“Ever since the spectacular success of Chang’s Wild Swans we have waited impatiently for her to complete with her husband this monumental study of China’s most notorious modern leader. The
expectation has been that she would rewrite modern Chinese history. The wait has been worthwhile and the expectation justified. This is a bombshell of a book.” –Chris Patten, the last governor of
Hong Kong, in The Times (London) Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before–and with virtually everyone outside China
who had significant dealings with him–this is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely
unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation
of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned and blackmailed to get his way. After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of
38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule–in peacetime. Combining meticulous research with the story-telling style of Wild
Swans, this biography offers a harrowing portrait of Mao’s ruthless accumulation of power through the exercise of terror: his first victims were the peasants, then the intellectuals and, finally,
the inner circle of his own advisors. The reader enters the shadowy chambers of Mao’s court and eavesdrops on the drama in its hidden recesses. Mao’s character and the enormity of his behavior toward
his wives, mistresses and children are unveiled for the first time. This is an entirely fresh look at Mao in both content and approach. It will astonish historians and the general reader alike.
One of the 2005 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
“Ever since the spectacular success of Chang’s Wild Swans we have waited impatiently for her to complete with her husband this monumental study of China’s most notorious modern leader. The
expectation has been that she would rewrite modern Chinese history. The wait has been worthwhile and the expectation justified. This is a bombshell of a book.” –Chris Patten, the last governor of
Hong Kong, in The Times (London) Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before–and with virtually everyone outside China
who had significant dealings with him–this is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely
unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation
of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned and blackmailed to get his way. After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of
38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule–in peacetime. Combining meticulous research with the story-telling style of Wild
Swans, this biography offers a harrowing portrait of Mao’s ruthless accumulation of power through the exercise of terror: his first victims were the peasants, then the intellectuals and, finally,
the inner circle of his own advisors. The reader enters the shadowy chambers of Mao’s court and eavesdrops on the drama in its hidden recesses. Mao’s character and the enormity of his behavior toward
his wives, mistresses and children are unveiled for the first time. This is an entirely fresh look at Mao in both content and approach. It will astonish historians and the general reader alike.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
written with the same deft hand that enlivened Ms. Chang's 1991 memoir, 'Wild Swans'… —The Economist
“A magisterial work…This
magnificent biography methodically demolishes every pillar of Mao’s claim to
sympathy or legitimacy…A triumph.” —New York Times Book Review
Demonstrating the same pitilessness that they judge to be Mao's most formidable weapon, they unstitch the myths that sustained him in power for forty years and that continue to underpin China's regime…I suspect that when China comes to terms with its past this book will have played a role. —Nicolas Shakespeare, Telegraph
"decisive biography…they have investigated every aspect of his personal life and career, peeling back the layers of lies, myths, and what we used to think of as facts…what Chang and Halliday have done is immense and surpasses, as a biography, everything that has gone before. —Jonathan Mirsky, The Independent, Saturday
Chang and Halliday cast new and revealing light on nearly every episode in Mao's tumultuous life…a stupendous work and one hopes that it will be brought before the Chinese people, who still claim to venerate the man and who have yet to come to terms with their own history… —Michael Yahuda, The Guardian
"Ever since the spectacular success of Chang's Wild Swans we have waited impatiently for her to complete with her husband this monumental study of China's most notorious modern leader. The expectation has been that she would rewrite modern Chinese history. The wait has been worthwhile and the expectation justified. This is a bombshell of a book. —Chris Patten, last British governor of Hong Kong, in The Times
