Mao For Beginners

A biography in cartoon format of the philosopher, poet, and Marxist guerrilla who became the leader of Communist China after years of revolutionary activity, with information on events leading to the revolution and on life in China under Mao's leadership and after his death.

For a champion of the poor, Mao Zedong was born to a wealthy aristocratic family in Shaoshan, Hunan China. As an adolescent, he once had to defend his father’s farm from starving peasants during a famine, who wished to seize his father's land and steal his grain. This same Mao would later promote a policy of land reform that would give those peasants the green light to violently overthrow the rich land owners all over the Chinese countryside. Inside you will read about... ✓ Where Revolution Was Made ✓ Mao Comes Into His Own ✓ Mao, the Pragmatist ✓ From Nanking to Pearl Harbor ✓ Consolidating Power ✓ Mao’s Stranglehold ✓ Mao Loses Face And much more! Mao Zedong was a Marxist revolutionary wishing to overthrow regimes he viewed as “imperialist,” and yet Mao, often referred to as the “Red Emperor,” behaved much like totalitarian Emperors of China’s medieval past. Mao was a man of intriguing contradiction. This book takes the time to explore them all.

Everyone who came in close contact with Mao was taken aback at the anarchy of his personal ways. He ate idiosyncratically. He became increasingly sexually promiscuous as he aged. He would stay up much of the night, sleep during much of the day, and at times he would postpone sleep, remaining awake for thirty-six hours or more, until tension and exhaustion overcame him. Yet many people who met Mao came away deeply impressed by his intellectual reach, originality, style of power-within-simplicity, kindness toward low-level staff members, and the aura of respect that surrounded him at the top of Chinese politics. It would seem difficult to reconcile these two disparate views of Mao. But in a fundamental sense there was no brick wall between Mao the person and Mao the leader. This biography attempts to provide a comprehensive account of this powerful and polarizing historical figure.

Every nation has its founding myth, and for modern China it is the Long March. In the autumn of 1934, the Chinese Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek routed the Chinese Communists and some 80,000 men, women and children left their homes to walk with Mao Zedong into the unknown. Mao's force had to endure starvation, harsh climates, and challenging terrain whilst under constant aerial bombardment and threatened by daily skirmishes. The Long March survivors had to cross 24 rivers and 18 mountain ranges, through freezing snow and disease-ridden wilderness to reach their safe-haven of Yan'an. In military terms, the Long March was the longest continuous march in the history of warfare and it came as a terrible cost – after one year, 6,000 miles and countless battles, fewer than 4,000 of the original marchers were left. Illustrated with stunning full-colour artwork, this enthralling book tells the full story this epic display of resilience, and shows how, from the desert plateau of Yan'an, these survivors would grow the army that conquered China 14 years on, changing history forever.

…well-written and helps you speak Chinese in no time. --FluentU.com

New and annotated translations of philosophical essays written by Mao Zedong in 1937, which have come to be regarded as a cornerstone in the development of Chinese Marxism. The editor analyzes their textual, philosophical and historical significance.

Wonderful for browsing, and invaluable for finding specific information, Literature Lovers Book of Lists is a compendium of useful and sometimes whimsical information for anyone who loves books and loves to read, at any age or reading level. It is organized into nine sections and provides nearly 200 lists relating to genres, authors, characters and settings, awards, literary terms with their definitions and much more. There are even lists of books of prose and poetry available on audiocassettes. If it has to do with literature, this book has the answers. What book has had the longest run on The New York Times best-seller list? Who is the only four-time winner of the Pulitizer Prize for drama? What is the complete list of Shakespeare's plays and poems? Who are some of the most notable African American authors? What are the three main variations of the sonnet? What famous writers belonged to The Bloomsbury Group? Literature Lovers Book of Lists is both exciting and informative at the same time.

For each developmental stage between the ages of 10 and 18, educator Arthea J. S. Reed provides lists of books organized by genre and carefully selected for teen appeal. In addition to a detailed bibliography, Reed focuses on the particular challenges for each age group, and highlights strategies for parents to persuade their children to read. This guide will help parents and teachers choose the right books for every reading level and interest.