Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng

Can you imagine spending 6 1/2 years in solitary confinement, exiting your cell only for brief periods of "exercise" in the freezing cold cement yard or for days of interogations, suffering near starvation, torture and frequent illness - and then refusing to be released?

Nien Cheng tells her harrowing story of political persecution in Mao's China during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960's and 1970's.  She relates her sufferings with such a stoic calm, sense of courage, and awareness of the outside influences that affect her personal situation that in telling her own story, she also tells the story of all those who suffered political persecution during Mao's rule.

Absolutely engaging and enlightening - a "change your world" book.  Highly recommended.