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The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl

by Ma Yan

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A young diarist’s account of education and hardship in rural China

$9.94 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A young diarist’s account of education and hardship in rural China

Presented through Ma Yan’s own diary, this nonfiction account records the pressures surrounding her effort to remain in school in a drought-stricken rural area of China. Limited family income, school fees, hunger, and physically demanding work place education in direct tension with daily survival. The book frames schooling as both an immediate struggle and a possible path beyond entrenched poverty, keeping the focus on one student’s documented experience rather than an abstract overview of inequality. Its diary format offers a personal entry point into questions of access to education, family resources, and perseverance.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Young readers interested in daily life and education in rural China
  • Readers of personal diaries and first-person nonfiction
  • Students exploring poverty and unequal access to schooling

Themes

Education accessPovertyRural life in ChinaFamily responsibilityPerseverance

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"Heartbreakingly inspirational." (AsianWeek)

Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling.

In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But for Ma Yan, money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees, or even to provide enough food for herself and her family.

The publication of The Diary of Ma Yan was an international sensation, creating an outpouring of support for this courageous teenager and others like her . . . all due to one ordinary girl's extraordinary diary.

"You don't review this small book; you tell people about it and say, 'Read it.'" (Washington Post)

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