Freedom Swimmer

Freedom Swimmer
Written by Wai Chim
Historical, Friendship, Diversity
Published September 1st 2016
272 Pages
Purchased
Published by Allen & Unwin Australia
Add to Goodreads
★★★★★
This incredible tale about two boys' swim from mainland China to Hong Kong in search of freedom from poverty and oppression is inspired by a true story.

Ming survived the famine that killed his parents during China's Great Leap Forward, and lives a hard but adequate life, working in the fields.

When a group of city boys comes to the village as part of a Communist Party reeducation program, Ming and his friends aren't sure what to make of the new arrivals. They're not used to hard labour and village life. But despite his reservations, Ming befriends a charming city boy called Li. The two couldn't be more different, but slowly they form a bond over evening swims and shared dreams.

But as the bitterness of life under the Party begins to take its toll on both boys, they begin to imagine the impossible. Freedom.
Ming stands on the bank of the river, a farewell to his mother who now joins the procession of souls taken by years of famine. His father died attempting to swim to Hong Kong, escaping the communist regime. Starving and alone, Ming is eleven years old when Fei is seeking refuge, one night of shared sorrow ensuring a friendship of support and comfort spanning distance and time.

Toiling the impacted earth, Ming labours for meager rations when under a Mao regime, the village of Dingzai has been selected for reeducation, expected to learn the teachings of their leader while the young men of the Red Guard are sentenced to the toil as humble farmers. Spreading the message of Mao. Li  is serving his leader, the Red Guard member an exemplary young man who is commended for his loyalty and dedicated to the teachings of his leader.

Ming and Li form a tentative friendship, relying on one another for support, guidance and compassion. Tension is high in the small farming village of Dingzai, famine and neglect have taken their toll and the only refuge is a liberal Hong Kong, a tumultuous Freedom Swim across the channel or risk being labelled as a reactionary thinker.

When you have nothing left, you have nothing left to lose.

My Thoughts

A few weeks ago I read a review for Freedom Swimmer on Happy Indulgence and was touched by Jeann's review. She spoke about how her family had migrated to Australia in which most families search for freedom and an environment to raise children, allowing them to prosper. It's a narrative echoed by so many Australian families, our neighbours, our friends and family members. Ming's story is passionate and breathtaking but most of all, it instills hope and a sense of understanding, learning not to take our freedom for granted.

Orphaned at the tender age of only eleven years old, Ming is a mere boy in a village where children sow the fields in communist China, not afforded an education unlike wealthy families living within the city, Ming is an outcast since his father attempted the treacherous swim to Hong Kong.

Titled Freedom Swimming by the media, an overwhelming number of young men and women made the journey to freedom, escaping Maoist guards with dozens of barely adult bodies washing up on the Hong Kong shoreline. Famine swept throughout China and for many citizens, escape was their only means of survival. Wai Chim was inspired by her own father's story, he too was a Freedom Swimmer in the early seventies and now lives a peaceful life in New York. An inspiration.

Freedom Swimmer is told in duel narratives from both Ming and Li, both young men are wonderfully written and will appeal to the wider audience with the characters conversing in modern English. Readers experience China's Cultural Revolution through the eyes of two young men, wanting justice for the treatment of so many and hopeful for their freedom. Freedom Swimming was an incredibly treacherous era, with many media reports believing it was a significant precursor to cultural change.

Australia is a multicultural country not without fault. Asylum seekers from war ravaged countries are modern day Freedom Swimmers, seeking refuge and safe passage for their families only to be placed in detention. Unless you identify as an Indigenous Australian who remain our traditional land owners, we are all migrants seeking the same freedom and prosperity and Freedom Swimmer further highlights their plight.

Inspirational, poignant and quietly beautiful, Freedom Swimmer is a journey of bravery and the strength we draw from solidarity and compassion.

28 comments

  1. Yay, I'm so glad you picked it up and enjoyed it Kelly! It's such a heart warming and overwhelmingly warm book filled with hope. Thank you for linking me!

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    1. I loved it. Immensely. Thank you so much for the recommendation, I knew I would have loved it too but had no idea how much it would effect me.

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  2. Books like this are important because it educates young people to the plight of immigrants fleeing war and poverty. I have an office mate who is literally one of the "boat people" from Vietnam. Her story leaves me in awe no matter how sad and, more often, disturbing it was.

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    1. It really is Joy, even probably more so for Australians as we're incredibly multicultural and apart from Indigenous Australians, have all migrated from another country. It was emotional and utterly captivating.

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  3. Wonderful review :-) This book sounds absolutely beautiful :-).
    We need more books like this and to get them read!

