blackoxford's review against another edition
2.0
Seek Elsewhere for Insight
It's not possible to read Brown's biography of Xi Jinping without comparing it constantly to Ezra Vogel's Deng Xioaping and the Transformation of China. And in the comparison, Kerry Brown looks bad. Brown's text is more a potted history of modern China than an insightful revelation of individual character. There is much about the political structure of the country but little about the real sources of power. Vogel is a qualified Sinologist who uses his diverse sources with finesse. Brown is a tourist in comparison who can only restate official documents. I found the writing flat and often simply beside the point. A disappointment.
It's not possible to read Brown's biography of Xi Jinping without comparing it constantly to Ezra Vogel's Deng Xioaping and the Transformation of China. And in the comparison, Kerry Brown looks bad. Brown's text is more a potted history of modern China than an insightful revelation of individual character. There is much about the political structure of the country but little about the real sources of power. Vogel is a qualified Sinologist who uses his diverse sources with finesse. Brown is a tourist in comparison who can only restate official documents. I found the writing flat and often simply beside the point. A disappointment.
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