China Dream is both funny and horrifying. The horrifying is, of course, taken from actual history. Because of course it is. A bit of a Brave New World feeling to it.

It's always a little strange to read satire directed at another audience. It's another level of strange to realize that the people who would most appreciate the satire are not allowed to read it and maybe you are the audience after all... that the author is shouting into the wind.

I look forward to reading more of Ma's work.

Picked up this book from a “AAPI authors you should check out” stand at my local bookstore. I picked this one in particular because I do enjoy dystopian fiction and sci-fi. Unfortunately, the extent to which this is categorically sci-fi depends on whether you consider an occasional, otherwise neglected mention of a microchip as enough to characterize the book on. This felt more like a crude, in your face exposition to the misogyny and self-flagellation (without any real conviction or recompense) of Ma Daode. I recognize that the reader is not meant to revere Ma Daode’s character, but the disgust I felt as I read prevented me from enjoying or appreciating the author’s intentions. Satire or not, reading from the perspective of a character like Ma was too disturbing for my liking.

Ha sido una lectura difícil porque su protagonista no es nada agradable: un político corrupto. Ma Daode miente, engaña, destruye. Revive una y otra vez sus desgarradores recuerdos de la Revolución Cultural China, aquella que le arrebató a las personas que amó... Es triste porque no puedes empatizar con él, a pesar de todo lo que sufrió, porque esta corrompido.
Tristemente la cintilla que trae el libro tiene muchos mensajes que me crearon una alta expectativa sobre la historia que no necesariamente cumple este libro, no dudo que los otros libros de Ma Jian sean mejores ya que El sueño chino es una novela corta.

A bit heavy handed on the message that totalitarianism is bad, but the heavy handedness of the book's message helped to compensate for my limited knowledge of China.