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Feb 03, 2012

Natasha rated it:

I was very much looking forward to this highly touted book, as it's widely considered to be the most thorough and in depth study of Mao ever done. It's true, actually. The amount of detail is pretty incredible.

The thing that has been turning me off of this book is that it falls victim a little too much to the author's personal feelings for Mao. I understand that a lot of what he did was atrocious. I just wish that I didn't feel like I was being force fed the author's point of vie More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 03, 2007

pinkgal rated it:

How do I review a book like this? I don't know, because I have decidedly mixed feelings about Mao myself. Jung Chang wrote the amazing "Wild Swans" biography/autobiography, but her voice there falls far short of the voice here. I'll be honest. It's very, very biased. She presents the work as *factual* when it's not actually quite that factual. Much of her interpretation and statements are based off of things like, "a dear friend of Mao's said..." and yet, the friend is *not* More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

May 03, 2011

Jeff rated it:

I'm going to have to come back to this; it's an exhaustive read. I will say this: I would have given it five stars but for the fact that the writing itself is extremely textbookish. At times, reading it was a chore that ranks up there with getting through John Galt's 60-page speech in Atlas Shrugged. But Mao is so well researched and such an interesting topic, covering a fascinating period in Chinese history ...

Update: If you really are a glutton for punishment and want to read what More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2008

Pamela rated it:

Just like when I read Wild Swans byt Jung Chang, there were times when my eyes almost crossed when she is writing of politics and military maneuvers. However, I felt that anyone interested in 20th Century China should read both. There has been some controversy about the accuracy of some of the information, but overall, from what I have read, there is some new information that has been verified (Russia's involvement in Chinese politics during the civil war, for example).

Sometimes, I More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 18, 2007

Andrew rated it:

This is a comprehensive hatchet job on the Western myth of Mao's "making of modern China". It should be read by everyone who grew up in the post-war years, with the recurrent fascination our society had with the internal convulsions of the "People's Republic" and its growing influence on its neighbours.

It is well written - I noticed a few repetitions, but nothing annoying, and it kept my interest throughout.

I'm sure the passion that comes through the More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 08, 2008

Jana rated it:

Jung Chang wrote a beautiful story in Wild Swans, the biograpy of her own family through the Mao era, but this biography she has written of Mao Zedong is flawed in that she clearly lets her overwhelming hatred for what her family went through keep her from being an objective biographer. Chang paints Mao as a monster. He did fail as a leader, but he also did many good things for China. A historian--the role Chang is attempting to assume here--needs to look at all sides of these issues of power an More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it

Chang, who was born in China in 1952 and left for Britain in 1978, recounted her family's suffering under Mao in her award-winning Wild Swans (1991). With husband-historian Halliday, she has written a shocking, authoritative account of Mao's life. The authors present evidence that refutes almost every aspect of the Chinese Communist Party's account, from the claim that the Party fought the Japanese to Mao's role in the Long March. Having gleaned indicting information from newly available Chinese

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Feb 02, 2009

Tom rated it:

Man, this was a 2 1/2 month project to slog through. That's not to say it isn't a good book, I just had a hard time in the first half when we just have example after example of Mao killing thousands of his own men because he's either scared of losing power, scared of Stalin, scared of Chiang Kai-Shek, or greedy for something or other. It actually gets sort of redundant.

The book really picks up in the second half when things get considerably more interesting with the Russians and whe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 25, 2009

Mkp rated it:

At first, I was put off by the heavily polemical style and constant sneers at Mao. But I pushed on, and I'm glad that I did. Read the book, not as academic history or as a scientific investigation, but more as a bill of indictment. Chang and Halliday spent ten years digging up an extraordinary wealth of material, and I doubt anyone will ever match what they have done. They had access to Russian archival material and various aging eye-witnesses in China that have not been available to previou More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 04, 2008

Leslie rated it:

This book is anti-Mao, for sure, but from what I've read in other books, that seems to be justified. Mao is responsible for the worst man-made famine in all of history--30 million people died. He caused the deaths of more people than Hitler and Stalin put together. A lot of people don't know that because it isn't part of Western history, but it is true. My only problem with the book was the exhaustive detail. Sometimes it was just too much. But I found it well-researched and informative.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2012

Anna rated it:

This is a fascinating, exhaustively researched, and mostly convincing account. The authors do not pretend to be "objective," and especially in the early stages of the book, before Mao achieves real power, this can come across as heavy-handed. Not only did Mao kill millions, but he also was a self-absorbed young scholar, a cad with women, and callous toward his dying mother. However, these assertions are well supported. And considering Mao's role in history, a book that seeks to hold h More...

