Deng: A Political Biography

Rating:
Summary: Has negatives, but interesting all the same
Review: Interesting to read a Chinese biography that didn't just talk about how great the person was and all the achievements they accomplished. Enjoyed reading this book as it is more 'honest' in its story telling than others.

Didn't enjoy what seems to be amateurish writing, especially when the author is not an amateur. The author is personally connected to the Dengs, so this provides insights that may not be available to others. But it is clear that despite the attempt to be balanced, the author is a fan of Deng. Using his favourite tool, the exclamation mark, quite liberally - in fact, hardly a page goes by without one, eg. talking about returning to Chongching with his bodyguard "What an awesome sight!" Reading this type of writing constantly does detract from the content of the book, which is extremely well researched - and I think that's a shame.

The other aspect, which is negative, was the constant critisism of other biographers. As if the author needs to reaffirm that his book is clearly better.

Despite these 'negatives', I still enjoyed reading the book, as the research is clearly there, and it is more 'balanced' than other material I have read on Deng.