A review by cantordustbunnies
The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957 by Frank Dikotter

5.0

Meticulously researched and appropriately academic, this book is definitely a worthwhile read for anyone. A little on the dry side, but the subject matter is so horrifying that anything other than a mostly objective delivery could come across as inappropriate. The author does make a concerted effort to bring forth personal accounts and to humanize the statistics which pays off and keeps the book engaging on both an emotional and an intellectual level. It is considered "second" in the series the author has written on China but first chronologically and it is better to read the books in chronological order. It is almost unbelievable to think that these things happened. The information is presented well and Dikötter allows it to speak for itself for the most part, he is unobtrusive as an author and presents things in a clear manner.