Swimming to Freedom

My Escape from China and the Cultural Revolution — An Untold Story

By: Kent Wong

Narrated by: Freddie Wong

An extraordinary memoir of Communist China, the Cultural Revolution, and a yearning to be free

When Kent Wong was a young boy, his father, a patriotic Chinese official in the customs office in Hong Kong, joined an insurrection at work, allowing the family to return to the newly established People’s Republic of China. Hailed as heroes, they settled in the southern city of Canton. But Chairman Mao’s China was dangerous and unstable, with landlords executed en masse and millions dying of starvation during the Great Leap Forward.

In Swimming to Freedom, Kent Wong captures his childhood amidst revolutionary times, where boyish adventures and school days mixed with dire poverty and political persecution. Mao’s Hundred Flower Campaign had ensnared Kent’s father. A decade later, the Cultural Revolution closed schools, plunged the country into chaos, and scattered Kent and his sisters to disparate villages, where they struggled to eke out a bare existence.

As the son of a “capitalist rightist,” Kent began to realize that with higher education closed to him, he had no future in China. So when he hooked up with a dissident underground and heard about fellow countrymen, known as “Freedom Swimmers,” braving great hardship to reach freedom by swimming across miles of open water to Hong Kong, he decided to join them, risking his life for a better future. A gripping, heart-rending journey, this memoir is a moving testament to the human spirit.

©2021 Kent Wong (P)2024 Recorded Books

Incredible history

Amazing story with a emphasis on how the communist regime affected those at the lowest level. It makes you feel as though if you were in the same situation, you would feel as if the only choice was to swim to freedom. Amazing narration by Freddy.

A beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful true story

Wow! I picked this up to expand my understanding of another country’s history. I didn’t expect to find myself crying at multiple points, cheering for the author, or so grateful to be born into a free country. This memoir follows one man’s life in and escape from Maoist Canton, and all the people he loved and lost along the way. The writing was moving and the narration was great! The story was harrowing at times and not for the faint of heart, but I recommend it to anyone interested in a primary source about an area of history that most people rarely get to glimpse.

Heart wrenching, and a tear jerking story

I usually don’t listen to audio books, but I heard from Freddy Wong that he had just recorded his reading of his fathers book. I immediately purchased it and began listening. Most things fail to elicit an emotional response from me, however I found myself multiple times listening coming to tears. I cannot fathom what it took to go through that, and how it was dealing with everything after. I will recommend this book to everyone I know. A must listen

An engrossing tale of the indomitable human spirit

An exceptionally well-paced and engrossing listen, which I personally binged in two sittings because I was so engaged. I highly recommend for anyone who has been curious about first-hands accounts of the human-impact of the Cultural Revolution.

While there were brief moments where the narrator sounded almost-nervous, his presentation is still spot on.
That being said, NOTHING could distract from the heart-wrenching tale of a man's persuit of a better life and the future which might be.