Among the most visible Chinese dissidents in the world, Ai Weiwei has ample reason to mistrust the regime. His father Ai Qing, an associate of Mao Zedong and one of the nation's most prominent poets, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution. The family was banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia," where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor. In this illustrated memoir, Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, and—despite achieving international fame as an artist and dissident—why he eventually returned to his homeland.

"This memoir is a remarkable book—and an important one…. A breathtaking self-examination of a brave artist."—Minneapolis Star Tribune