Factory GirlsLeslie T. Chang
Buy- Amazon, Book Depository
China has experiences incredible economic growth in the last few decades. Factory Girls shows us the human side of that growth.
The book focuses on several young women who have moved away from their villages in the hopes of finding work in the big industrial cities. It follows their difficulties in tough working environments, their efforts to get ahead by learning new skills and their efforts to develop relationships in the crazy world of factory cities. We also read of their struggles in returning to their villages after what they have experienced. The book makes for fascinating and sometimes disturbing reading. The trials these girls experience and their drive to get ahead is mind boggling.
One part of the book I wasn’t so keen on was the author’s diversion onto the topic of her family’s history in China. It was somewhat interesting, but broke up the flow of the book.
If you are interested in China or just curious as to the stories behind the made in China products you buy, Factory Girls is very worth reading.
