Audrey A. (AudreyA) reviewed Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China on + 84 more book reviews
This is book is fantastic! Its not often that I find a non-fiction book that is so well written and engrossing that I cannot put it down. The way that Philip Pan structures the book, taking the reader back and forth through China's communist history using riveting personal accounts is amazing. The stories of the individuals fighting within or against the Chinese system are wonderful and truly unforgettable. The stories of people like the political prisoner Lin Zhao, the lawyer Pu, and the newspaper editor Cheng are fascinating. I highly recommend this book! I wish I had read it before visiting China for the first time.
John O. (buzzby) -
I read some of it, but I couldn't help being irritated by the bourgois complaints of the people this guy picks out. They have unprecedented freedoms in China, and they want to pick a fight with the government. Most of them are pretty wealthy, as well. I guess I'm just an unreconstructed Zhou En Lai Communist at heart. It's something that people who read Newsweek would enjoy, since it probably conforms to their world view.
