The maevolant madness of Chairman Mao unmasked..... (Mao: The Unknown Story - Chang, Halliday)

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Mao: The Unknown Story - Chang, Halliday
Date:	23/10/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A gripping account of this cruel dictator's life that has no equal....

Disadvantages: Very disturbing and highly charged at times, this is often an uncomfortable read

The first thing I should probably point out before starting this review is that this is not the kind of book that ordinarily I would read but, after finishing Wild Swans by the same author last year, I became deeply interested in this paticular period of Chinese history and wanted to discover just how one man could come to have so much terrifying power and influence over a country. I read Wild Swans as part of a read-a-long with other members of an online book group and, to be honest, this was one of the most moving books I had ever read. It was with that in mind that I picked up Mao; an epic journey through Chinese history that has taken me a whole 10 months to read! No small feat when you consider that I am normally a fairly fast reader!

Mao, The Unknown Story is written by Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, along with her western husband, Jon Halliday. It begins with the dictator's humble beginnings, takes a good long look at his early life and dispells many of the myths associated with The Long March before going on to recount Mao's later life and finally his death in '76.

The book is very detailed and highly extensive and is described as the most accurate account and definitive biography yet of the life and times of Mao Tse-tung. Many of the facts and details described here appear for the first time and it is highly evident that Chang and husband Halliday have done extensive research into a character of whom many myths and grevious errors have long been associated. As Chang says at the very beginning and again at the climax of this book, Mao was responsible for over 70 million deaths; many of which were in peace-time and as a result of his thirst to make China a Super-power regardless of the cost to his own people. These people he subjected to much tyranny during his reign as Chairman and it is fair to say that much of his rule was based entirely on fear! This makes for very uncomfortable reading at times but this is a highly compelling book and one I believe everyone should read at least once!

Some reviews of this book I have read suggest that a few of the "facts" presented here have since been reputed but seeing as how Chang actually lived for much of her life in Mao's China, I am more inclined to believe her account as she is party to sources that most other researchers may not be able to lay their hands on! Certainly she has a very easy-going style for such a heavy and serious subject matter and it is as much her writing as the story that gradually unfolds that hooks the reader in and keeps their interest. It is not the easiest of books to read by any stretch but Chang defenitely does a great job with what has come to be regarded by critics as "an Atom Bomb of a book!" At nearly 800 pages long before appendices and accompanied by memorable photographs, it is a book that will take you a while to read but is increasingly more and more difficult to put down. Without question I am now certain that I know much more about world events and recent modern history than I ever did before especially in regards to the highly secretive Communist nation of China......

If you fancy an epic journey of a book with a very serious subject matter, then this is something you really need to read! It may take you a while to reach this journeys end but when you get there, your perception of the world will more than likely have greatly altered. Certainly this is a book that has been jut as memorable for me as Wild Swans before it and a book I will always remember! It is also a book to which no review I write could ever do any justice!!

Summary: The definitive biography of Chairman Mao that dispells many of the myths about his life