"Jung Chang and Jon Halliday have not, in the whole of their narrative, a good word to say about Mao. In a normal biography, such an unequivocal denunciation would be both suspect and tedious. But the clear scholarship, and careful notes, of The Unknown Story provoke another reaction. Mao Tse-Tung's evil, undoubted and well-documented, is unequalled throughout modern history. —Roy Hattersley, The Observer
The detail and documentation are awesome. The story that they tell, mesmerising in its horror, is the most powerful, compelling, and revealing political biography of modern times. Few books are destined to change history, but this one will. —George Walden, Daily Mail
"Jung Chang and Jon Halliday enter a savage indictment drawing on a host of sources, including important Soviet ones, to blow away the miasma of deceit and ignorance which still shrouds Mao's life from many Western eyes...Jung Chang delivers a cry of anguish on behalf of all of those in her native land who, to this day, are still not free to speak of these things. —Max Hastings, The Sunday Telegraph
A triumph. It is a mesmerising portrait of tyranny, degeneracy, mass murder and promiscuity, a barrage of revisionist bombshells, and a superb piece of research. —Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Sunday Times
“An atom bomb of a
book.” —Time
“Chilling…Impressive…An
extremely compelling portrait of Mao that will still shock many.” —Christian Science Monitor
“An important book in
ways not envisaged…A work of unanswerable authority.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“The most complete
and assiduously researched biography of its subject yet published…No earlier
work comes close to matching the density of detail here…The authors have
performed brilliant historical detective work.” —Atlantic Monthly
“Chang and Halliday
cast new and revealing light on nearly every episode in Mao’s tumultuous life…A
stupendous work and one hopes that it will be brought before the Chinese
people, who still claim to venerate the man and who have yet to come to terms
with their own history.” —Guardian (London)
“Jung Chang and Jon
Halliday have not, in the whole of their narrative, a good word to say about
Mao. In a normal biography, such an unequivocal denunciation would be both
suspect and tedious. But the clear scholarship, and careful notes, of The
Unknown Story provoke another reaction. Mao Tse-Tung’s evil, undoubted and
well-documented, is unequalled throughout modern history.” —Observer (London)
“Ever since the
spectacular success of Chang’s Wild Swans we have waited impatiently for
her to complete with her husband this monumental study of China’s most
notorious modern leader. The expectation has been that she would rewrite modern
Chinese history. The wait has been worthwhile and the expectation justified.
This is a bombshell of a book.” —Times (London)
“Jung Chang and Jon
Halliday enter a savage indictment drawing on a host of sources, including
important Soviet ones, to blow away the miasma of deceit and ignorance which
still shrouds Mao’s life from many Western eyes…Jung Chang delivers a cry of
anguish on behalf of all of those in her native land who, to this day, are
still not free to speak of these things.” —Sunday Telegraph (London)
“A triumph. It is a mesmerizing
portrait of tyranny, degeneracy, mass murder, and promiscuity, a barrage of
revisionist bombshells, and a superb piece of research.” —Sunday Times (London)
“The detail and
documentation are awesome. The story that they tell, mesmerizing in its horror,
is the most powerful, compelling, and revealing political biography of modern
times. Few books are destined to change history, but this one will.” —Daily Mail (London)
“[A] decisive biography…They
have investigated every aspect of his personal life and career, peeling back
the layers of lies, myths, and what we used to think of as facts…What Chang and
Halliday have done is immense and surpasses, as a biography, everything that
has gone before.” —Independent (London)
“Demonstrating the
same pitilessness that they judge to be Mao’s most formidable weapon, they
unstitch the myths that sustained him in power for forty years and that
continue to underpin China’s regime…I suspect that when China comes to terms
with its past this book will have played a role.” —Telegraph (London)
“Written with the same deft hand that
enlivened Ms. Chang’s 1991 memoir, Wild Swans.” —Economist
Jung Chang, PhD, was born in Yibin, part of the Sichuan Province of China, where she worked as an assistant lecturer at Sichuan University. Eventually leaving China for England, she
obtained a PhD in linguistics from York University, becoming the first person from the People’s Republic of China to receive a doctorate from a British university. She is now an award-winning
author and biographer and lives in London.
Titles by Author
Author Bio: Jon Halliday
Titles by Author
Details
Details
Format:
Digital Download
Available Formats :
Digital Download
Publisher:
Random House Audio
Runtime:
29.79
ISBN:
9781415930076
Audience:
Adult
Language:
English
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