    I'm always quick to pipe up with "Hey my grandmother was a Boat Person A**hole" whenever I hear people bashing migrants (I blame the government and modern media for the hatred).

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    1. Essentially for those of us who aren't Indigenous, we're all migrants. My mum migrated to Australia in the fifties as well and although it's not the same as seeking refuge, her family came to Australia by boat for a better life and opportunities for their children as well. It's a phenomenal read Sarah, I loved it!

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  4. Great review, Kelly! This book sounds absolutely amazing. This is why I'm always angry when people dismiss YA as shallow, because there are books like this in YA that tell an important story. I've added this to my TBR and will hopefully read it soon. :)

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    1. I can't wait to see what you think of it and I couldn't agree more. Young adult is as complex as teens themselves are and I think a lot of the criticism stems from adult authors who are probably upset that even adults chose to spend their money on young adult novels. I wish they would stop policing what others read.

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  5. This sounds interesting, but I...don't think I'd be able to read it. Which probably sounds awful, but I have an empathy streak a mile wide and I get enough of that from reading the newspaper :(

    Could you imagine having to leave your home to seek refuge in a country that probably doesn't want you? I can. When I was (much) younger, we lived in a country that got itself a "military crisis" (not quite a coup). Our backup plan, if we couldn't leave by plane, was passage on an Australian bound cargo ship. We had emergency bags packed and ready. Of course, Australia wouldn't turn us away (since we're Aussies), but it was a pretty terrifying prospect for me as a child, and that feeling of not knowing if we'd get out, and being scared we wouldn't, was one I've never forgotten.

    Stories like this are so important, and I really do hope many young (and older) folk read them, because sometimes I feel like our society has forgotten our history of migration (we wouldn't exist without it!)

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    1. It's confronting at times, but it's ultimately a story of hope and a bid for freedom. I was so incredibly moved by the narrative and couldn't agree more. It's so important that our rich history of migration is being told to new generations, so they can understand how important it is for those seeking asylum and needing security in such a turbulent world.

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  6. My goodness, I NEED this book, Kelly! I too was interested when I read Jeann's review and added it to my wishlist- but wow, another glowing review from you, and I absolutely MUST get my hands on this. I love an inspiring book, and this sounds so, so well done! Fabulous review!

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    1. I honestly have no words to describe how touched I was by Freedom Swimmer Shannon, especially seeing it's based on the authors father and his own bid for freedom. It really does make you appreciate what we tend to take for granted. It'll appeal to the wider audience too as the characters converse in modern day English. Such a wonderfully poignant read.

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  7. oh that is such a good topic to touch on. I have heard a lot about freedom swimmers, but to write about it is such a challenge! makes me appreciate not being born there. My grandparents are Chinese, and they moved to Malaysia I think before Chairman Mao came to power.

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    1. It sounds like such a devastating period in history and one that would have ultimately effected every family who lived through the regime. Being based on a true story makes Freedom Swimmer such an incredibly important read. I would love to see what you think of it Ailyn.

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  8. Great review Kelly. I got a small insight into the multi cultural diversity in Australia as well

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    1. It's such a wonderful read Resh and beautifully written.

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  9. I was drawn in by the beautiful cover but it also sounds like a powerful story.

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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    1. It's incredible Karen, such an important read. Loved it immensely.

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  10. This sounds like a touching read. A book which really highlights the harsh past of communist China and also the struggles which so many went through to escape and survive when it really looked like there was no hope. It sounds like a powerful book and one I want to be able to read. Fantastic review.

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    1. Thanks Becky and it truly was. After finishing, I was Googling all about China's freedom Swimmers and reading others stories. So moving and powerful.

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  11. This is a particularly relevant and powerful story -- and yeah, pertinent point on asylum seekers too. This was a very thoughtful, considered review

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    1. Thanks Verushka, I was trying to do the book justice but it was just too magnificent for words.

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  12. This sounds so fantastic! I'm definitely going to have to pick up a copy. You and Jeann have definitely convinced me :)

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    1. She completely convinced me and I'm so glad she did. It was one of my favourite reads of twenty sixteen. It's incredible and can't wait to see what you think of it.

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  13. I have to read this soon! I'm glad I got it for my Aus YA Secret Santa - I just need to make time for it now! :D

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    1. Ooh, that's perfect Garaldine! Can't wait to read your review!

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  14. Oh, this book sounds like it would give me a lot of feels. It sounds fantastic. I definitely would love to read this. Amazing review <3

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    1. Thanks Marianne and long time no see. How have you been sweetheart? This is an amazing read, so incredibly poignant and a book that stays with you long after the final page.

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