The Unknown Story of Mao

[what's left?]

Greetings,

First and foremost I'm new to the site and still trying to figure out my own leftist views. With that said, I just picked up this book without doing too much research.

Obviously after reading more on the book's purpose and seeing its own one sided direct attack on Mao, I've come to a dilemma.

Should I even bother with the book? With it being so one sided. I just want to be able to get a well rounded depiction of Mao's character and his legacy. Some say he was a power driven tyrant, which parallels the books description, some differ from that.

So should I even read it if not is there a suggested book that can assist me in getting Mao's full description. thanks again and hope to hear some suggestions.

[h0m0revolutionary]

I cannot reccomend a truely impartial analysis of Mao as I doubt one exists, as he was (and is ) a character that still envokes great reaction..

But persoanlly i'd recoomend you read what you can about him, I am not a supporter in the slightest but reading his works is something i'd reccomend to anybody, Mao was an inspiring writer, he was just completely wrong ;P

Here's an interesting take on Mao if you're interested: http://libcom.org/library/mao-tse-tung-chinese-revolution

[what's left?]

thanks for the reply, I'll check out the link. I just didnt want to waste my time reading propaganda when I could be reading something more useful, ya know...

[spiltteeth]

Mao, the unknown story is a terrible book, in fact, entire books by non-communists scholars have been written about how awful that book really is.

I'd go with Mao: A Life by Philip Short (http://www.amazon.com/Philip-Short/e/B001HPVDMG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1)

is the best unbiased bio on him, but it is kinda long so you could go for the much shorter, but also much less substantive, Jonathan Spence's Mao Zedong: A Penguin Life (http://www.amazon.com/Mao-Zedong-Penguin-Life-Lives/dp/0670886696/ref=cm_syf_dtl_txt_1_rdssss0)

A really interesting book is by a reporter by lived with Mao during the revolution, its only about that period but its a good overview of what Mao intended is the classic- Red Star over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-over-China-Communism/dp/0802150934/ref=cm_syf_dtl_pl_3_rdssss0) by Edgar Snow

Best on his actual thought is Stuart Schram's The Thought of Mao Tse-Tung (http://www.amazon.com/Political-Thought-Mao-Tse-Tung-Pelican/dp/014021013X/ref=cm_syf_dtl_txt_4_rdssss0)

[Ismail]

Mao, the unknown story is a terrible book, in fact, entire books by non-communists scholars have been written about how awful that book really is.Yes, I've met leftists of all stripes, even ardently anti-Mao ones, who dislike it. It's the equivalent of reading Robert Conquest to learn about Stalin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao:_The_Unknown_Story#Criticism

[Rosa Lichtenstein]

On the book you mention, see this Review:

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v27/n22/nath01_.html

A better book is this:

Zhisui Li, (1996), The Private Life Of Chairman Mao (Arrow Books).

This was written by Mao's personal physician.

[Yehuda Stern]

I really have to recommend Nigel Harris' The Mandate of Heaven. It doesn't deal so much with Mao specifically, but it is a very interesting history of the Chinese revolution up to about 1978. Harris is ex-SWP (and today works for the world bank - ouch!), so I can't say I agree with all of his political points, but all in all there is a lot of good sourced info and the writing is good.

[BobKKKindle$]

If you want a good critique of that book I would recommend the chapter entitled Mao: The Known Story in Mobo Gao's The Battle For China's Past. The same book also includes a critique of The Private Life of Chairman Mao by Li Zhisui, and is generally a good book because it provides an alternative to the common narrative of the Cultural Revolution and indeed the whole of the Mao era being an enormous disaster, as well as providing plenty of information on how China has changed since Mao's death. Schram's book is also good as the author traces the development of Mao's ideas, and situates him in the context of China in the 1910s, during the emergence of the May Fourth Movement. I'm reading it at the moment for university. The IST has published a number of essays on Chinese history which you might find useful if you're looking for an account that's written from a revolutionary perspective but doesn't blindly parrot Maoism - Whose Revolution? (http://www.marxists.de/china/hore/index.htm) by Charlie Hore is good, as is The Mandate of Heaven (http://www.marxists.de/china/harris/index.htm) by Nigel Harris.

[Bankotsu]

Greetings,

First and foremost I'm new to the site and still trying to figure out my own leftist views.

There are some good left wing ideas in below lecture, it might help to sort out your views on state and society and the necessary reforms that must be undertaken:

"The State of Individuals"
http://www.wealthbuilder.ie/essay15.htm



http://www.scribd.com/doc/13458196/Prof-Carroll-Quigley-The-Oscar-Iden-LecturesLecture-1-The-State-of-Communities

http://www.scribd.com/doc/14819541/Prof-Carroll-Quigley-The-Oscar-Iden-LecturesLecture-2-The-State-of-Estates