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I think this book is wonderful, it may have flaws but the passion is both true and understandable. It is probably hard for those who did not grow up in the 1960s or 70s to understand just what a commanding figure Mao was, so many reporters, academics, left leaning philosophers, literatures and others watched and knew of the horrors of Mao's rule and ignored them as they trumped the so called accomplishments of his mass murdering regimen. Rather like the same people did for Stalin. It is extraordinary the benefit of the doubt that Western 'intellectuals' have given to left wing dictatorships. Although they would never have accepted, or survived, the systems they so lavishly praised and supported they always thought they were what other, foreign, poor, uneducated people
needed. Their hypocracy and double standards are shocking.

That is the background to what Chang and Halliday wrote. They wanted to topple an idol and in that they succeeded. Although it may be true that the uncritical hagiography that Mao received earlier was no longer the line most academics took there was still a massive misunderstanding of Mao's personality and lifestyle (the amount of crap poured out back in the past about the aesthetic simplicity of Mao when he was in fact grotesque sybarite is impossible to imagine. He was presented as st Francis of Assisi figure while all the time he was debauching young girls) and about the destructive, murderous awfulness of the regimen he created amongst the general public. This book shattered those illusions forever.

Of course there are newer books on Mao and this one has flaws. But he was a monster and deserved to be described as such. Those who covered up for him are the ones who committed crimes against truth. If this book fails in details the overall portrait is true.

A stunning book about a horrible man.