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Mao
- The Unknown Story
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 29 hrs and 50 mins
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Stalin
- The Court of the Red Tsar
- Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Jonathan Aris
- Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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This thrilling biography of Stalin and his entourage during the terrifying decades of his supreme power transforms our understanding of Stalin as Soviet dictator, Marxist leader and Russian tsar. Based on groundbreaking research, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals in captivating detail the fear and betrayal, privilege and debauchery, family life and murderous cruelty of this secret world. Written with extraordinary narrative verve, this magnificent feat of scholarly research has become a classic of modern history writing.
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Immensely Enjoyable
- By Professor Woland on 2022-03-07
Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
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Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
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Brilliant
- By Vladimir Zhivov on 2020-09-01
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
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Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
- Written by: Ezra F. Vogel
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 33 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Once described by Mao Zedong as a "needle inside a ball of cotton", Deng was the pragmatic yet disciplined driving force behind China's radical transformation in the late 20th century. He confronted the damage wrought by the Cultural Revolution, dissolved Mao's cult of personality, and loosened the policies that had stunted China's growth. Obsessed with modernization, Deng opened trade relations with the West, which lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. Yet he also answered to his authoritarian roots, most notably when he ordered the crackdown in 1989 at Tiananmen Square.
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Must read/listen!
- By Andrew on 2022-10-16
Written by: Ezra F. Vogel
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Wild Swans
- Three Daughters of China
- Written by: Jung Chang
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski
- Length: 22 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans: a popular best seller which has sold more than 13 million copies and a critically acclaimed history of China; a tragic tale of nightmarish cruelty and an uplifting story of bravery and survival.
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fascinating!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-09-15
Written by: Jung Chang
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The Rising Sun
- The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
- Written by: John Toland
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 41 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, "a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened - muddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox."
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very well done
- By Frank on 2022-06-10
Written by: John Toland
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The Search for Modern China
- Written by: Jonathan D. Spence
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.
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Takes some getting used to, but great work.
- By Alexandre Lariviere on 2021-10-28
Written by: Jonathan D. Spence
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Stalin
- The Court of the Red Tsar
- Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Jonathan Aris
- Length: 27 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This thrilling biography of Stalin and his entourage during the terrifying decades of his supreme power transforms our understanding of Stalin as Soviet dictator, Marxist leader and Russian tsar. Based on groundbreaking research, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals in captivating detail the fear and betrayal, privilege and debauchery, family life and murderous cruelty of this secret world. Written with extraordinary narrative verve, this magnificent feat of scholarly research has become a classic of modern history writing.
-
-
Immensely Enjoyable
- By Professor Woland on 2022-03-07
Written by: Simon Sebag Montefiore
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Stalin, Volume I
- Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928
- Written by: Stephen Kotkin
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 38 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Volume One of Stalin begins and ends in January 1928 as Stalin boards a train bound for Siberia, about to embark upon the greatest gamble of his political life. He is now the ruler of the largest country in the world, but a poor and backward one, far behind the great capitalist countries in industrial and military power, encircled on all sides. In Siberia, Stalin conceives of the largest program of social reengineering ever attempted.
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Brilliant
- By Vladimir Zhivov on 2020-09-01
Written by: Stephen Kotkin
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Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
- Written by: Ezra F. Vogel
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 33 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Once described by Mao Zedong as a "needle inside a ball of cotton", Deng was the pragmatic yet disciplined driving force behind China's radical transformation in the late 20th century. He confronted the damage wrought by the Cultural Revolution, dissolved Mao's cult of personality, and loosened the policies that had stunted China's growth. Obsessed with modernization, Deng opened trade relations with the West, which lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. Yet he also answered to his authoritarian roots, most notably when he ordered the crackdown in 1989 at Tiananmen Square.
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Must read/listen!
- By Andrew on 2022-10-16
Written by: Ezra F. Vogel
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Wild Swans
- Three Daughters of China
- Written by: Jung Chang
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski
- Length: 22 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans: a popular best seller which has sold more than 13 million copies and a critically acclaimed history of China; a tragic tale of nightmarish cruelty and an uplifting story of bravery and survival.
