or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
23 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
War Trash
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

War Trash (Paperback)

by Ha Jin (Author) "Before the Communists came to power in 1949, I was a sophomore at the Huangpu Military Academy, majoring in political education ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £7.19 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.80 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 4 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, February 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
15 new from £0.39 8 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 14 used & new from £2.68
Paperback (Reprint) 18 used & new from £0.18
Hardcover (Large Print) 2 used & new from £22.03

Frequently Bought Together

War Trash + Beijing Coma + Stick Out Your Tongue
Total RRP: £23.97
Price For All Three: £18.40

Show availability and delivery details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Beijing Coma

Beijing Coma

by Ma Jian
4.4 out of 5 stars (7)  £6.60
Waiting

Waiting

by Ha Jin
4.1 out of 5 stars (10)  £5.31
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Diaz
3.9 out of 5 stars (23)  £4.76
Stick Out Your Tongue

Stick Out Your Tongue

by Ma Jian
3.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £4.61
Interpreter of Maladies: Stories of Bengal, Boston and Beyond

Interpreter of Maladies: Stories of Bengal, Boston and Beyond

by Jhumpa Lahiri
4.5 out of 5 stars (20)  £4.96
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (27 July 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141023961
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141023960
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 369,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #5 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > J > Jin, Ha

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

War Trash is the unforgettable story of Yu Yuan, a young Chinese army officer sent by Mao with a corps of ‘volunteers’ to help shore up the Communist side in Korea. When the Americans capture Yu, his command of English propels him into the role of unofficial interpreter in the psychological warfare that defines the POW camp. Desperate to return to his beloved fiancée and widowed mother, Yu is trapped by both barbed wire and politics…

About the Author

Ha Jin left his native China in 1985 and now lives in the Boston area. When he was 14 he lied about his age and joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Waiting; three prize-winning story collections; the novels The Crazed and In the Pond; and three books of poetry. He is a professor of English at Boston University.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Before the Communists came to power in 1949, I was a sophomore at the Huangpu Military Academy, majoring in political education. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
oriental perfumes
ha jin
east meets west
china

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

War Trash
73% buy the item featured on this page:
War Trash 4.0 out of 5 stars (6)
£7.19
Waiting
15% buy
Waiting 4.1 out of 5 stars (10)
£5.31
In the Pond
6% buy
In the Pond 3.9 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.99
A Free Life (Vintage International)
4% buy
A Free Life (Vintage International)
£8.28
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "We felt ashamed of becoming POWs...we should have died.", 27 Feb 2005
By Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: War Trash (Hardcover)
Author Ha Jin, born in the People's Republic where he lived until 1985, offers a unique perspective on that culture, different from that of most "Chinese" novels written for a western audience. Setting the novel in a POW camp in South Korea from 1951 - 53, Ha Jin focuses on the differing attitudes the Chinese, Koreans, and Americans have toward home, country, and each other. Through Yu Yuan, a young soldier from the Chinese Communist army, Ha Jin shows how differently one young man sees his life and his obligations but how similarly he values friendship, justice, honor, and love.

The only son of an elderly mother, Yu Yuan is a twenty-three-year-old member of the Chinese army when his unit enters Korea to aid the North Koreans in 1951, but the Chinese army, Yuan discovers, is not a well-oiled "machine." Their weapons are Russian, but no one can read the instruction manual. Lines of communication are so long that men can get orders to march in two different directions from two different officers on two different days, and no officer is allowed to make his own decisions. Supplies are so low that men survive for months on flour and water.

Wounded during a vividly described battle which inflicted atrocious casualties, Yuan becomes a POW, hiding his true identity because being captured is a crime in China. Abominable camp conditions, described in specific detail, are made worse when Nationalist Chinese officers, allies of the US, try to "convince" Communist POWs not to return to the mainland. Water tortures, unremitting beatings, murders, denial of food, the tattooing of anti-Communist statements on the bellies of Communists, and the (even worse) cutting out of the flesh containing these slogans if the men continue to refuse to go to Taiwan, are powerful "motivations" for refusing repatriation.

Buffeted by fate and at the mercy of a Communist government which places no value on individuals, Yuan is not yearning for freedom, which he has never known. He simply wants to return home to his mother and fiancee with some sense of honor. Ha Jin's writing is efficient and precise, his narrative giving attention to stories of horrific battles, constant privation, and abusive behavior by Nationalist Chinese, mainland Chinese officers, and Americans. A strong novel which depicts a culture, rather than individuals, War Trash lacks a love story which sometimes unites other war novels, but it remains fascinating and rewarding for those who are curious about this alien way of life. Mary Whipple

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten soldiers, 14 April 2009
By J. Cronin "dudara" (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Ha Jin lied about his age when he was 14 years old so he could join the Chinese People's Liberation Army in the midst of the Cultural Revolution. He left his native China in 1985, and now writes about China, solely in English for the benefit of English-speakers. War Trash, his fourth novel was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

It's hard to believe that there is not an element of autobiography in this story. Our main character is Yu Yuan, who is drafted into the newly formed Communist army and is sent as part of a corps of 'volunteers' to fight against the Americans in the Korean War. The short-comings and lack of preparation on the part of the Communists soon become apparent to our protagonist, as he watches hundreds die around him. Eventually he is captured by the Americans and following surgery, he is sent to a POW camp.

Despite having faced hardship out on the battlefield, it is in the POW camp that Yu faces the toughest challenges of all. The POW camps are split between the majority Nationalists, who want to be released to Free China (Taiwan) and the Communists who want to return to China. Yu's English language skills means that both sides are interested in him, but all Yu wants is to return home to his elderly mother and fiancee.

The tale is very simply written, sometimes without grace or elegance of language. However, it is an interesting portrait of the inner-conflict that the Chinese people must have faced at the dawn of the Communist age. Yu faces the tough choice between returning to the mainland, possibly declaimed as a traitor for allowing himself to be captured, or moving to Taiwan. The Chinese mentality that is portrayed in the book is confusing to me as a Westerner, but it goes a long way to explain the enthusiasm that the Chinese have for idealogues.

Ultimately I found this to be a powerful, yet simple, tale that exposed vast tracts of Chinese attitude and mentality as well as providing insight into a far-away war.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Convincing story impeccably written, 9 Jun 2008
By X. Zhang "Weast" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A rare insight of both corporeal pain and mental struggle of Chinese POWs in Korea War, especially the conflict between prisons of Communist and Nationalist. High praise for the Chinese author with perfect command of English and profound observation of human nature in a war.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and very well researched study of a double entrapment
This must be the first book I ever read on Korean War presenting things from the Chinese perspective - well, mostly Chinese perspective, considering that Ha Jin lived in USA... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2007 by Maciej K.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so good
I read this book expecting it to be similar to his other novels such as "Waiting" and "The Bridegroom" which I enjoyed very much. Read more
Published on 22 July 2007 by Tim M

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I submitted a review of this several months ago, but it doesn't seem to have appeared.

I did enjoy this book and found its descriptions of part of an almost... Read more
Published on 27 May 2007 by Book Tart

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject









i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.