Excellent body of nonfiction. Well research and enjoyable to read. realistic
But also hopeful which is important for us to realize as citizens and consumers.

I was utterly chilled and horrified by this narrative and it's completely changed the way I shop. I'm actively afraid to impulse buy things anymore -- I've got to do research! And consider whether I really need anything because I sure as heck do not want to be supporting these horrendous practices!

Day 7 #LibFaves2021 MADE IN CHINA: A PRISONER, AN SOS LETTER AND THE HIDDEN COST OF AMERICA'S CHEAP GOODS by Amelia Pang @ameliapangg
You will never shop the same way again after reading this heartbreaking look at how the goods we buy are produced in China's hidden prisons.

https://twitter.com/princessofworld/status/1470957818031353857?s=20

This book reads like an investigative expose and fictional thriller in its pacing and content. I was moved and outraged while listening to this book. We need more stories like these.

I think most Americans are vaguely aware of sweatshops, but this book does an excellent job at humanizing the slaves and detailing everything. The other doesn't let anyone off the hook ranging from the consumer all the way to the CEOs. This isn't just a book to make you feel guilty as she actually gives realistic things that the reader can do to help.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I've heard of the thing that happened in this book before so it wasn't "news breaking" for me but just as horrible to read the same, to read peoples actual stories, what the risk and lose to tell the truth, heart breaking and infuriating.

Amelia Pang’s Made in China provides readers with a clear call to action and damning portrayal of human rights violations in China’s labor industry. It helps readers understand the inhumane conditions in which religious and ethnic minorities are forced into labor to keep up with global demands for cheap goods. This book reignites the urgency for activism and conscientious consumerism.

It’s a strong audiobook listen with high-quality narration.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

What a heartbreaking book. Several big US companies are against forced labor but take China at its word that forced labor is not used. They don't investigate it because trade agreements have not made it easy to do so. Since the pandemic, we haven't been shopping except for essentials and I will certainly reevaluate what is essential

I had a reason for wanting to read this book.
Recently a friend whom I have not seen since before the pandemic....sent me a huge - years supply- of Reese’s peanut butter cups....( sweet chocolate gift)... but what my friend didn’t know —-and I had just learned ...is that China’s sweet tooth for a chocolate melts with economic slowdown — why?
Not only are Americans looking for a healthier snack ....but Hershey’s the worlds largest chocolate company, failed at curbing child labor laws in cocoa fields.
Advocate groups say that are still not sure as to whether it would strongly support U.S. regulations.

So... when I saw this book I wanted to learn more about than just hearsay of what I feared....but actually read more facts about china’s labor practices.

And frankly...it’s more scary than I thought....and it’s not just candy we have to worry about: think of products sold at Kmart, fashion at H&M, etc.

Buying anything ‘made in China’....will cause pause from this reader.

Valuable book....
An excellent researched non-fiction book. Amelia Pang followed a political prisoner- Sun Yi....and exposes the alarming truth about forced labor camps.
I listened to the Audiobook....( thank you, Netgalley, Workman Audio, and author Amelia Pang)...

It's only February, and I can confidently state I just read the most important book of 2021. Perhaps of my life.

In a word, Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods is terrifying. There are no words I could write to adequately express the pain I feel knowing I've indirectly supported the horrible practice of prison labor in China. We all have.

Forced labor camps produce the cheap products we buy. Even if they're "Made in America", chances are pieces/parts to assemble the products were made by unpaid, abused, tortured, force-fed and raped workers in factories in China. This book offers exposure of the nightmarish atrocities, but not many answers on how to stop it. It seems it's up to all of us not to look away, and to stand up to face the hideous truth behind our ability to save a buck.

In addition, there is also the horror of China's billion dollar (plus) organ transplant industry, which regularly tests these forced workers to see if matches can be found for involuntary harvest. If you thought it was disturbing to see Katniss volunteer for Prim, you'll never sleep again when you read about how these forced labor prisoners are volunteered with their lives so someone can make a yuan off their organs. This is reality for millions in China, though as Americans we're shielded from most of the details because, well, the Chinese government and its corporations are not giving up their "success" secrets without a fight.

I'm not saying this is an easy read, but it's definitely an important one. Awareness is the first step to solving the crime of forced labor. We all need that knowledge to nudge us to step up and do our part.

When I saw Amelia Pang's book on China's industrialization in order to appeal to American consumerism, my interest was definitely peaked. Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America's Cheap Goods is a good introduction to the human rights violations which exist in China, especially surrounding its demand for industrialized goods. Unfortunately, this book focused greatly on the individual Chinese workers, such as the trauma and torture they endured, rather than the ways the everyday American can spark meaningful change.

Although Chinese human rights violations are well-documented in their re-education camps and programs, I was surprised at the missed opportunity to really delve deeper into cultural differences. The pressure to perform and accept the rules of the company were touched on as an aspect of China's governmental control, but never discussed in depth. I was also surprised that Pang didn't discuss the juxtapositions that exist in America's focus on consumerism, when many Americans do not have the economic flexibility to buy anything that isn't made cheaply. Documentaries such as American Factory definitely focus on these themes a lot more strongly than Made in China. To Pang's credit, this book seemed largely tailored to an audience which has never been exposed to China's actions and industralization methods. Made in China is an ideal "first step" book, as it follows people you can emphasize with and relate to, while also informing the reader of how China's economy and government fails people trying to survive.

Before reading this book, recognize there are a lot of content warnings which are not mentioned in the book itself. There are scenes of torture, confinement, death, excrement, and more. Please see the content warnings for a comprehensive list.

This was really interesting! I am a person who is fascinated by the way things are produced and why they are produced so this was somehow that was right up my alley.
I always had a an idea that things were bad in the "factories" over in other countries but I had no idea. This book really opened my eyes to things I had only ever heard rumors about here and there. It also made me rethink my own habits.
I have never been someone who buys a lot of stuff and what I do buy is usually second hand but this book just verified my wanting to do that. I am definitely going to be getting myself a physical copy of this book when it comes out and suggesting it to everyone because I think this is some everyone should know about and learn about