The Diary of Ma Yan: The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl – A Courageous Memoir About Escaping Poverty Through Education for Kids (Ages 8-($7.99Value)

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“Heartbreakingly inspirational.” (AsianWeek) Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But for Ma Yan, money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees, or even to provide enough food for herself and her family. The publication of The Diary of Ma Yan was an international sensation, creating an outpouring of support for this courageous teenager and others like her . . . all due to one ordinary girl's extraordinary diary. "You don't review this small book; you tell people about it and say, 'Read it.'" (Washington Post) “Affecting. Will open youngster’s eyes.” - Publishers Weekly “A compelling, heartbreaking story of poverty, deprivation, and hope.” - Vancouver Sun “A compelling, heartbreaking story of poverty, deprivation, and hope.” - Vancouver Sun “Young readers are likely to rally in support of a peer’s struggle.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Paint[s] a vivid portrait of the daily life of a child in a part of the world seldom visited.” - School Library Journal “Heartbreakingly inspirational.” - AsianWeek “Will push readers to a new understanding of the hardscrabble existence endured by many [and] underscore how much teens everywhere have in common.” - ALA Booklist “Puts an unforgettable human face on the struggle. . . . You don’t review this small book; you tell people about it and say, ‘Read it.’” - Washington Post Book World "I'm so hungry, I could eat anything. Anything at all." In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But for Ma Yan, money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees . . . or even to provide enough food for herself and her family. Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling. Its publication was an international sensation, creating an outpouring of support for this courageous teenager and others like her . . . all due to one ordinary girl's extraordinary diary. Ma Yan is a teenager from Ningxia, China. She was thirteen and fourteen when she wrote these diary entries. Now sixteen, Ma Yan hopes to attend a university: "I want to study journalism," says Ma Yan. "My purpose is to keep the whole world informed, to report the poverty and real life in this area." Pierre Haski is the French journalist who first published extracts from Ma Yan's diary. He was instrumental in establishing The Association for the Children of Ningxia, a fund that pays for the schooling of children like Ma Yan. The Diary of Ma Yan The Struggles and Hopes of a Chinese Schoolgirl By Ma Yan HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2009 Ma Yan All right reserved. ISBN: 9780060764982 I Want To Study We have a week of vacation. Mother takes me aside. "My child. There's something I have to tell you." I answer, "Mother, if you have something to tell me, do it quickly. Tell me." But her words are like a death sentence. "I'm afraid you may have been to school for the last time." My eyes go wide. I look up at her. "How can you say something like that? These days you can't live without an education. Even a peasant needs knowledge to ensure good harvests and to farm well." Mother insists. "Your brothers and you add up to three children to be sent to school. Only your father is earning money, and it's not enough." I'm frightened. "Does this mean I have to come home to work?" "Yes." "And my two brothers?" "Your two brothers will carry on with their studies." I protest. "Why can boys study and not girls?" Her smile is tired. "You're still little. When you grow up, you'll understand." No more money for school this year. I'm back in the house and I work the land in order to pay for my brothers' education. When I think of the happy times at school, I can almost imagine myself there. How I want to study! But my family can't afford it. I want to go to school, Mother. I don't want to work at home. How wonderful it would be if I could stay at school forever! Ma Yan May 2, 2001 How it Happened May 2001 The village of Zhangjiashu is a little like the end of the world; you don't come upon it by accident. Travel to Zhangjiashu, located thousands of miles northwest of China's capital, Beijing, is as much a journey through time as it is through space. Houses are built of brick and roofed with traditional tiles, and the village, spread unevenly along the hills, occupies a space far removed from the bubbling modernization of urban China. The village's inhabitants were amaze