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lusca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
bellep4's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
4.5
An incredible way to tell part of the story of the revolution in China in the 1930s, which is made even more engaging by the fact the Edgar Snow can actually give a first hand account of the condition the people and the country found themselves sin and that he was the first foreigner to be able tom interview Mao and other great figures of the revolution.
The author is obviously very knowledgable and the book is easy to read.
The amount of characters may be overwhelming at first but you eventually get the hang of it and the Biographical Notes section really helps a lot.
The author is obviously very knowledgable and the book is easy to read.
The amount of characters may be overwhelming at first but you eventually get the hang of it and the Biographical Notes section really helps a lot.
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This book gives such an in depth look at Mao's life as a Red Army leader. Snow also covers so many members of the army and how they got there & what the Red Army was able to do for them. This book was super interesting, & very well written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, War, and Violence
stevia333k's review against another edition
this is for a different edition of the book but i am not informed enough on how to start a new edition page for this book.
so i'm reading a different edition of this book because i heard this book is important for purposes of how CPC & Mao got presented to the West since I'm trying to explore how Mao influenced Hippies influenced my (Gender) Non-Conformity. So yeah, I'm focusing on the 1938 edition archive dot org has on hand partly because the maps etc make it an easier read etc.
https://archive.org/details/redstaroverchina00snow/page/56/mode/2up?view=theater
So a gist I'm getting is that I kind of wish there was a database or wiki or something giving more information about all of these figures mentioned, such as the pastor & feng ta. Like this feels like one of those documentaries on "60 minutes" combined with "Paris Is Burning" at this point. i like it, it's a good read, it's interesting, it's kind of like those adventure movies that were kids genre back when i was a kid, but still.
Currently on page about: 56/474 (this was the amount read by the audiobook button at double speed, after an hour about)
so i'm reading a different edition of this book because i heard this book is important for purposes of how CPC & Mao got presented to the West since I'm trying to explore how Mao influenced Hippies influenced my (Gender) Non-Conformity. So yeah, I'm focusing on the 1938 edition archive dot org has on hand partly because the maps etc make it an easier read etc.
https://archive.org/details/redstaroverchina00snow/page/56/mode/2up?view=theater
So a gist I'm getting is that I kind of wish there was a database or wiki or something giving more information about all of these figures mentioned, such as the pastor & feng ta. Like this feels like one of those documentaries on "60 minutes" combined with "Paris Is Burning" at this point. i like it, it's a good read, it's interesting, it's kind of like those adventure movies that were kids genre back when i was a kid, but still.
Currently on page about: 56/474 (this was the amount read by the audiobook button at double speed, after an hour about)
amarj33t_5ingh's review against another edition
5.0
'Red Star Over China-', I was eighteen years old when I bumped into Professor Paramjit Singh Kalsi at the local public library. The learned Professor bade me sit down with him and we started discussing our Sikh faith and its long revolutionary history. Suddenly, he excitedly inquired whether I had ever read 'Red Star Over China.' I half-expected that my no would deflate his excitement but it only increased his passion. Observing his ardor, I actually ordered the book from the local library and commenced reading it.
I remain forever indebted to Professor Kalsi and Edgar Snow. One for guiding me towards the book and the other for writing it. I am not a Communist, nor Marxist. Neither do I believe that my political views fit into the left-right binary. But what fascinated me about 'Red Star' was its description of how Mao built up a revolution from the grassroots level and ushered in the China we know today.
Obviously, one can make the argument that China has regressed from Marxism's more Utopian aims but then Marxism was a Utopian ideal after all. However-as callous as this may sound-'Red Star' is not a record of China's human rights abuses. Rather, it portrays the history which ushered in its current manifestation. 'Red Star' is neither for Sinophiles nor their opponents. It is a must read for all organizers and leaders who envision themselves leading a future revolution.
I remain forever indebted to Professor Kalsi and Edgar Snow. One for guiding me towards the book and the other for writing it. I am not a Communist, nor Marxist. Neither do I believe that my political views fit into the left-right binary. But what fascinated me about 'Red Star' was its description of how Mao built up a revolution from the grassroots level and ushered in the China we know today.
Obviously, one can make the argument that China has regressed from Marxism's more Utopian aims but then Marxism was a Utopian ideal after all. However-as callous as this may sound-'Red Star' is not a record of China's human rights abuses. Rather, it portrays the history which ushered in its current manifestation. 'Red Star' is neither for Sinophiles nor their opponents. It is a must read for all organizers and leaders who envision themselves leading a future revolution.
huerca_armada's review against another edition
3.0
A fascinating window into the world of the Chinese Communists as they existed in 1935-1936, Snow's interviews and accounts with not just the leaders of the Communist Party of China, but the common soldiers, peasants, and workers that lived in the territories that they controlled are a critical facet to understanding not just the way in which the CPC was able to survive the brutal conditions it faced, but how it would come to win the Chinese Civil War. The differences between the Nationalist ("White") governance and that of the communists is starkly highlighted in gripping detail, from the regressive taxation schemes to the laissez-faire cruelty that defined the lives of many of the poor and downtrodden. Many of those interviewed by Snow who had lost parents, siblings, wives, and in some cases entire clans that included their extended family to the Nationalist efforts to stamp them out, and yet persevered anyways -- marching out of the Jiangxi Soviet as the Nationalist armies began a campaign of annihilation, and completing the thousands of miles of marching necessary to survive being dogged by their enemies.
While some of the more auspicious guesses by the Communist leaders interviewed by Snow would not be born out in the future, this does not detract from the overall quality of the account. There are a few stumbling blocks here and there; the way in which the text is written makes frequent skips or retreading of the same ground a common characteristic. It would have been nice for a chronologically arranged history of the Communists, followed by the interviews necessary, to help better guide the text. And while I appreciate my copy being true to form and preserving the Wade-Giles pronunciation format that Snow was both familiar with and used, I would have appreciated it if it had been updated with more modern Romanization standards.
Overall a fine primary account that should be on your reading list if you have an interest in Chinese history in the early 20th century.
While some of the more auspicious guesses by the Communist leaders interviewed by Snow would not be born out in the future, this does not detract from the overall quality of the account. There are a few stumbling blocks here and there; the way in which the text is written makes frequent skips or retreading of the same ground a common characteristic. It would have been nice for a chronologically arranged history of the Communists, followed by the interviews necessary, to help better guide the text. And while I appreciate my copy being true to form and preserving the Wade-Giles pronunciation format that Snow was both familiar with and used, I would have appreciated it if it had been updated with more modern Romanization standards.
Overall a fine primary account that should be on your reading list if you have an interest in Chinese history in the early 20th century.