A penetrating and timely unraveling of the personality and impact of a strongman president.
A respected journalist combines history, headlines, and personal reflections in a careful analysis of China’s leader-for-life.
As the unquestioned leader of the world’s most-populous nation, Xi Jinping (b. 1953) may be the most powerful person on the planet. However, as is often the case in China, separating facts from myths is a difficult process. Wong, who covered China for the Wall Street Journal since 2014, is a good person to accept the challenge, and his critical biography synthesizes a huge body of research. Wong tracks through Xi’s formative period, including several years of exile to a hardscrabble rural province during the Cultural Revolution, and his slow climb through local politics toward the top. With a series of sponsors and mentors, he made a name for himself as a supercommitted party man, and in the post-Deng era he became the figure most likely to reassert central control and claim a dominant position for China on the global stage. Uniquely, once he became the country’s leader, he integrated the three crucial roles of party boss, head of state, and commander in chief of the military, and he pushed through changes that allowed him to remain in office permanently. Intelligent but not especially charismatic, his power stems from his institutional titles, but this reveals that his system of governance is brittle. Nothing moves unless he is personally involved. Wong points out that “his new-look Communist Party has come to resemble, in some ways, the imperial bureaucracies of old—bigger and better organized, but no less autocratic, rigid, and plagued by succession woes.” The author suggests that when Xi departs or dies, there is likely to be a dangerous power vacuum. In a concluding note, Wong notes that he was expelled from China in 2019 for reasons that were never made clear. It adds a personal dimension to an authoritative, clear-minded study.
A penetrating and timely unraveling of the personality and impact of a strongman president.Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781982185732
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Avid Reader Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 20, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.
A carefully curated personal portrait.
First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781510782693
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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