Out of Mao’s Shadow Book Review
China has traversed a long and difficult road since the 1911 revolution and the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Many individuals have attempted to restore China into its formal glory and others have tried to reconstruct China into something new. What China settled with was the communist party and with the rule of the communist party, and through this system was able to expand its economic powers and influence worldwide. Praise can be given for the efforts of the Chinese communist party and their success. However, the success of the Chinese communist party came at a very expensive price and Philip Pan reveals the true costs of the revolution.
Unlike conventional books, Out of Mao’s Shadow utilizes interviews to introduce the topic and draw information from its interviewees. Each chapter of the book portrays the life and story of an individual Chinese who has either experienced the dreaded Mao era or is trying to escape the legacy he left behind. Every chapter from start to end immerses the reader with rich, filling, and tragic tales of individuals who have suffered under this regime. The detail and attention of each story is fully explored, and provides the reader with a surreal experience and perspective into the life of those individuals. Take for example, the story of Lin Zhao, who was a genuine communist party supporter and later one of the greatest enemies of the party. The life of Lin Zhao was possibly the most fantastic and heart-breaking story in the entire book. This story stands out amongst the rest because Lin Zhao has passed away, but lives on through her writing. Lin Zhao’s story shows the readers that even when one was frantically working for the communist party, the communist party was a constant source of betrayal. Lin’s life showed that the communist party would mercilessly attack those it believed were against its agenda.
Similar to the book China Road, Pan’s Out of Mao’s Shadow addresses the same issue. The Chinese Communist Party may have boosted the Chinese economy to a world power but the political system still remains unchecked. The Chinese government only allows the positives to be shown to the world but the true face of the government remains censored. Pan, like many other journalists traveling around China, attempts to uncover the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party and the individuals who suffer under the party. Pan’s travel through China leads him from one journey to another, and none of his experiences seem to be planned in advance. Essentially, the damages done by the Chinese Communist Party can be easily found all around China if one just spends the time to look. Pan does an excellent job maintain his neutral position when commenting on the subject and allows the readers to determine how they feel. Ultimately, the Chinese Communist Party needs to openly address problems found in China rather than censoring and ignoring its faults.
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