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fascinating!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-09-15
Written by: Jung Chang
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The Rising Sun
- The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945
- Written by: John Toland
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 41 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
This Pulitzer Prize-winning history of World War II chronicles the dramatic rise and fall of the Japanese empire, from the invasion of Manchuria and China to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Told from the Japanese perspective, The Rising Sun is, in the author’s words, "a factual saga of people caught up in the flood of the most overwhelming war of mankind, told as it happened - muddled, ennobling, disgraceful, frustrating, full of paradox."
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very well done
- By Frank on 2022-06-10
Written by: John Toland
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The Search for Modern China
- Written by: Jonathan D. Spence
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 36 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.
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Takes some getting used to, but great work.
- By Alexandre Lariviere on 2021-10-28
Written by: Jonathan D. Spence
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E=mc2
- A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
- Written by: David Bodanis
- Narrated by: Dan Cashman
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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David Bodanis demystifies the world's most famous equation, explaining its science and bringing it to life. He makes clear the astonishing array of discoveries and consequences it made possible and its impact on our daily lives. At last, the masses can understand that Einstein did nothing less than open the door to the inner structure of the universe.
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Totally accessible for anyone!
- By Laura Small on 2021-09-18
Written by: David Bodanis
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China's Leaders
- From Mao to Now
- Written by: David Shambaugh
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Since the founding of the People's Republic of China over seventy years ago, five paramount leaders have shaped the fates and fortunes of the nation and the ruling Chinese Communist Party: Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. Under their leaderships, China has undergone an extraordinary transformation from an undeveloped and insular country to a comprehensive world power. In this definitive study, renowned Sinologist David Shambaugh offers a refreshing account of China's dramatic post-revolutionary history through the prism of those who ruled it.
Written by: David Shambaugh
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Napoleon the Great
- Written by: Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 37 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Napoleon Bonaparte lived one of the most extraordinary of all human lives. In the space of just 20 years, from October 1795, when as a young artillery captain he cleared the streets of Paris of insurrectionists, to his final defeat at the (horribly mismanaged) battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d'état, he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the revolution had descended.
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Bad pronunciations
- By Amazon User on 2018-06-23
Written by: Andrew Roberts
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Traitor to His Class
- The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Written by: H. W. Brands
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 37 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A sweeping, magisterial biography of the man generally considered the greatest president of the 20th century, admired by Democrats and Republicans alike. Traitor to His Class sheds new light on FDR's formative years; his remarkable willingness to champion the concerns of the poor and disenfranchised; and his combination of political genius, firm leadership, and matchless diplomacy in saving democracy during the Great Depression and the American cause of freedom in World War II.
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Roosevelt becomes personal
- By Francisco Wieler on 2020-09-05
Written by: H. W. Brands
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The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- Written by: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
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Fantastic Book
- By braden on 2018-11-18
Written by: Thomas Asbridge
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Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Written by: Robert K. Massie
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
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Excellent historical review
- By Anonymous User on 2023-03-06
Written by: Robert K. Massie
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Titan
- The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
- Written by: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 35 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world’s richest man by creating America’s most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
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Thouroughly enjoyed every minute!!
- By Andrea on 2020-01-30
Written by: Ron Chernow
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Red Famine
- Stalin's War on Ukraine
- Written by: Anne Applebaum
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1929 Stalin launched his policy of agricultural collectivization - in effect a second Russian Revolution - which forced millions of peasants off their land and onto collective farms. The result was a catastrophic famine, the most lethal in European history. At least five million people died between 1931 and 1933 in the USSR. But instead of sending relief, the Soviet state made use of the catastrophe to rid itself of a political problem.
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A must read
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-04-09
Written by: Anne Applebaum
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Leonardo da Vinci
- Written by: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Alfred Molina
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Leonardo da Vinci created the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and engineering. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry.
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Incredible way to learn about history science and art
- By Kate's Creative Kitchen on 2018-03-20
Written by: Walter Isaacson
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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
- A History of Nazi Germany
- Written by: William L. Shirer
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 57 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer’s monumental study of Hitler’s German empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of the 20th century’s blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.
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The most extensive book I have ever listened too!
- By Canadian Dad on 2019-04-26
Written by: William L. Shirer
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Washington
- A Life
- Written by: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 41 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In Washington: A Life celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation. This crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his troubled boyhood, his precocious feats in the French and Indian War, his creation of Mount Vernon, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, his presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and his magnificent performance as America's first president.
