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The Last Empress: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the Birth of Modern China
With the beautiful and powerful Madame Chiang Kai-Shek at the center of one of the great dramas of the 20th century, the author of An Uncommon Woman offers the story of the founding of modern China, from the revolution that swept away the monarchy to the eventual loss to the communists and exile in Taiwan.
816 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2009
About the author
Hannah Pakula
9 books29 followersHannah Pakula is the author of "The Last Empress," which was a New York Times notable book, "The Last Romantic: A Biograpy of Queen Marie of Roumania," which was called by Graham Greene the best biography and one of the three best books of the year, and "An Uncommon Woman: Empress Frederick," which was a Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist. Pakula has also written for magazines including Vanity Fair and book reviews for the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. She lives in New York City.
Married to Robert L. Boorstin and widowed at thirty-five, she was married for twenty-five years to filmmaker Alan J. Pakula, who died in a freak car accident in 1998. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal in human rights.
Married to Robert L. Boorstin and widowed at thirty-five, she was married for twenty-five years to filmmaker Alan J. Pakula, who died in a freak car accident in 1998. She was a recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill medal in human rights.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 8, 2012
A wonderful and intriguing account of the Madame. And it is more than that – it is a story of the Soong family and modern China until the advent of Communism (Mao) in 1949.
The Soong family is quite a collection as is amply demonstrated in this book. They and Chiang Kai-shek are really a sorry lot, with the possible exception of Ching-Ling. They had the money and the power to do so much for their downtrodden and exploited country and in the end they did very, very little for the masses of impoverished and illiterate Chinese. Instead they just kept adding to their wealth by channelling the vast amount of American aid into numerous overseas bank accounts around the world. After her husband died in 1975, Madame Chiang Kai-shek lived at a prestigious address in Manhattan with several servants.
There is no doubt that the Madame was a formidable person. She spoke fluent English having spent her formative years from the age of ten at schools and colleges in the U.S. Her parents saw to it that their children (both male and female – unusual in China) were to have a cultivated upbringing in order to perpetuate the Soong dynasty. As the author suggests May Lings’(the Madame) marriage to Chiang Kai-shek was power oriented. For May-Ling, Chiang was to become the new leader of the KMT; for Chiang, May-Ling was his bridge to the Anglo-Saxon world and all that it encompassed – he spoke no English and had little foreign experience. She provided new meaning to the phrase of: ‘behind every great man is a great woman’ – in fact after reading this book she was not behind him, but actually front-row and center. It was the Madame who traversed the U.S. and pushed the Chinese cause to the power-brokers of Lend-Lease. She ‘translated’ for her husband at the summit meeting in Cairo with Roosevelt and Churchill. ‘Translated’ is deliberately in quotes because as Ms. Pakula points out it was really the Madame who was the prime motivator in the meetings with the English-speaking world.
This is a most thorough biography and because of all the political overtones of the era Ms. Pakula paints a wide scope. We get a comprehensive view of the historical pushes and pulls in China. The Nationalist Chinese versus the Communist Chinese civil war. The Russian, Japanese, American and British were all unashamedly grasping for their piece of the vast Chinese landmass. The precedents for World War II started early in China with the brutal Japanese invasion in the 1930’s.
Ms. Pakula introduces us to the many individuals – Sun Yat-sen who married one of the Soong sisters, the Russian Borodin, the Americans Chennault and the forthright Stilwell. It is a kaleidoscope of clashing history and personalities in a sad and exploited country. Again the fact that the Soong’s did so little to help their country, when it needed so much is a dismal reflection on the legacy of Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
A complex portrayal of the Madame emerges from the pages of the book. She spoke persuasively to Americans of the plight of China in the U.S. Congress. She made many friends in the U.S. – but her behaviour could alienate potential allies as well. In China, she set up an orphanage for children – but one wonders how much of this was just for show. She was often treated for months at a time in U.S. hospitals, where she would occupy an entire floor, for various and assumed ailments (but lived to over 100). But in China, Chinese Nationalist soldiers were ill-fed, ill-clothed and paid very little. The peasants in the areas under Chiang’s control were exploited ruthlessly by landlords – the Nationalist government did nothing to alleviate the absurd taxation collected by the landlords from the peasants. Corruption was widespread. Anyone who opposed Chiang and the Madame faced execution.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said aptly of the Madame – she could “talk beautifully of democracy, but she does not know how to live democracy”.
The Soong family is quite a collection as is amply demonstrated in this book. They and Chiang Kai-shek are really a sorry lot, with the possible exception of Ching-Ling. They had the money and the power to do so much for their downtrodden and exploited country and in the end they did very, very little for the masses of impoverished and illiterate Chinese. Instead they just kept adding to their wealth by channelling the vast amount of American aid into numerous overseas bank accounts around the world. After her husband died in 1975, Madame Chiang Kai-shek lived at a prestigious address in Manhattan with several servants.
