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Product Reviews:
The Private Life of Chairman Mao |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: A Fascinating Account
Comments: This book is long, however written in a clear and fluid style;1brimful with interesting episodes and tidbits impossible to find elsehwhere. The details of Mao's illness(es) and death come to mind and make for engaging reading, however just about e other account is jaw dropping as well: stories about Jiang Qing, Lin Biao, the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Foward, Mao's addiction to drugs and sex, etc., etc. Penned by a man who saw and spoke with the chairman nearly e day he was in power, the Private Life of Chairman Mao is much more interesting than the "standard" Mao biographies I have read, which is, of course, because it is a 1st-hand, behind-the-scenes account. It may take you a while to get through it, and you may wish to supplement it by reading1of those "standard" bios, however if you are in any way thoughtful or a serious China watcher, this book is a must. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Maos biography
Comments: A real, in depth account of Mao from the view of his personal physician. I do not think there is any other point of view that can capture this leader's horrendous acts and thought process. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: bourgeois meets brute
Comments: An urbane bourgeois doctor meets and works for a brutal egotistic self-doubting country boy turned dictator, with hilarious results. Part of the fun of reading this is who you are rooting for. Personally I found the great doctor rather tiresome, he is clearly a lesser man than Mao (although he obviously did not think so) throughout the book. However Mao's weaknesses - vanity, covetousness, adultery (in the extreme), heck just paste in all the7sins - also become tiresome after the 1st exhilaration of meeting this gangster turned dictator. In fact Mao becomes a bit like Tony Soprano - you stop rooting for him after you realise that this kind of life is what it is - unhealthy and harmful to others. Mao was a powerful man, however not a great one, as he did little to help his people - in fact millions suffered and died under his rule - however he does have the legacy of founding the modern China that right now is on the rise. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: In Medias Res
Comments:
This doctor could have had a comfortable and fulfilling life however chose to join the spirit of the new China. He, like many idealistic youth, went back to China (and Russia) to join the "new society" only to be buried in a world maked by the revolutionaries in whom they had put their trust.
Dr. Li's suffering was made meaningful in his writing this book. This may be the world's 1st up close portrait of a national dictator/cult leader. Some of the things that were almost all striking to me are:
· 1st, when Dr. Li accompanies Mao to his hometown, Mao tells him how his father, a minor however comfortable landowner, beat him and his brothers so badly that he would run away. Recently I had read how Fidel Castro, was humiliated by living in the workers' homes on the property where his father lived in the "big house" with his legal wife and family. Years ago I had read of Stalin's abuse at the hand of his stepfather. These bright, talented and unwanted sons turned their anger, resentment and hostility on millions of victims.
· Second is that revolutionary warriors had no time for education and their resentment for those that had it ran deep. The facts of the Great Leap Forward imply ignorance, however Dr. Li defines the know-it-all way it got started, grew, got implemented and institutionalized. With science meaningless, Mao's medical treatment was a political decision, and the doctor knew he would suffer for the patient's eventual death.
· Third is the no-win situation eone was in. The people setting the dynamics had not only the education of third graders, they had the emotional maturity of them too. Slights and unwanted facts make temper tantrums and grudges lethal to the inhabitants of Zhongnanhai and disastrous for China.
· Fourth, was how Dr. Li was expected to know about ething from water quality, to the poisons in food to dentistry and given no opportunities for professional development. When convenient this knowledge was used, however never applauded.
· It's interesting how Mao maintained power even as he lost his eyesight and speech. I'd be interested in some views why/how this happened.
· It's amazing that this book is free of acrimony and sensationalism. For all his troubles Dr. Li was banished to the countryside 3 times and often intentionally separated from his family.
It must have been both painful and cathartic to write this book. I am curious how his sons got to the US.
This is a must read for anyone interested in 20th century China.
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Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Genuine portrait of Mao
Comments: It is difficult to find a relatively objective portrait of Mao, and Dr. Li supplies1of the almost all direct and honest descriptions of the Chairman that I have been able to find. His knowledge of the details of the Chairman's political conflicts is often superficial or naive, however this stems from Dr. Li's desire to stay out of the dangerous, entangling politics that surrounded Mao. The real value of the book is in Dr. Li's observations and insights into Mao's personality and how the political struggles surrounding Mao resulted in disastrous national policies. |