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George Washington
- By Carole Morey on 2018-09-14
Written by: Ron Chernow
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Einstein
- His Life and Universe
- Written by: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 21 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Why we think it’s a great listen: You thought he was a stodgy scientist with funny hair, but Isaacson and Hermann reveal an eloquent, intense, and selfless human being who not only shaped science with his theories, but politics and world events in the 20th century as well. Based on the newly released personal letters of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos.
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enlightening
- By Jacques Huot on 2018-08-15
Written by: Walter Isaacson
Publisher's Summary
“Ever since the spectacular success of Chang’s Wild Swans we have waited impatiently for her to complete with her husband this monumental study of China’s most notorious modern leader. The expectation has been that she would rewrite modern Chinese history. The wait has been worthwhile and the expectation justified. This is a bombshell of a book.” (Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, in The Times, London)
Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao’s close circle in China who have never talked before - and with virtually everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him - this is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written. It is full of startling revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing a completely unknown Mao: he was not driven by idealism or ideology; his intimate and intricate relationship with Stalin went back to the 1920s, ultimately bringing him to power; he welcomed Japanese occupation of much of China; and he schemed, poisoned and blackmailed to get his way.
After Mao conquered China in 1949, his secret goal was to dominate the world. In chasing this dream he caused the deaths of 38 million people in the greatest famine in history. In all, well over 70 million Chinese perished under Mao’s rule - in peacetime.
Combining meticulous research with the story-telling style of Wild Swans, this biography offers a harrowing portrait of Mao’s ruthless accumulation of power through the exercise of terror: his first victims were the peasants, then the intellectuals and, finally, the inner circle of his own advisors. The listeners enters the shadowy chambers of Mao’s court and eavesdrops on the drama in its hidden recesses. Mao’s character and the enormity of his behavior toward his wives, mistresses and children are unveiled for the first time.
This is an entirely fresh look at Mao in both content and approach. It will astonish historians and the general listener alike.
What the critics say
"Sweeping." (Publishers Weekly)
"Chang and Halliday cast new and revealing light on nearly every episode in Mao's tumultuous life…a stupendous work and one hopes that it will be brought before the Chinese people, who still claim to venerate the man and who have yet to come to terms with their own history...." (Michael Yahuda, The Guardian)
"Boasts a monumental marshaling of detail and historiographically overturning revelations." (Booklist)
More from the same
What listeners say about Mao
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Thor
- 2019-02-24
Excellent
If you have read other great summaries of terrifying regimes, like the Gulag Archipelago, then this book will well surprise you in its effective and clear storytelling and its periodic reflections on the bigger picture. I was so grateful to listen to such an important story in its highly transparent writing style. It truly lets everyone be a historian, without major jargons or overly-detailed accounts. Details are given high importance, but they are much better chosen than any other major historical account I have interracted with. Thank you so much, dear authors, for this brilliant oppurtunity to learn more and more truth.
3 people found this helpful
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- HittsMcGee
- 2018-07-06
Important story_But biased perspective & too long
The story of Mao is integral for everyone to learn. He was the most influential leader this world has ever seen, yielding absolute power over nearly 1/4 of the world's population for 30 years. In his time as leader of the People's Republic of China, he was responsible for an authoritarian regime that claimed over 45 million death of his own citizens. Every person today should know his story. However, the secrecy of his regime makes it challenging to obtain a non-biased history. Chang and Halliday's narrative do a decent job of exposing the dark side of Mao. It is a deeply detailed book, which was too long for me to stay engaged. And it is definitely biased against Mao, making it a less holistic history.
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-04-15
could not get through this
too many names and so confusing. eventually I gave up . very detailed and wordy.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle RBW
- 2019-02-06
Essential reading
This is true history, the facts of which have been distorted and concealed by the Chinese for decades. We never knew how evil he was and how terrible were the lives of the Chinese people. Now that their shackles are unlocked and their potential can be realized, watch out.
1 person found this helpful
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- Alexandre Lariviere
- 2022-03-13
A powerful reminder of such a monster
To say that Mao is the most disastrous leader of the 20th century may be controversial, but it is accurate. This biography highlights his innate hypocrisy, as well as his lack of humanity.
