BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP 2025-2026

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang - presented by NBPL Foundation

October 8, 2025

Jung Chang’s grandmother’s feet were bound as a child, and she was given to a warlord general as a concubine. As the general lay dying, she fled with her infant daughter. That daughter grew up to become active in the Communist movement during the civil war against the Kuomintang.  Following the Communist victory in 1949 she and her husband became senior officials. Jung Chang, their daughter, was raised in the privileged circles of China’s Communist elite but was to take the unimaginable step of questioning Mao himself. Her parents were denounced and tortured, and she herself was exiled to the edge of the Himalayas. Breathtaking in its scope, unforgettable in its description of China’s long nightmare, it is both an important work of history and a remarkable human document.

 Meeting Details:

• Friends Room, Central Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, CA
• 2nd Wednesday of the month / September to May
• 9:30am - 11:00am / doors open at 9:15am
• FREE (a suggested donation of $10.00 is always appreciated)
• No Reservations required
• Come whether you’ve read the book or not as The Group is kind, curious, and engaging!  

The Book Discussion Group members select, read, and discuss 9-10 books per year. This active and dynamic Group meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 9:30am - 11:00am in the Friends Room at the Central Library. All are welcome whether you’ve read the book or not and the program is FREE. Refreshments are provided and the books are available through the Newport Beach Public Library.

For detailed 2025-2026 Book Discussion Group reading list: https://nbplf.foundation/programs/book-discussion-group/