The four books
By: Yan Lianke ; translated from the Chinese by Carlos Rojas
Contributors: Rojas, Carlos, 1970- translator
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Grove Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 338
ISBN-13: 9780802123121
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Communism; Economic conditions; Labor camps; Famines; Fiction
Other titles: 4 books
Work titles: Sishu
Description: In the ninety-ninth district of a sprawling reeducation compound, freethinking artists and academics are detained to strengthen their loyalty to Communist ideologies. They are  forced to carry out grueling physical work and are encouraged to inform on each other for dissident behavior. The prize: winning the chance at freedom. They're overseen by preadolescent supervisor, the Child, who delights in reward systems and excessive punishments. When agricultural and industrial production quotas are raised to an unattainable level, the ninety-ninth district dissolves into lawlessness. And then, as inclement weather and famine set in, they are abandoned by the regime and left alone to survive.
Notes: Translation from the Chinese of: Sishu.