Son of the Revolution is a memoir, not a novel, so the people in it are not technically "characters," they are the people who were involved in Liang Heng's life. That being said, here are some of the most important people mentioned in the story, and why they are significant:

Liang Heng - Liang Heng is the author of the memoir and the focal point of the story. He tells the reader about his experiences growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China and the way that it tears his once close family apart. He loses his mother to a re-education camp and is sent to live with his father in the country before eventually being able to go to college when the revolution settles down.

Yan Zhide - Yan Zhide is Liang Heng's mother and is branded (falsely) as a counter-revolutionary. She spoke out quietly against the government as a part of the Hundred Flowers Campaign and was harshly punished for it. She is sent to a re-education camp as a part of Mao Zedong's attempt to punish everyone who spoke out against him and his rule.

Liang Shan - Liang Shan is Heng's father. In spite of the fact that the communist leader took away his wife and eventually forced his family to move to the country where they had to grow their own food in order to survive, Shan is still a fervent supporter of Mao Zedong.

Judith Shapiro - Judith Shapiro is the co-author of this memoir and Liang Heng's wife. They met at the Hunan Teacher’s College once the schools in China were reopened. Judith was a teacher there. Together, the couple moved to America in 1980, shortly before writing this book.