Once an intimate of Mao Zedong, Ai Weiwei's father was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia," where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor cleaning public toilets. Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol. With candor and wit, he details his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist--and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime. Ai Weiwei's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his own life story and that of his father, whose own creativity was stifled.

Pellucid night -- Hearts are burning -- Snow falls on China's land -- Toward the sun -- The new epoch -- The gardener's dream -- From far northeast to far northwest -- The world is yours -- Freer than the wind -- Democracy or dictatorship? -- "New York, New York" -- Perspective -- Fake design -- "Fairytale" -- Citizens' investigation -- "Disturbing the peace" -- River crab feast -- Eighty-one days -- Living the best life we can -- Afterword.