Anchee Min

The author, Min describes herself as a typical young girl of the time and place in that she begins referring to her three younger siblings as her children from the time she is five. From that time, Min is in charge of her sisters and brother, bringing them home at the end of the school day, preparing meals and putting them to bed, often before their parents arrive home. Min soon becomes a member of the school-aged version of the Communist Party and is called on to betray a teacher who is accused of being an American spy. Faced with what she's told is evidence, Min does so though she almost immediately has reservations about her actions. Min notes that she learns that day what betrayal really is and the incident seems to greatly impact her life.

Based on her early school records and actions, Min is...