Books & Culture‘s Book of the Year is Liao Yuwi’s God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China (HarperOne, 2011).
John Wilson writes, “Like nothing you have read about Christianity in China. Inspiring, beguiling, consistently surprising, with a quirky literary sensibility and a complete absence of hype.” In his endorsement for the book he wrote, “God Is Red is the most wonderfully surprising report on the church in China I’ve seen, and Liao Yiwu is the best literary guide since Vergil.”
Here are some other endorsements and reviews:
“This is a mesmerizing and amazing tale of courage. Author Liao Yiwu’s story, covering even the recent past, is especially powerful because he is not himself a Christian. The reporting is brilliant and the perspective dazzling.” (David Aikman, author of Jesus in Beijing)
“No writer does better than Liao Yiwu in revealing the texture of daily life for ordinary people in China. His characters walk off the page and into your heart. . . . Humanity oozes from every vignette, and every detail rings true.” (Perry Link, Professor emeritus, East Asian Studies, Princeton University )
“It is very difficult to read Liao Yiwu’s work without being constantly reminded of Christian struggles in the ancient Roman Empire. . . . Who can tell how the story will play out this time round?” (Philip Jenkins, author of Jesus Wars)
“A subtle and sober account by one of the foremost banned writers of contemporary China. An irresistible read, pulsating with humanity.” (Lian Xi, author of Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China)
“A leading Chinese writer [provides] an insider’s look at the surging interest in Christianity within the world’s most populous nation . . . a journalistic chronicle of how Christians survived the repressive Mao era as well as a glimpse into why their numbers are rising.” (Christian Science Monitor )
