Book
Traitor Within
First published 1971
A fourteen-year-old Chinese boy is forced to prove his loyalty to his commune and country when his village prepares for a predicted attack from Taiwan. Public duty and private fear collide as adults measure courage through political conformity and the boy tries to understand what patriotism requires of him.
Written for younger readers, the novel uses a local crisis to explore the wider Cold War confrontation across the Taiwan Strait. Cordell concentrates on the experience of a child inside a highly politicised community rather than on diplomacy at the state level. The result is a coming-of-age story in which uncertainty, propaganda and the expectation of war shape ordinary family and village life.
Historical Periods
Genres
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Cold War and Post-war Era
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
