December 30, 2006
52 Down, 0 To Go (52 Books, 52 Weeks)
Unfortunately, I end this year's 52 Books, 52 Weeks project with a book I didn't enjoy. Mao: The Unknown Story is a biography of the Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung, and admittedly, I did learn much about the rise of Communism in China (especially the impact of Russia) while reading the book, but I found the writing tedious and its attempts at sensationalism often fell flat. The book reads more as an anti-Mao tome than anything else (I am no apologist for the man who committed many crimes, but this book painted him solely in a poor light). A political slam disguised as biography does little for me, unfortunately.
Can anyone recommend a more balanced and well-written biography of Chairman Mao?
see also:
Previous Book Notes submissions (authors create playlists for their book)
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
52 Books, 52 Weeks (2006 Edition)
52 Books, 52 Weeks (2005 Edition)
52 Books, 52 Weeks (2004 Edition)
Posted by david | Permalink | Comments (View)
