Reviews

Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Death of Mao's China by James Palmer

ciyinwanderer's review

4.0

Well-written narrative of the last year's of Mao's reign. My main issue was that the author came to this work with some very clear biases. While the history is well done, he makes several personal attacks on leaders of the party that, substantiated or not, detract a bit from the book's validity. I'd recommend it for people just entering or relatively new to "China-watching." It's a good introduction to many of the political and historical influences that affect China today, but I'm hoping to find something with a bit more meat on its bones.