Recommended by
- Richard Branson — Listed in Richard Branson's own 'My Top 65 Books To Read In A Lifetime' published on Virgin.com source ↗
Summary
Jung Chang and Jon Halliday's 2005 biography of Mao Zedong, based on a decade of research including interviews with former associates and access to previously classified Chinese archives. The book presents Mao as a ruthless strategist whose personal ambition, paranoia and willingness to sacrifice millions in pursuit of ideological purity caused China's greatest human catastrophes. It directly challenges Mao's official legacy in China and has been both praised for its scholarship and attacked for its single-minded focus on Mao's destructive impact.