A chilling look inside of China's oppressive enforcement of its one-child policy. "Chi An" has the unique perspective of both enforcer and victim of this policy. With courageous honesty and soul-searching, she recounts her actions and their consequences to the would-be mothers under her authority, and the choice she eventually makes amidst threats to her and her family. An unforgettable, thought-provoking biography of a remarkable woman. ( )

I've seen several recommendations for this book but put off reading it. I had read other books by Mosher so I thought I knew what was going to be said about population control. Not so. This book is not for the faint of heart or those with weak stomachs. The woman the story is about was a victim of population control, then an enforcer, then by accident, a victim again. This woman has a lot to live with, and yet she is given assylum in the states and is able to keep the last baby. Worth a read if you are interested in the population control methods and can stomach it. ( )

3712. A Mother's Ordeal: One Woman's Fight Against China's One-Child Policy, by Steven W. Mosher (read 8 Mar 2003) This is an account of a woman born in China about Oct 8, 1949, and she tells of growing up in China and of the ordeal of such nutty Maoist ideas as the Great Leap Forward (steel making) and the Cultural Revolution, and of how her mother checked out men and how she, Chi An, finally decided to marry and all the weird customs related thereto. Much of the book is devoted to the policy of China to lower the population, complete with stark accounts of abortions, even in the 9th month, and of how babies born alive are left to die. Some of the obstetrical detail is more than I wanted to know. She eventually comes to the USA. This is a searing and informative book, well worth reading. ( )

a moving tale of one woman's efforts to live within China's system, and then, when she couldn't, to live outside it. ( )