The Diary of Ma Yan

In a remote province in Northeastern China, in May 2001, the journalist Pierre Haski and his group are preparing to leave the tiny village they have been visiting. Suddenly a peasant woman approaches and urgently thrusts into their hands a letter, written on the back of a seed packet, and three small brown notebooks filled with characters in a finely drawn pencil.

When their precious bundle is translated, they are astonished to find they hold thirteen-year-old Ma Yan's diary and a passionate letter she'd written to her mother, headed, I Want To Study Thus began an extraordinary friendship that not only transformed Ma Yan's life, but also over forty of the village children's who are now able to go back to school.

And Ma Yan's passionate diary is now published in ten languages throughout the world. overcome her impoverished life, who prefers to go hungry in order to save money to buy a pen, who feels deeply for her mother, and her young brother . It is a story of indomitable spirit, wonderful humor and thirsty intelligence.