by Jung Chang
First published 2006
Mao Zedong's relentless rise to power is chronicled in vivid detail. From his impoverished childhood to his bloody conquest of China, this epic biography reveals the complex man behind the communist icon. As Mao's ambition and ideology collide, his spurned family, ruthless tactics, and legacy of mass murder come to light. In the end, Jung Chang's sweeping account exposes the true cost of Mao's "revolution" - and the heavy price the Chinese people paid for his twisted vision.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: China, Russia, Soviet Union
Period: 1920s, 1949, 20th Century
801 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: death