CHIANG KAI-SHEK

by Emily Hahn ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 24, 1955

A student of China and biographer of the Soong sisters, writes the biography of Chiang Kai-Shek with an impassioned warmth and a feeling that carries his personality beyond the realms of partisanship. Though many may disagree with her interpretation and though she draws few overt conclusions as to the right or wrong of the many drastic elements in China's recent history, there is a sense of urgency to the course of action taken by Chiang and his followers that makes their description colorful reading. Beginning early Miss Hahn probes Chiang's south China childhood and the seeds of austerity, reticence and obstinacy that made him the man he was. Part of his training as a soldier took place in Japan. From there he soon found his way to Sun Yat Sen and the revolutionary measures being set in motion to curb the Manchu misrule. The actions of many familiar figures dot the scene as plans progressed- Sun, the Soongs, Donald of China, Chiang himself and his generals, and the rising Mao. The following devastating decades with Japanese invasion and Communist ascendancy gradually whittled Chiang's power to a minimum and to its present token location on Formosa. There is the implication that America could have served more efficiently to stem the flow that drowned him and that Chiang did only what he could to preserve his China against the combination of forces that left him a lone hero. An irreparable past is echoed in the forlorn note sounded here. China Lobby appeal.

Pub Date: March 24, 1955

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1955

Categories: NONFICTION