《翻身》可以说是中国北方农村土地改革的一个缩影。全书共分7部，前2部介绍张庄的历史，后5部介绍工作队进驻张庄后所了解的情况以及领导那里的农民所进行的斗争。作者在书中热情地歌颂了中国共产党、毛主席领导下的伟大的土改和整党运动，生动地记录了张庄人民打碎封建枷锁，获得翻身解放的曲折过程。

More than thirty years after its initial publication, William Hinton's Fanshen continues to be the essential source for those fascinated with China's continual process of rural reform and social change. This edition will appeal to anyone interested in understanding China's complex social processes, and to those who wish to rediscover and re-experience this classic volume again.