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Loading... Mao: The Unknown Storyby Jung Chang
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. The materials uncovered in this book come as a great shock to me. (  ) seekerwjk | Oct 29, 2009 |  Extensively researched and well written I did not get bored once reading this book. It's a very complete biography of Mao's life from birth to death. (  ) Scrub | Oct 25, 2009 | The research that went into this book is astounding. In some parts, it was written objectively and in other parts, the loathing and bias of the authors came through like a sledgehammer. The authors also make it seem like Chiang Kai-Shek would have been a better leader and was a "better" person. Mao and Chiang and all their cronies were all in a quest for power. I learned a good deal from this book and despite its obvious flaws, I would recommend it. Just read it with a dose of skepticism. (  ) DakotaDaisy | Oct 22, 2009 | The story is raw and unflattering. The author's research included several hundred interviews of people from many countries. My reading of the 864 pages goes slowly. It is like reading Michener. I had to renew it twice to get through it. I wish I had read this book before my visits to China. It explains many of the responses to question I asked. I will read other books by this author. ( ) ds1 | Oct 5, 2009 | Mao: The Untold Story is simply a remarkable work. Authoritative to say the least. If this was a work of fiction, it would be unbelieveable. Meticulously researched, and full of first hand accounts from Mao's inner circle. Mao Tse Tung was the most evil of all the man in the history of the world, with 70 Million deaths attributed by Mao, and that's in peacetime. If you like this book, try Stalin by Robert Service (no, not the poet, this is another writer) ( )1  mhaley | Aug 7, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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Criticisms of Communist party rule |
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Using exhaustive research in archives all over the world, Chang and Halliday recast Mao's ascent to power and subsequent grip on China in the context of global events. Sino-Soviet relations, the strengths and weakness of Chiang Kai-shek, the Japanese invasion of China, World War II, the Korean War, the disastrous Great Leap Forward, the vicious Cultural Revolution, the Vietnam War, Nixon's visit, and the constant, unending purges all, understandably, provide the backdrop for Mao's unscrupulous but invincible political maneuverings and betrayals. No one escaped unharmed. Rivals, families, peasants, city dwellers, soldiers, and lifelong allies such as Chou En-lai were all sacrificed to Mao's ambition and paranoia. Appropriately, the authors' consciences are appalled. Their biggest fear is that Mao will escape the global condemnation and infamy he deserves. Their astonishing book will go a long way to ensure that the pendulum of history will adjust itself accordingly. --Silvana Tropea
Q: From idea to finished book, how long did Mao: The Unknown Story take to research and write? 1. Mao became a Communist at the age of 27 for purely pragmatic reasons: a job and income from the Russians.
2. Far from organizing the Long March in 1934, Mao was nearly left behind by his colleagues who could not stand him and had tried to oust him several times. The aim of the March was to link up with Russia to get arms. The Reds survived the March because Chiang Kai-shek let them, in a secret horse-trade for his son and heir, whom Stalin was holding hostage in Russia.
3. Mao grew opium on a large scale.
4. After he conquered China, Mao's over-riding goal was to become a superpower and dominate the world: "Control the Earth," as he put it.
5. Mao caused the greatest famine in history by exporting food to Russia to buy nuclear and arms industries: 38 million people were starved and slave-driven to death in 1958-61. Mao knew exactly what was happening, saying: "half of China may well have to die."
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:22 -0400)
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