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Nov 22, 2011

Phillip rated it:

Mao:The Unknown Story is a very interesting and inspirational book written by Jung Chang, which describes events about China's previous communist leader : Mao Zedong.

The Unknown Story is about China's previous communist leader Mao Zedong and the many events and calamities in which surrounded his leadership.
The Unknown Story is a very interesting and inspirational book and it describes from a first person point of view the views on Mao Zedong and his leadership from people across C More...

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Aug 06, 2011

John rated it:

Clearly written to puncture the hundreds of fabricated details of Mao's rise and reign, the biography too often has the feel of a vendetta. The horror of Mao's leadership - sadistic, cruel, sickening...the modifiers could be endless - should shock us all, and the Chang and Halliday have done a remarkable service in producing this incredibly detailed book based on hundreds of interviews and source texts. Scholars will come back to their research again and again and again. I do feel, though, th More...

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Aug 06, 2011

Colt rated it:

This was quite the read, it was detailed and at many times long winded, but most importantly it painted a picture of who Mao really was. It pulls no punches when dealing with him, the authors due give him his due when he showed small shreds of humanity that were usually directed at few in his family. I once had the definition of a sociopath explained to me. The sociopath doesn't like you for you, but rather likes you for what you can provide to them; and once you don't have anything more to o More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Lalala rated it:

The problem of this book can be succinctly captured by this quote: "In their zeal to protect something precious, people sometimes decide to dig the moat too far out, thinking that it is safer to defend too much than risk defending too little. The result is that they end up trying to defend the indefensible, clinging to an extreme position that is actually vulnerable only because of its exaggeration." - D. Dennett

I believe that all politicians are corrupted to a certain extent. Mao Tz More...

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Dec 20, 2009

Mag rated it:

A minutely researched story of how Mao came-to and stayed-in power, with a lot of behind the scenes information, detailed accounts from diplomatic meetings and interviews of people who came into contact with him.

Is it well written? It’s good, but not outstanding, and it feels biased. There is a wealth of interesting information on how his regime functioned, but Mao as a person doesn’t come fully through. There are some repetitions, some things are unclear, some information seems will More...

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Nov 02, 2010

Joe rated it:

An incredible achievement. This book details Mao in a way that has probably never been done before, showing us the true monster underneath the nowadays somewhat romanticized version of the 'Great Leader' of China from 1946 until his death. Make no mistake, this man was a disgraceful human being. Everything he ever undertook in his regretably long life was for personal gain and he would stop at nothing to achieve it. He honestly believed that he was capable of taking over the world, and in the ho More...

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Feb 01, 2011

Bjoernlars rated it:

This behemoth of a book delves deeply into the life of Mao. Lots of research and information is woven into a piece that reads both like a tale and a history book at the same time. While you may be overwhelmed with information, it doesn’t feel like a burden.

The authors do not paint a pretty picture at all of Mao and his exploits. Is this fair depiction of him? Or is the story told completely slanted?

Either way, I came away with lots of information, a better understanding i More...

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Dec 11, 2011

Bondan rated it:

Sebagai sebuah biografi, buku ini sangat mudah diikuti, karena setiap babnya merupakan periodesasi usia Mao yang dikaitkan dengan peristiwa-peristiwa khusus dalam periode tersebut. Misalnya saja pada bab Menjadi Orang Komunis, dituliskan periode ini terjadi pada tahun 1920-1925, di usia 17-26, lalu Bersaing dengan Stalin dituliskan terjadi pada tahun 1947-1949, pada usia 53-55. Cara seperti ini akan memudahkan pembaca untuk mengetahui perkembangan pemikiran sampai perubahan-perubahan orientasi p More...

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Jun 19, 2009

Jessie rated it:

It took me two years to read this book and I now wish I had read it more quickly so that I could have the understanding of Chairman Mao that I was missing. I wanted to read this book because we know so little about anything in the East. China is a virtual nonsubject in school. I believe that we need to know what happened in the recent history of China. We need to know that 70 million people died--in peacetime--during Mao's dictatorship. I think everyone needs to read this book.