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- tenzin
- 2021-11-18
Must read.
I loved how the story has been written in details about Mao: his personality, childhood, love towards his near and dear ones, his desire to grab power at any cost and how he reads the situation about his foes before executing his will. For me personally, as a Tibetan, I was eager to understand about his thoughts and vision on Tibet after he met His Holiness in 1956. One thing for certain that Stalin indeed pushed Mao into thinking that Tibet needs to be captured. From listening to this book, I am appalled by the inhuman treatment done by one man towards mankind in the name of one ideology. About the narration, it's awesome. Voice is clear. I felt like I am watching episodes of Netflix that I completed 29 hours listening in 2 and half days. Must read for history loving people.
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- Lee Andrews
- 2021-05-01
Mao: Evil sociopath
No nation is void of producing a tyrant in political circus...what a clown. Great book!
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- Steve Cullen
- 2018-07-06
Good reading, bad pronunciation.
the narrator is very good put pronunciation of Chinese names and places is consistently poor. As this is a book about Chinese people and places this significantly affects the narrative.
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- Anonymous User
- 2018-06-11
great story!
Really well told and certainly worth the read, although it was a little too long
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- Amazon Customer
- 2017-12-29
this book should be required reading for everyone
i loved it..amazimg insight into one of the worst humans of the past 100 years.
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- Jene
- 2006-08-07
Fills many gaps! Very good..but!
I find this book fascinating, because it is detailed and complete. I am an American and a friend of the late Helen Snow, have lived in China off and on for many years, and am knowledgeable of China's recent history,culture and some of the players. This book answers many questions I have had. The only problem - and it is disturbing - is the narrator. His pronunciation of the Chinese names is so far off the mark that I had to stop now and then to ask myself, "who is he talking about?" Or I would find myself thinking, "Oh, he means ___" This is disturbing. Even though many non-Chinese liseners might not know the difference, it is such a fine presentation, backed by years of painstaking research, the narration is irritating, and falls short in this one area. It seems important to me that the narrator know how to pronounce the names of the recognized leaders of modern China. But this is the only limitation I find- I am listening slowly to get every word! Thanks!
58 people found this helpful
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- Steaven Chan
- 2012-06-09
Terrible narrator!
Is there anything you would change about this book?
There is nothing more criminal in butchering a good book by a lousy reader. The narrator couldn't pronounce a single Chinese word properly, it is so hard to follow sometimes when you have to think twice who the heck he is talking about. Like "Zhou Enlai" was read as "Chao" that's so wrong, it should be more like "Joe" and "Chiang" was read as "Chang" so it gets really confusing. Even as simple as "Jiang qing" was read as "Jiang King" and I won't even start with places. That's another disaster to listen to.
Long and short of it, the book is good, I like the detailed insights and story, but the narration gets into my nerves. Sorry. my rating is Story 4 stars and Narration 0 stars (If I could).
What other book might you compare Mao to and why?
Wild Swan. Book is written by the same author and goes along the same format. I like it.
How could the performance have been better?
Learn how to read Chinese pinyin first before recording the book.
Could you see Mao being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
No comment
Any additional comments?
Please make sure the book reader knows how to pronounce chinese words before reading the book.
30 people found this helpful
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- Horace
- 2013-11-17
The Missing Manual for China and Chinese
In 1998 I started reading 2 books on Chinese History or Chinese Cultural per year. For a long time the only affect seemed to be that I usually knew more Chinese history than almost all Chinese under about 55 (and quite a bit less than many over about 65). It didn’t even endeared me to Chinese; it was much more likely to lead to arguments about revisionism, often devolving towards the absurd.
About 3 years ago I had my first significant breakthrough in this implicit quest when I read, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Mao: The Unknown Story completes the Genghis Khan book. The Khan dynasty and the Mao indulgency are the Yang and the Yin of the hard to see thing that differentiates China, Chinese Culture, and most modern Chinese from the rest of the world. Americans for example are incapable of this degree of dichotomy with respect to anything, but especially with respect to our leaders. (The only plausible expectation is dichotomy with respect to ourselves (individualism seems to facility a greater capacity for dichotomy with respect to ourselves)).
