In 1980, as China pivoted away from Maoist principles to Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms, the government introduced the one-child policy, ushering in the biggest social engineering project ever attempted in human history. The repercussions of this policy, from the parents who were left childless after the Sichuan earthquake to the unwanted girls who have made China the largest source country for transnational adoptions, are exhaustively detailed in this fast-paced yet granularly detailed study. While providing a unique portrait of China today, the author also poignantly explores the meaning and importance of family in a fast changing yet still deeply traditional society.