If you're looking for a book to read or are interested in what life is like for young women in China, I recommend you pick up a copy of Factory Girls by Leslie Chang. The non-fiction book tells the stories of numerous girls who have left the countryside to work in factories in the cities. It provides fascinating insight into factory working conditions, how girls survive - and get ahead, and the effect of migration on families and culture. The book (in my opinion) does a great job of reporting the facts without being biased - it is neither overly sympathetic to the workers nor is it slanted for/against the companies that operate the factories.
In case you are interested in reading a little more about it, here's a link to a New York Times review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/books/review/Keefe-t.html
After reading Factory Girls, I know I'll never look at my athletic shoes or cell phone in quite the same way!
I will add this to my library list. Thanks for the reading recomendation. What else are you reading? I'm enjoying Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood. I stay up way too late reading it!
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