yttap's review against another edition
5.0
I think this was the one I read about Mao in the 90's. Wow. Fascinating stuff.
pamelas's review
4.0
An amazing inside look at Chairman Mao Tse Tung. This was eminently more readable than Jung Chang's biography, but I thought both were important books in uncovering the life of a man still much-revered in China, and both concurred on many points. His total disregard for the lives of those who worked closely with him or for the peasant he supposedly represented takes one's breath away. His main concern was gathering, keeping, and protecting his own personal power base. All in all, an incredible look at the man who changed China. In this post-Mao era and as China continues to open up, it will be interesting to see how the Chinese view of Mao changes.
meririvilla's review
4.0
Pues fui de no tener ni una idea sobre Mao a tener todo un sentido sobre su tiempo en el poder y las relaciones de la gente a su alrededor. Al principio, Li empieza hablando sobre la conservación de su cuerpo y las dificultades, habiéndole inchado el cuerpo demasiado y no sé pero me pareció gracioso que alguien con una imagen de poder total era estaba to inchado, gordo, y sueva al tocarlo. Después de esto, Li entra directamente a contar su experiencia. Conociendole la primera vez en el Tiannamen Square, se nota como la gente a su alrededor tiene una admiración de él, como si fuera un Dios, cuando en verdad lo único que le interesa es su objetivo de un país comunista, sin aprecio a las vidas perdidas o malamente influidas por sus acciones en el camino. Esto se ve cuando él lanza el Great Leap Forward, llevando adelante las granjas comunales y los pequeños hornos de acero. El resultado? Algo entre 18 y 45 millones de personas muertas de hambre, y piezas de metal inutiles que han usado mucho de lo poco que tenían los campesinos. Los juegos de poder están presentes por todo el libro, pero lo más sorprendente es su vida personal, de como tenía muchas "asistentas", no se lavaba los dientes, no se duchaba, su obsesión con nadar en los ríos más peligrosos y como muchas veces no vestía con nada más que su túnica. El Cultural Revolution es el segundo desastre, que centrado en los estudiantes hace que el país se divide, creeando casi una guerra interna, donde Mao acaba interviniendo para restoral algo la normalidad. Pero sin embargo es durante este tiempo que mucha gente son marcados como de derechas pero critizar cososa mínimas. Hay momentos en los que pensaba que Mao igual sería algo razonable con el movimiento de las cien flores, pero obviamente cuando el critizismo se concentra en él acabo tomamdo acción con tales íntectuos. Alguna de la gente más poderosa durante su poder incluye: Liu Shaoqi, quién protejió la idea de las granjas comunales incluso después de su desastre; Wang Donxing al que echan y vuelve al partido para volverse encargado de la seguridad, parece uno de los más normalitos, algo más honesto y amigo del doctor; Jiang Qing, que aunque es su esposa no hablan mucho y acaba cogiendo mucho poder hacia el final influyendo el arte y la cultura y constantemente intentado dirigir acusaciones para cargarse a gente, aunque al final la arrestan yay; Lin Biao que se vuelve el premier alabando a Mao durante su puesto, pero un coup para ganar poder se desintagra cuando el escapa y estreya en un avión en Mongolia; Zhou Enlai, por un rato pequeño se vuelve el heredero de Mao, pero muere antes que él de tres cancers diferentes; y finalmente Deng Xiaoping, que es él que hay que darle todo el crédito por la transformación de China, y siendo algo más honesto, es exiled por algún tiempo por critizar algunas políticas.
nyertryingtoreadeverything's review
4.0
Reading this book is a huge investment of time. Didn't realize how long it was before getting it from the library. Personally this book was enjoyable. Thought provoking about politics, interactions with doctors and China.
oliainchina's review
4.0
The account pictures rather a physician's life in Mao's inner circle than a detailed explanation of what was going on in the Chairman's mind. It's more about a one man's survival than about politics. And if this story of 22 years around Mao wasn't limited by one volume, it definitely could fill a whole shelf.
Four stars - for inflated expectations.
Four stars - for inflated expectations.
tm1's review
4.0
Fascinating insight into the psyche of one of the most important political figures of the 20th century. A must read for students interested in Chinese history, politics, and the psychology of power.
johnaggreyodera's review
2.0
I didn't enjoy this book; it was very tabloidy. Sure, Mao didn't brush his teeth, liked to walk around in the nude, and preferred reading books to doing the hard work of actually being a ruler. Are these things interesting to know? Maybe. Would I want to read a book purely (or even mostly) about them? Certainly not. But maybe some things about Mao’s private life might illuminate our understanding of the public role he came to occupy and decisions he came to make? We can't tell, since Zhisui chooses to concentrate mostly on the disgusting but mundane parts of his private life. Some sections of the book, like when Zhisui focuses on Mao's wife and her role in the party, and the succession battles that followed Mao's death, were interesting. Aside from these however, the book tells us nothing non-superficial about the man. I did feel sort of sorry for Zhisui, and I empathise (as much as I can - which is very little since I have no idea what such a life entails) with the difficulty of having to live in such a totalitarian environment as he did while bearing a responsibility that could see your entire family wiped out due to factors beyond your control (e.g. when Mao died and he feared he would be accused of murdering him). Nevertheless, as a book on Mao, this is in my (unpopular) opinion, a mostly unhelpful depiction.
gannent's review
4.0
Fascinating look into Mao Zedong's life from the 1950s until his death. Of course, the perspective is somewhat limited because of Dr. Li's changing position in Mao's staff. He tends to focus on the medical aspects of Mao's life, since he is a doctor. Also, since Dr. Li developed an animosity towards Mao later, some of this should probably be taken with a grain of salt. With that in mind however, it is still a great account from someone actually within Mao's inner circle.
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