A Year Without "Made In China" - Book Review

I just put down the book “A Year Without ‘Made In China’” by Sara Bongiorni. After seeing her interviewed on The Today Show, I just had to pick it up. It was everything I’d hoped for, and more.

The book is a true story about the Bongiorni family. The day after Christmas, Sara Bongiorni realized that China seemed to have a stranglehold on her family and their lives. She saw box after box with “made in China” labels. She knew she had to do something. She talked to her husband, Kevin, and they decided that they would go a year without buying anything that is made in China. To make the boycott even more difficult they have two young children, Wes and Sofie.

I think parents will enjoy this book because it does answer the question of whether or not there are toys that are NOT made in China out there. I loved this book. The characters are well developed. The author takes us through the year, through her doubts if she is doing the right thing, and through her worries that she’s turning her daughter into a xenophobe. It is great fun to read and you really get into the spirit of the boycott with her. You feel bad for her when the merchandise she orders turns out to be from China, even when she’s been assured otherwise.

If you want a race baiting, anti Chinese story, this is not the book for you. But, if you want to read about one family's humorous attempts to not buy Chinese goods, you will enjoy this book. You’ll have to read it to find out if they make it through the year without giving up on the boycott, and what they decide to do at the end of the year.