Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim

The story follows the life of a young Chinese boy named Ming during the bloody Cultural Revolution in China between 1962 and 1977. Ming becomes an orphan after his father is shot and his mother dies due to the famine. Eventually, Ming makes friends with Fei, an orphaned girl, and a boy named Li. Their relationships blossom, but soon Li is suspected of being a counter-revolutionary, and Fei is sent away by her aunt. Ming and Li soon devise a plan to escape to Hong Kong for freedom after feeling they have nothing else to lose. Notably, the "journey and subsequent events feel plausible and poignant, not only because they are based on the lived experience of the author's father, but also thanks to Chim's gift for storytelling." ("A young man lives," 2021)

Critical Analysis

Freedom Swimmer is a historical fiction novel set in China during the Cultural Revolution era. The plot is easy to follow for ages 12 and older. Ming, Li, and Fei are kindhearted and bold characters. Themes include friendship, oppression, freedom, and courage. Freedom Swimmer is on the Outstanding International Book (OIB) honor list of 2022 by USBBY. Chim is a first-generation Chinese American, and her story is authentic because she used real experiences from her father's life that she gathered through interviews with him. Similarly, cultural markers include the use of rural living, social norms, political oppression, and the use of Chinese language like geographic names and names of characters.

The strength of this story is its ability to tell an accurate representation of historical events and the harsh reality of those events. Its weakness is that the story ends too soon. I found this story interesting and intriguing because of the current Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong. Readers may enjoy another historical fiction novel I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, a story with a similar theme about oppression and freedom.

References

"A young man lives". (2021, November 2). Freedom swimmer. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/wai-chim/freedom-swimmer/

Chim, W. (2021). Freedom swimmer. Scholastic Press.