Cowboy on the Steppes

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This unusual book recounts a little-known episode in Mao Tse-tung’s
Cultural Revolution. In the late 1960s, 17 million high-school graduates
were sent to remote areas of China for “re-education.” The
author’s brother, Yi Nan, was among the students. Unlike most, Yi Nan
kept detailed diaries during his eight years on the plains of Mongolia
in Ur Commune. Drawing upon Yi Nan’s diaries, author/artist Song Nan
Zhang chronicles and illustrates his brother’s dramatic experiences on
the steppes.

The studious Yi Nan was at first overwhelmed by the impoverished life
of the Mongolian peasants. But soon he was drawn to their horses, and
asked to be allowed to learn to herd cattle. Gradually, he acquired the
skills necessary to protect the herd from wolves and to survive the
ferocious winters. He also learned to respect and love the people, whose
lives were so different from his own.

This inspiring account of a young man’s courage and triumph over
adversity is well served by the author’s colorful and realistic
paintings. The final illustration is an epic depiction of the great
spring ride: herders gather to drive back the wolf packs and to meet old
friends. Highly recommended.