If you read both books back to back and then try to fuse the insights you’ll understand most of Chinese history, a lot of Chinese Culture, and a great deal more than you did about modern Chinese.
Notes:
1) IMHO this book is better than Wild Swans.
2) I have trouble recommending this book to others as strongly as its actual impact, because it’s such a painful reed.
3) Both Genghis Khan and Mao conflated history and propaganda to an extent that most of the rest of the world cannot. Although Genghis Khan may have believed in secret non-propaganda histories for their strategic value.
4) I think the first step in understanding these two books is to embrace the More is Different principle. All peoples, cultures, and governments have their moments and their dark sides, but orders of magnitude simply matter. Some numeracy with respect to scale is required to even start to understand.
27 people found this helpful
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- Jenna
- 2008-03-08
Well written, well read & VERY interesting
Enjoyable even for someone like me who knew NOTHING about Mao or China prior to diving into this book. The book is lengthy and I have to admit that I did zone out in a couple places but this in no way detracted from my enjoyment or understanding of the story. There's a lot to take in here, but rather than being daunted by the length and detail of the book, I would highly recommend giving it a listen and taking in what you can.
25 people found this helpful
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- G. Wu
- 2006-09-12
The Tragedy of Jung Chang and Her Readers
I felt very disappointed to find little new facts in the book while the authors’ explicitly biased tone in the book quickly roused my questioning about their objectivity.
Jung has put so much hatred and anger into their book that it completely clouded their common sense of fairness and justice in their writing. Letting her personal feeling to blind her judgment and writing in such a prejudiced way will not help achieving her supposed goal: to tell a true story of modern China and to expose Mao and his followers for their crime.
Reading the book brought me right back to the time of Mao’s era, not because the story was about that period but because the tone of the writing was so familiar, reminding me of the “internal materials” published by the communist government. Every historical event related to a criticized political figure would be re-written and every thing he/she did would be interpreted as with evil intentions.
Surprisingly and unfortunately, Jung and Jon’s writing used pretty much the same approach the communist party used in Mao’s years. Through out the book, I saw the same approach of quoting out of context, using partial facts or twisted facts, making generalization without solid supporting facts, using sensational stories to enhance emotional impact on the readers and asserting conclusions to the readers without any space for dispute.
It is such a tragedy that Jung, as a victim of the terrible years of Mao’s reign, who suffered the forced brain washing of the communist government, is now, 40 years later, using the exact same methods employed by the communist party, to tell a partial story to the unsuspicious readers, who would never suspect that in a democratic society, they can also be subject to same type of brainwashing that is done to the people in China.
20 people found this helpful
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- Keith O'Loane
- 2010-10-23
Frightening but worth the listen
If anyone ever tells you they think Mao is a person to look up to you might want to think again about that person. Mao was a total despot and one of the worst people to ever live. The things described in this book are frightening. It puts a lot of history into context, namely Korea and Vietnam and how this guy used those wars for only personal gain, he didn't care how many Chinese or others died. Not to be listened to with the kids, but excellent if you want to learn history and thus not be doomed to see it repeated.
16 people found this helpful
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- Walter
- 2011-10-24
The Definitive Biography
Forget everything you learned in school about Chairman Mao! This book corrects countless misconceptions and reveals the unvarnished truth about one of the most evil leaders in world history.
14 people found this helpful
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- Greg Skoog
- 2007-08-11
Excellent book, lousy narration
The book is marvelous. The narration is appallingly bad. There are so many mispronunciations of Chinese and Vietnamese personal names that it's hard to believe this narrator has every listened to international news.
12 people found this helpful
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- L. Jay
- 2007-07-21
Well worth the time
This is an amazing book. It gives you an entirely new perspective on China. Mao's leadership was horrendous. It is hard to conceive of anyone with less concern for human life and suffering. I came away from the book with the realization that China be a much greater economic threat to the United States today if it had not been victimized by Mao.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall

- Chris Nagel
- 2011-05-01
good book
One cannot say that one enjoys this book. It is a book of the destruction of very many lives, and disrespect of what many readers may hold dear. Reader beware. But it is well written and tells the story of a powerful man in world history.
8 people found this helpful