The children China lost: Review of Barbara Demick’s Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

When 28-year-old Zanhua felt a contraction grip her body while trimming vegetables for lunch, she wasn’t afraid of the pain that was about to follow. She had already given birth twice and knew what to expect. She also knew that she would have to give birth to her third child in secret because China strictly enforced the one-child policy. Zanhua and her husband Youdong were aware of punishment and heavy fines that awaited them if they were caught. Still, Zanhua wanted a third child because of the family pressure to give birth to a boy. She gave birth to twin girls.