wordsgood
1st September 2008, 18:57
The Unknown Story of M*A*O* (Zedong), but Jung Chang and John Halliday
Available in paperback.
PLEASE NOTE: This post is MY PERSONAL opinion and review of both this book and the subject matter. It is NOT intended to offend anyone, but these are my feelings on this subject. You may or may not agree, which is fine, but please DO NOT reply to me with any kind of attacks. State your views yes, attacks no. Thank you.
Warning: Parts of this book are very graphic and the things described in it are beyond disturbing - in every sense of the word - in a physical, mental and emotional sense. I was outraged, sick to my stomach at times, and often in tears at the sheer suffering and injustice that went on during his rule.
This is a true account, based on a decade of research and hundreds of interviews, of how Mao Zedong rose to the very top of China's new communist party, took it over and by his death many decades later, was responsible for the death of well over 70 million of his own people - IN PEACETIME.
In my opinion, it is probably one of the most thoroughly researched historical biographies ever written. The material in this book is nothing like what you read about in school, may have studied later in college, or hear about in the media. This book shows - in raw, gritty detail - the depths of depravity mankind can sink to under the guise of "changes for the public good." This man, and his party, destroyed generations of Chinese culture, education and accomplishments. Even today, there are marks of their actions everywhere, not just on the land itself, but on the people.
There is so much I could say about this book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. It was so engrossing that I read it three times, one right after the other. I can't praise this book nearly enough.
What truly astounds me is that this party is still in power today. They are still displaying MAO's body proudly in Tienanmen Square, expecting the very people both he and his party subjugated, to honour it? Though it was put in storage during the Beijing Olympics, but I couldn't find the most recent whereabouts of it with my web searches. (With any luck, they lost it and it will never be found again.)
Sadly, there are many in China that still don't realize the horror's he visited upon them, or all the generations that came after. People are still taught to revere him as some kind of revolutionary leader who brought success and prosperity to his country. Yeah, tell that to the over 70 million or more dead because of his actions! Tell that to all the people that still don't understand the basic concepts of sex and it's dangers because he tried to make everyone androgynous. Tell that to all the rural areas who continue to live in utter poverty beyond all Western standards.
All in all, a very disturbing, horrifying, yet fascinating read. And I think, one that should be taught to everyone to see the true horrors that following allowing these kinds of political systems to come to power in any society. It doesn't just affect all those in remote parts of the world, it affects everyone. Yet what is the alternative? Invade, take over and force our ideals on others? That makes us no better. I don't know what the answer is, aside from education, but there it is anyway...
I have no children of my own, and stories like this remind me of the many reasons I chose not to have any.
Available in paperback.
PLEASE NOTE: This post is MY PERSONAL opinion and review of both this book and the subject matter. It is NOT intended to offend anyone, but these are my feelings on this subject. You may or may not agree, which is fine, but please DO NOT reply to me with any kind of attacks. State your views yes, attacks no. Thank you.
Warning: Parts of this book are very graphic and the things described in it are beyond disturbing - in every sense of the word - in a physical, mental and emotional sense. I was outraged, sick to my stomach at times, and often in tears at the sheer suffering and injustice that went on during his rule.
This is a true account, based on a decade of research and hundreds of interviews, of how Mao Zedong rose to the very top of China's new communist party, took it over and by his death many decades later, was responsible for the death of well over 70 million of his own people - IN PEACETIME.
In my opinion, it is probably one of the most thoroughly researched historical biographies ever written. The material in this book is nothing like what you read about in school, may have studied later in college, or hear about in the media. This book shows - in raw, gritty detail - the depths of depravity mankind can sink to under the guise of "changes for the public good." This man, and his party, destroyed generations of Chinese culture, education and accomplishments. Even today, there are marks of their actions everywhere, not just on the land itself, but on the people.
There is so much I could say about this book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. It was so engrossing that I read it three times, one right after the other. I can't praise this book nearly enough.
What truly astounds me is that this party is still in power today. They are still displaying MAO's body proudly in Tienanmen Square, expecting the very people both he and his party subjugated, to honour it? Though it was put in storage during the Beijing Olympics, but I couldn't find the most recent whereabouts of it with my web searches. (With any luck, they lost it and it will never be found again.)
Sadly, there are many in China that still don't realize the horror's he visited upon them, or all the generations that came after. People are still taught to revere him as some kind of revolutionary leader who brought success and prosperity to his country. Yeah, tell that to the over 70 million or more dead because of his actions! Tell that to all the people that still don't understand the basic concepts of sex and it's dangers because he tried to make everyone androgynous. Tell that to all the rural areas who continue to live in utter poverty beyond all Western standards.
All in all, a very disturbing, horrifying, yet fascinating read. And I think, one that should be taught to everyone to see the true horrors that following allowing these kinds of political systems to come to power in any society. It doesn't just affect all those in remote parts of the world, it affects everyone. Yet what is the alternative? Invade, take over and force our ideals on others? That makes us no better. I don't know what the answer is, aside from education, but there it is anyway...
I have no children of my own, and stories like this remind me of the many reasons I chose not to have any.