As for More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 25, 2010

Rogier rated it:

A remarkable accomplishment... This book sorts out a lot of below the surface stuff that had been covered over by deliberate distortions, and the story is even more shocking than many of us might have thought.

The greatest puzzle historically remains how come the Chinese were not able to capitalize more on the amazing history of inventions and high culture which are woven throughout their long history, and that answer is likely to be closely related to the question why a sadistic, Mac More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 14, 2011

Judi rated it:

This biography is the result of extensive and meticulous research into the life of this very controversial historical figure. I read it because I did not want to read a whitewashed version of Mao's life but one that sought to accurately chronicle his life. According to this book, Mao was a totally narcissistic individual who always sought to have his own way and to live for himself. He craved power and was willing to do anything to get it, scheming endlessly, ruthlessly using others for his o More...

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Jan 29, 2012

Dirk rated it:

Vermutlich die definitive Biographe über Mao. Erschienen 2005 hat diese umfangreiche, detailreiche Arbeit den Vorteil, auf Quellen zurückzugreifen, die früher nicht zur Verfügung standen und die daher ausführlich herangezogen werden: sowjetisch/russische Akten. Hinzu treten Darstellungen inzwischen im Westen lebender Chinesen, die selbst teilweise Führungspositionen in der KPCH innehatten. Fazit: Mao war Diktator, hat das Land ohne Rücksicht auf Massenelend in die Moderne katapultiert, war vor a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2008

Debbie rated it:

From purely a historical viewpoint, I would give this four and a half stars. As an enjoyable read, I would give this no more than 2 stars. For those of you who believe this is extremely biased, I suggest you read, "Mao's Last Dancer". I guarantee it is a great read, written by someone who lived in China, during Mao's rule, and loved Mao as one loves a "God".

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 24, 2008

Christy rated it:

Here is a man with NO redeeming qualities. Like, stood by when his own sons died and then seduced their wives kinda bad (never mind 70 million murdered). Pretty much the nicest thing about him that I found was: he would have have his bodyguards break in his shoes for him because he didn't like new clothes. I know, it's weak.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

May 26, 2009

Heidi rated it:

My 2009 Book Challenge has one that is "read a book that you would normally never consider picking up (something daunting, something that is a genre you hate)." I figured a 25 CD audiobook (when I prefer between 5 and 10) was pretty daunting--though I don't think 25 points is enough for what I felt I endured with this book. I'll admit, though, I didn't listen to CD #9 because a huge scratch kept it from being playable. I will also admit that my mind wandered a lot. I probably heard abo More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 07, 2012

Brian rated it:

No story of Mao is left unknown after this read. Mao’s background and personality is thoroughly examined and documented. It makes it very easy to see how every step of his life, from childhood to adulthood, through the early years of his involvement in the Communist Party, led to his ultimate tyrannical rule of China, and the resulting deaths of over 70 million of his fellow Chinese citizens. Mao was a master manipulator of human nature and corruptor of Chinese culture, using both to gain and re More...

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Aug 29, 2010

Jeffrey rated it:

I once owned a t-shirt that I bought while vacationing in China that had a picture of Mao that is identical to the one on the cover of this book. Had I known how narcissistic, evil, diabolical, cruel and ruthless this man really was, I would have torn the shirt to shreds. I thought Hitler was evil...Mao Ze Dong was responsible for at least 10 times the number of deaths that Hitler was. In the tradition of the cruel emperors of China's past, Mao set himself up to be a god who required unquestio More...

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Oct 22, 2011

Carys rated it:

Having devoured Wild Swans in an almost obsessive manner I felt compelled to read Mao; Th Unkown Story.
I was a bit perplexed by some of the military and political referencing which did come across very text book like (minus a clear explination/definition!)but my only real dissapointment came with statements lacking any "real" evidence to support them.
Chang comments on Mao's characteristics, actions, thoughts and feelings which have mostly been gathered through hear-say. More...

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Aug 03, 2009

Tim rated it:

My only previous books on Mao Tse Tung were two by Han Suyin "The Morning Deluge" and "Wind in the Tower." Those were sympathetic books towards Mao, written in the 70s, just before Mao died. The author is respected by those who should know, or so I researched.

This book was written in 2005, some thirty years after these other two, so this might be considered a true historical work due to the passage of time, though I can't judge the two authors credentials as hist More...

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