The Crystal Monkey

In a poor Liaoning village at the dawn of Mao's Cultural Revolution, six-year-old Min Li witnesses executions, book burnings, and the slow crushing of ordinary lives. Her one talisman of hope is a hand-carved crystal monkey from America—glimpsed in a doomed gift shop—that appears in her dreams to promise a world of color and freedom. Spanning decades of hardship, education, and quiet defiance, this is the story of one girl's determination to change her family's history and reach a life beyond the fields.

• A luminous crystal monkey becomes a little girl's only window to freedom in Mao's China.
• History from the ground up—the Cultural Revolution seen through a child's wide, honest eyes.
• One girl defies a system built to keep her a peasant, and refuses to accept the fate her father has sold her into.
• Perfect for book clubs: rich Chinese history, an unforgettable heroine, and a full-circle ending that will make readers cry.

“It is real, Min Li, but you will never see it for real if you don't believe it.”

Perfect for a reader who loves historical and literary fiction about resilient young women—fans of Amy Tan, Lisa See, and China-set coming-of-age stories—looking for an emotionally moving, culturally immersive book-club novel.