Although I’ve studied Chinese politics and history for years, there were plenty of events that I was not entirely familiar with. Catastrophy, however, was always to be expected in a country as large and divided as China was in the first half of the last century. 4.7 out of 5 stars 249. As a result, they spent forever on Mao's early years and ever. But it is a pretty one-sided view of "the Great Helmsman." Fascinating biography with a lot of new information gathered from KGB and other Russian files that have previously not been available, as well as some significant new research from China. Many characters that we know from our history books (Chiang Kai-Shek, Zhou-Enlai) make their appearance. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. 0 Ratings 10 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 0 Have read; This edition was published in November 14, 2006 by Anchor Written in English — 801 pages A biography of of Mao Zedong taken from the perspective of his relationship to women. Whether it was The Long March (Oct 1934- Oct 1935), The Great Leap Forward (1958-1963) or the Cultural Revolution (1966-Mao's death in 1976), Mao acted impetuously and without care for the facts on the ground. The title and preface of Pantsov & Levine’s work set it up as a counter to Chang and Halliday’s relentlessly polemical biography (Mao: The Unknown Story), which systematically rips apart most of the carefully constructed myths about Mao. I am the most uneducated, I am unsuited to be a member of any committee." Paperback. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Mao: The Unknown Story at Amazon.com. The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program That Shaped Our World. But they don’t actually challenge Halliday and Chang’s research and findings; the difference is primarily one of tone, with the unfortunate result that much of “The Real Story” is, especially for such a dynamic subject, tepid. The evil that he was responsible for - both deliberate and inadvertent - was very well illuminated and explained. by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday, et al. So the image of my mother in my mind has always been and still is today a healthy and beautiful one.” On her deathbed, the person who took priority in Mao’s consideration was himself,”, “This was what Moscow had intended: peasants must be coerced into doing things that left no way back into normal life. I forced myself through to the end of this dense work of scholarship. The book clearly shows Mao's lust for power and his skill in maneuvering his rivals in the Communist Party and how there clearly was not unanimity on how to proceed. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. He was to be plagued by constipation—and obsessed by defecation—all his life. This is a hugely enjoyable and fascinating read. What lets the book down is that: 1) the author is an unabashed anticommunist, and that basic ideological framework undoubtedly shapes the book's overall narrative; and 2) the reader has to be really vigilant about checking references - for every imp. He was concerned with one thing, and one thing only - bringing his version of Marxist revolution to China - and considered himself infallible, despite his admitted lack of education. This book is a good example of thorough and meticulous academic research. The pace of the book picked up when Mao started gettin' really wacky (understandably). Perhaps this is because the book is so focused on Mao (and Stalin and Khrushchev), that the Chinese political characters do not fully developed so that they can become plausible characters that affect these key historical events. But the way in which these biographers describe Mao have an obvious slant. Customers who viewed this item also viewed. Mao: Real Boring." Ideally, the author's should have focused on Sino-Soviet relations instead of giving the pretense that this was a balanced story of Mao's life. October 2nd 2012 Mao has absolutely no scruples. More than just the deaths of the masses was the way he treated his own family. 449). Mao The Unknown Story by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday. For the rest of us several explanations would help. slow. by Simon Schuster. And his mistakes were, at times catastrophic. See All Buying Options. Find books like Mao: The Unknown Story from the world’s largest community of readers. by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday. 205 reviews Cora Bradley dreams of escape. And his leadership was vital to this achievement. History is the record of change in human society and, for better or worse, Mao effected important changes that have shaped today's China and, for its growing global importance, the entire world. But no American publisher would settle for the sober announcement that Alexander V. Pantsov's access to the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History has resulted in a nuanced study of Mao Zedong (1893-1976) that supersedes previous biographies. At times I do feel like there was too much. knowledge of 20th century Chinese politics and its leaders is hugely greater now, as is my understanding of Mao. However, the introduction to this book suggested that this one is written after new material has come to light once the Soviet and Chinese archives were opened for research by scholars. “A fascinating and unique look at these celebrated expeditions. If you are used to the typically Communistic method of reading papers to signal the waxing or waning of various politicians, and the subtle symbolism of who gets to speak in which meeting, this is a relatively easy read. The archival evidence alone makes this book worth the read. Also, the title 'Mao:the Real Story' seemed to suggest as if the ones before were somewhat 'less authent. Unmasking Mao: The Unknown Story of a Twentieth Century Tyrant, Francis Slobodnik www.citelighter.com “When people think of mass murderers, Mao Zedong, the former chairman of the Communist Party of China, comes to mind for his policies resulting in the death of 77 million. Jung Chang is the best-selling author of Wild Swans (1991, which the Asian Wall Street Journal called the most read book about China), and Mao: The Unknown Story (2005, with Jon Halliday), which was described by Time Magazine as 'an atom bomb of a book'. In Stock. She was born in China in 1952, and … A better title would have been. " His life spans the rise of China--comprising one quarter of the world's population--from seemingly hopeless chaos to a united, purposeful nation-state. (Access to Russian archives is an imp. And the Russian version was almost triple in length, I’m