There were mixed reviews for this book which is more a personal experience than a dispassionate set of observations. Shen Tong tells the story of his experiences with life as a student and his growing love affair with democracy. He becomes an activist and is a leader in the Tiananmen Square demonstration that was so brutally crushed. He was lucky enough to have the money to buy a passport and the airfare to America to escape government prosecution. His grandparents both committed suicide (in their 60's) to avoid the public humiliation of a duncecap parade. A stirring personal memoir.