* Beginning in 2010 with Mario Vargas Llosa, continuing with Tomas Transtromer in 2011, and now reviewing this year's Nobel prize winnter, Mo Yan, I have selected one of their more popular works to determine if they are worthy of such an esteemed award. Up to this point, no one had disappointed, but I was a bit suspicious when a firestorm developed after the Nobel committee announced his award.No one would deny that publicly Mo Yan has not endeared himself to many writers from the west; for example, Salman Rushdie called him a "patsy" of the Chinese Communist government and Herta Muller referred to his nomination as a "catastrophe" since he has been a member of the communist party and has refused to sign a petition to release imprisoned Chinese Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo. Not to mention, Mo Yan did himself no favors in the eyes of the west by copying Mao's discussions on the merits of literature. In his acceptance speech, he probably shocked many when he said that some censorship is acceptable if speech maligns a person's good name.Clearly, his views on activism and apparent public inaction bristle the more virtuous appetites of many western writers. However, in his acceptance speech, Mo Yan made an important point: "For a writer, the best way to speak is by writing. You will find everything I need to say in my works." And so I decided to take him at his word by ordering a copy of Red Sorghum, a fictional memoir that captures three generations of Chinese struggling to survive the onslaught of the Japanese invasion right before and during World War II.There is an incredible amount of detail in the novel, but one thing that it's not is the film. To gain some background knowledge, I decided to watch the 90 minute production but was greatly disappointed with it after I finished reading the novel. The film only covers 1/3 of the book--it ends with the nameless narratr's father chanting an anti-Japanese slogan as he stands in front of his dying mother. If people are determining the literary merit of Mo Yan's craft based on this film, then they will be sorely disappointed. The best way to understand the author's views, at least in Mr. Yan's case, is to read his literature.And indeed, once I did that, not only were my eyes opened to a writing style similar to that of William Faulkner's minus a confusing stream of consciousness, I recognized that this author takes the "silent approach" when speaking truth to power. I do not think this is the appropriate venue to rehash every last example, but there is enough anti-communist fervor in this novel that should have had the author locked up long ago in his homeland. There are countless allegories that reference the brutish behavior of both the Nationalist and Communist parties, but there are literal examples that should make a reader's eyeballs pop out!There is the example where the author flash forwards to the tail end of the catastrophic Cultural Revolution in 1973, where literally everyone under the communal system is starving to death. What is even more shocking is that this scene juxtaposes the Chinese during the occupation who, while fighting for their lives, are still self-sufficient enough to provide for themselves. Message: Communism leads to starvation and dependence. The exclamation mark, of course, is the most obvious: The narrator's grandmother and grandfather--the heroes of the rebellion--are NOT communist. In fact, as owners of a profitable winery, our heroes could be considered capitalist!Based on the media backlash, this is not what I expected from Mo Yan, but I now understand why he begged that people read his literature in order to grasp his philosophical outlook. Having done that, I recognize that Mr. Yan's artistry is a silent force in the push for change within Chinese society. Before Mr. Rushdie and Ms. Muller insulted him, had they in fact read any of Mr. Yan's novels? If they had, would they have realized that sometimes change may not need a sword nor a trumpet but rather a pencil? ### ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 out of 5 stars Tough reading. Man's inhumanity to man was endlessly portrayed. *by N***E on Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2012* Our book club chose this book since Mo Yan had won the Pulitzer prize this year. I had to force myself to finish it because the details of the horror perpetrated on the Chinese was overwhelming. Only 4 out of 12 members showed up for the discussion, in part because they must not have finished it. I know he has written truthfully because I have a letter from my great aunt who was a missionary in Foochow dated May 1935 in which she wrote: " Poor China certainly is suffering from the hand of Japan. Little by little Japan is getting a strong hold on China which will be exceedingly difficult for China to shake off. China is going heavily into military training in the hope that some day she may be able to avenge Japan. " As to the lives of the Chinese families portrayed in novel and the bandits which were everywhere, she also wrote, " Oh! I wish you could have seen some of the miserable towns or villages as we call them which Edith and I passed Sunday. It really seems impossible, but they are the homes of people instead of animals. Unpainted rough mud walls, one story high, the earth for the floor, not a window in the whole house, little alleys for streets. The people rise at dawn and retire soon after dark. Work is their only portion in life. Farm work with all hand labor all they produce is carried from place to place in great loads carried over he shoulders of both men and women. You see the farmers congregate in villages, they do not live on their farms, but go out by day to work the land. Hard times have hit China too, finances, drought, bandits. We passed the sight of a village where the bandits entered and they took everything then destroyed all the buildings, only a few bits of mud wall was left to mark the sight. We passed the sight of another village, also on Sunday, where a few bits of wall are the only evidence that people once lived there. Several hundred people lived in that village and Christmas 1933 the entire place was destroyed by bombs dropped from airplanes. We heard the bombing. That was a Christmas I shall never forget, bombing all around us. It was when our Chinese in this section set up an independent government called “The Peoples Government” and General Chiang Kai-shek sent his soldiers and airplanes to recapture this section; which he did, but they were sad days for the people here." ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A beautifully written novel based on historical events *by V***E on Reviewed in India on October 24, 2020* This a novel centred around a few villages in China, amidst the inhuman atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers, written in a very beautiful language. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/119609113-red-sorghum-a-novel-of-china-kindle-edition](https://www.desertcart.us/products/119609113-red-sorghum-a-novel-of-china-kindle-edition) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-18*