A heavy book, in many senses of the word, but one that is worth persevering with. Growing up in the 1960s Mao was a God, but one we really knew very little about. His image was very carefully controlled. This book explodes that image and shows what an ego-centric, power-crazy individual he was. There are many examples of his cruelty to others, and total indifference to their fate. Many of the heroic images of Communist China are shown to be completely false, and Mao comes over as a completely unlikeable character. Sixth Formers studying China could gain a lot from this, and it cries out to be used in a historiographical study.... I suspect it's main use will be by teachers, updating their knowledge, and showing how our interpretations of history can - and do - change quite radically. Unforgettable.