told! Criticized as “opportunistic” and “right-wing,” he found himself kicked out of the Central Committee, and was not even invited to attend the next CCP congress scheduled for January 1925. At times I do feel like there was too much emphasis on the machinations in Moscow, but after finishing the book I was left convinced that Stalin’s and the Soviet Union’s influence on the early CCP and Mao in particular is far greater than I realized. Since I was interested mainly in Mao, the supreme communist leader of China, I had to wade through half the book without being all that absorbed in it. In writing the book, the authors had access to documents and information previously unavailable to any Mao biographers before them. 4.4 out of 5 stars 399. The main flaw of the book that there was awful lot of plenum this and politburo that dry recitations of the workings of the politics. Gaps are huge and while it is clear that the authors have little sympathy for The Chairman, too much is unanswered. Mao by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday, unknown edition, Hooray! Together they researched and wrote the biography of Mao Zedong, Mao: the Unknown Story which rece Halliday authored a biography of filmmaker Douglas Sirk and has written and edited seven other books. My mother was a very understanding person, and she agreed. I was hoping for something more readable. It is thus, although not necessarily more comprehensive, slightly more complete than Short’s book and others I haven’t read. A splash of cold water reality for Mao's naysayers. Reading this book, one might believe that nothing else but bureaucratic ideology is at the heart of Mao and China...and that's simply...not something I can believe in. 4.5 out of 5 stars 338. Pantsov and Levine cover familiar ground as Philip Short’s “Mao, a Life” but the book benefits from access to Chinese archives closed to previous biographers. But they don’t actually challenge Halliday and Chang’s research and findings; the difference is primarily one of tone, with the unfortunate result that much of “The Real Story” is, especially for such a dynamic subject, tepid. I won this book on Goodreads Giveaways. It gave me a very good sense of how he managed to become the ruler of China and stay in that position against tremendous opposition for a long time. Because of this they must have felt required to include ALL the details and ALL the names/aliases they had. From the get-go the authors explain "A recent biography of Mao by Jung Chang and Jon Holliday, Mao: The Unknown Story, was criticized in the academic community on grounds of reliability and distorted judgments. A then house-mate and colleague told us that Mao had “problems in his head … he was preoccupied with his affairs.” His nervous condition was reflected in his bowels, which sometimes moved only once a week. Margaret has 357 books on Goodreads, and is currently reading Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie and Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang $11.26: $4.42: Hardcover $43.20 4 Used from $15.27 4 New from $28.83 Paperback $26.96 16 Used from … It is very rich on details and describes not only Mao's personal life but also the rise of the Communist Party in China, and Russia's control over the direction it should take, and that Russia's control was solely because the Chinese needed its money to survive. Of course there are people and objects in the world, but they are all there only for me.”. This book brings together sixteen reviews of Mao: The Unknown Story – all by internationally well-regarded specialists in modern Chinese history, and published in relatively specialised scholarly journals. This biography was first published in Russia in 2007 without benefit of subtitle hype. We tried to avoid these shortcomings by making careful and discriminating use of a wider array of sources than any other biographer, weighing evidence carefully, and presenting sound and forceful judgments unmar, This is my first Mao Zedong biography so I am unbiased towards other authors. As I finished reading the book, I felt that the new material from the Soviet and Chinese archives did not contribute much to a changed view of Mao. When we get to the periods of peace and prosperity, we are bored … human nature loves sudden swift changes.”, “Mao was duly fired from this position. Thank you Goodreads! 9. Their meticulously researched … The archival evidence alone makes this book worth the read. The story is a key aspect of 20th century history, but is not well known in the West. The latter has great detail and chronicles Mao's negative side well. Top positive review. This book covers the entire life of Mao and so there is a lot of material on his childhood, family and early years as a communist. They assume that at some point he discarded morality and humanity and friendship in favor of power. It is very rich on details and describes not only Mao's personal life but also the rise of the Communist Party in China, and Russia's control over the direction it should take, and that Russia's control was solely because the Chinese needed its money to survive. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. If you are used to the typically Communistic method of reading papers to signal the waxing or waning of various polit. As a result, they spent forever on Mao's early years and ever. Pantsov weaves together a very coherent and convincing narrative, and he has trawled the Soviet archives and unearthed some amazing material. The reader will be dazzled by his political maneuvering. Mao is one of the top five major figures of the 20th century, and in reading about other historical topics--the Russian Revolution, the Korean War, Stalin, Western imperialism--I discovered that I couldn't understand it without immersing myself in Mao. Mao: The Unknown Story. Previous page. 4.9 out of 5 stars 73. Written in English — 814 pages This edition doesn't have a description yet. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 . Paperback. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jon Halliday (2007-01-04) Paperback – January 1, 1800 3.5 out of 5 stars 4 ratings. Goodreads compiled a list of books Trump recommends in his books "Trump 101: ... 'Mao: The Unknown Story' by Jung Chang. Ezra F. Vogel. By no means do the authors gloss over the brutality or callousness of the man; the costs of his achievements were high and painful--deadly, to be sure. Taken together they demonstrate that Chang and Halliday’s portrayal of Mao is in many places woefully inaccurate. rise to power within the CCP. 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