"Son of the Revolution" was a moving epic based on the life of Liang Heng. The book chronicles Heng's early adolescent memories through his exodus from China in his mid-twenties. In reading "Son of the Revolution" the reader gains insight into Chinese life during the twenty-four year period of 1954-1978. The historic movements of the period, the influence of Mao Thought, and the personal effects of the period on the Liang family, are related in stirring detail to the reader. This review will focus on five central issues to the book: The role of family, Heng's self-discovery leading to personal transformation, influence of relationships, the power of Mao Thought, and the political reforms sweeping the country.

"Son of the Revolution" begins with one of the most destructive occurrences of Heng's life, the re-education of his mother, and his parent's subsequent divorce following her banishment. Following the divorce of his parent's the Liang family became the object of scorn, due to the rudderless nature of their family unit. The family was ostracized on the social level as well as the political level. Both of Heng's sisters were denied entry into the prestigious Red Guard, due to the political scorn imposed on the family. The "questionable" political allegiance of the Liang family would plague the family members throughout the novel.

The lack of structure in the Liang family was alluded to throughout the book, more specifically the absence of family members in Heng's life. The political turmoil, loyalty to the party, the reforms, and the escape from political scorn, tore the Liang family apart. Heng's two older sisters left the family to escape the aforementioned pressures by joining Red Guard units. Heng's mother, following the divorce, distanced herself from the family granting Shan's wishes. Bowing to societal pressure Heng's father remarried. Heng's stepmother became a mother of convenience, allowing the family to gain social standing, but serving no maternal role.

Liang Heng's father was one of the central characters of the book. Liang Shan was a newspaper reporter and an intellectual. Shan's study of the works of Chairman Mao were and unceasing testament to his deep love of both the leader and the communist ideals. Shan instilled a love of the party in Heng at an early age, hoping that one day his son would grow up and be a proud member of the party. Liang Shan pledged his unceasing alliance to Chairman Mao throughout "Son of the Revolution". Shan's unwavering support, and his unquestioning nature, resulted in a life of heartache and turmoil. As the elder Liang fought with his sense of "right" against his devotion to the party, Heng also struggled with his place in the greater evolution of the party. The father son relationship was drawn on many times in "Son of the Revolution", illustrating the contrasting views between the older generation and the younger.

Throughout "Son of the Revolution" Liang Heng struggles with feelings of personal independence, self-evaluation, and self-discovery. The major tool that allows for these breakthroughs is the intellectual background instilled by his father, specifically his love of literature. Heng wrestles with issues the reader can identify with, due to their natural occurrence, but is surprised at Heng's foreign reaction to these "rites of passage".

Heng's initial dealings with love, relationships with the opposite sex, and longing, surprises the reader with the depth of evaluation (shame) Heng approaches these feelings with.

Liang Heng also experiences a great deal of personal transformations throughout the span of the book. The most difficult personal transformation experienced by Heng was the development of his individual thought independent from the collective. Heng's struggle with debunking myths, questioning authority, and going against tradition, served as the cornerstones for his personal transformation.

Relationships had both a positive and a negative effect on the development of Liang Heng's character in "Son of the Revolution". Some of the positive relationships in Heng's life included: his relationship with his father, Judith Shapiro his future wife, Peng Ming his political role model, and Little Gao his first love, and the Dao's (countryside peasants) who showed Heng love at a much needed time. Some of the less-constructive relationships of Liang Heng's upbringing, included: Sadly, his relationship with his mother, who always held the best intentions, yet irrevocably scarred Heng's role in society (politically, and socially), and Heng's stepmother, who fell tremendously short in her maternal role.

One of the first words out of young Heng's mouth was his sworn allegiance to Chairman Mao Zedong. One of the most descriptive scenes of Heng's unwavering love for Mao occurred in Peking. Following the visit of Chairman Mao to the park, individuals claimed to have shook Mao's hand. This announcement lead to furious hand shaking for the next hour amongst the visitors to the park, all hoping to feel closer to their mythic leader. Following Heng's experience in the park he attended a political rally in hopes of seeing the chairman. When Chairman Mao's army jeep passes Heng in the thronging crowd, he openly weeps yelling his alliegance to the Chairman, "You are our heart's reddest, reddest sun!" (124) Following this exchange Heng relates the experience to everyone he comes in contact with. Heng's proximity to such greatness endears him to all he relates the tale to.

The power of Mao Thought (as related earlier) had its most profound effect on the life of Liang Shan. Shan gains stature with the peasants due to his knowledge of Mao, and his writings. It however, is this same knowledge and scholarship which first ripped Shan's life and the life of his family apart. Shan's limitless faith in the supreme knowledge of Mao Thought tore his life apart, crippling him at the age of 46. Sadly, as did so many other Chinese, the most dedicated members of society, those which held the purest vision, were those harmed the worst during the sweeping governmental reforms.

"Son of the Revolution" delves into the effects of several historical movements in China, on the nation as a whole, and more importantly, on a singular individual. The movements related during the book included: "The Hundred Flowers Movement", "The Anti-Rightist Movement", "The Great Leap Forward", and "The Sixteen Articles", all of which made up the greater Cultural Revolution. The effect of the differing societal movements on the people was one of unpredictability. One's actions could be accepted one day and criticized by the government the next. This lead to an untrusting nature to permeate the most sacred of societal relationships (friendships). The power of the government to implement life-altering changes was staggeringly evident in the Liang family. The influence of the differing reforms on the Chinese people resulted in little stability or satisfaction with one's personal political development.