We are incredibly honoured to welcome award-winning journalist and international bestselling author, Xinran. Xinran joins us to speak on her latest, The Book of Secrets: the story of a family in modern China with a history of deceit, betrayal and political intrigue, and the communist party's long shadow over them, from the Cultural Revolution to today. There will be time for a Q&A at the end of the evening, follwed by a book signing.
About the Book:
Following the lives of military intelligence officer Jie and his wife Moon, The Book of Secrets weaves recently found material into a narrative that not only illuminates the shadowy world of intelligence in China, but also the emotional tragedies that political extremism inflicted on those working within.Drawing on Jie’s own vivid biography of his youth, Xinran pieces together his trajectory as he joins the great hope of the Chinese young – the Communist Party – and becomes a loyal cadre until the late 1970s when, as a chief in the security forces, he makes a decision that will poison his family against him.This is a totally unique behind-the-scenes account of a family torn apart by the Tiananmen Square massacre and the attempts of Jie to finally open up the Chinese system to the people, pieced together from an extraordinary archive of personal diaries and letters.
About the Author:
Xinran is a British–Chinese author, journalist and activist. Her first book, The Good Women of China (2002) became an international bestseller and The Promise was shortlisted for the Society of Authors Translation Prize.In August 2004 Xinran set up ‘The Mothers’ Bridge of Love’ (MBL), which reaches out to Chinese children all over the world. By creating a bridge of understanding between China and the West, MBL ultimately wants to help bridge the huge poverty gap that still exists in China.
