Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: New Books in East Asian Studies
Episode: Tie Ning, Annelise Finegan trans., "My Sister's Red Shirt" (Sinoist Books, 2025)
Description: Growing up in a glittering new decade of possibility, Anran is radically different to her sister. Outspoken and idealistic, she relishes in challenging hypocrisy, unlike the older Anjing, whose memories of a turbulent past remind her of the perils of going against the grain.
When Anran is gifted a stylish red shirt that becomes the talk of their sleepy hometown, adolescent delight is construed by her cynical teachers as another act of defiance. As they decide the young firebrand’s future, certain lessons can’t be avoided. Should Anjing shield her sibling from life’s hard truths, or wil...