There is no doubt that the Madame was a formidable person. She spoke fluent English having spent her formative years from the age of ten at schools and colleges in the U.S. Her parents saw to it that their children (both male and female – unusual in China) were to have a cultivated upbringing in order to perpetuate the Soong dynasty. As the author suggests May Lings’(the Madame) marriage to Chiang Kai-shek was power oriented. For May-Ling, Chiang was to become the new leader of the KMT; for Chiang, May-Ling was his bridge to the Anglo-Saxon world and all that it encompassed – he spoke no English and had little foreign experience. She provided new meaning to the phrase of: ‘behind every great man is a great woman’ – in fact after reading this book she was not behind him, but actually front-row and center. It was the Madame who traversed the U.S. and pushed the Chinese cause to the power-brokers of Lend-Lease. She ‘translated’ for her husband at the summit meeting in Cairo with Roosevelt and Churchill. ‘Translated’ is deliberately in quotes because as Ms. Pakula points out it was really the Madame who was the prime motivator in the meetings with the English-speaking world.
This is a most thorough biography and because of all the political overtones of the era Ms. Pakula paints a wide scope. We get a comprehensive view of the historical pushes and pulls in China. The Nationalist Chinese versus the Communist Chinese civil war. The Russian, Japanese, American and British were all unashamedly grasping for their piece of the vast Chinese landmass. The precedents for World War II started early in China with the brutal Japanese invasion in the 1930’s.
Ms. Pakula introduces us to the many individuals – Sun Yat-sen who married one of the Soong sisters, the Russian Borodin, the Americans Chennault and the forthright Stilwell. It is a kaleidoscope of clashing history and personalities in a sad and exploited country. Again the fact that the Soong’s did so little to help their country, when it needed so much is a dismal reflection on the legacy of Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
A complex portrayal of the Madame emerges from the pages of the book. She spoke persuasively to Americans of the plight of China in the U.S. Congress. She made many friends in the U.S. – but her behaviour could alienate potential allies as well. In China, she set up an orphanage for children – but one wonders how much of this was just for show. She was often treated for months at a time in U.S. hospitals, where she would occupy an entire floor, for various and assumed ailments (but lived to over 100). But in China, Chinese Nationalist soldiers were ill-fed, ill-clothed and paid very little. The peasants in the areas under Chiang’s control were exploited ruthlessly by landlords – the Nationalist government did nothing to alleviate the absurd taxation collected by the landlords from the peasants. Corruption was widespread. Anyone who opposed Chiang and the Madame faced execution.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said aptly of the Madame – she could “talk beautifully of democracy, but she does not know how to live democracy”.
December 14, 2009
For a 681-page tome, it's amazing that this biography does not fail to fascinate. Perhaps my interest comes from my personal memories of the positive spin, sometimes hagiographic, on Madame Chiang Kai-Shek during the 1940's and especially 1950's. Then and into the 60's, she was running around the USA giving speeches, full of piety and fine slogans, raising money. During the great era of fear of Communism, she was "one of the ten most admired women in the world". Henry Luce, for years the publisher of "Time", was a champion of the Chiangs. Supportive articles also appeared in other mass media. The highly intelligent, American-educated Madame was charming and seductive, and few men resisted her wiles. Among the notable resistors were FDR and Churchill who were wary and Truman who detested the Chiangs. They were aware that once the Japanese struck China, Chiang, the big general, no longer fought any battles, he just hunkered down. He was such an inept administrator that assassination would have been a blessing, and the USA considered it. Additionally, the Chiangs and their relatives make Bernie Madoff look like a petty thief. American aid to China went mainly into the coffers of the Chiang family and friends, probably in off-shore accounts and South American investments, while Madame and other ladies lived in be-furred and be-jeweled luxury, spending a lot of time in upscale accommodations in the USA. (Madame lived to 105 in a tony New York apartment after Chiang's death in Taiwan.) So why did the USA give so much aid to China in the 30's to 50's? Early, because they hoped that Chiang would fight the Japanese. Later, because Taiwan was anti-Communist. Anyone in favor of foreign aid should read this book. I suppose we all know that financial aid winds up in dictators' pockets more often than not.
I also was reminded of our progress in attitudes towards the ordinary man, the peasant, the individual poor nobody. Revolutions, over the past 200+ years, have pitted the poor against the aristocracy and plutocracy. We're still ranting today, about the bloated earnings of bankers and their sense of entitlement. China of the mid-20th-century still used peasants as cannon fodder with no thought (at least on the part of the Chiangs) as to whether a decently-fed and clad soldier was better able to fight than a starving one. In the 40's, the Communists in China offered better consideration to the common man and thus engendered a great deal more loyalty; they deserved to win China.
Of the three privileged Soong sisters, the youngest was Madame, the eldest married a wealthy man who got a lot wealthier through American aid, and the middle sister, Ching-Ling, married Sun-Yat Sen and cast her lot with the Communists, while maintaining that she was not herself a Communist. She lived a modest life and is the most admirable character in the whole disgusting story.
I also was reminded of our progress in attitudes towards the ordinary man, the peasant, the individual poor nobody. Revolutions, over the past 200+ years, have pitted the poor against the aristocracy and plutocracy. We're still ranting today, about the bloated earnings of bankers and their sense of entitlement. China of the mid-20th-century still used peasants as cannon fodder with no thought (at least on the part of the Chiangs) as to whether a decently-fed and clad soldier was better able to fight than a starving one. In the 40's, the Communists in China offered better consideration to the common man and thus engendered a great deal more loyalty; they deserved to win China.
Of the three privileged Soong sisters, the youngest was Madame, the eldest married a wealthy man who got a lot wealthier through American aid, and the middle sister, Ching-Ling, married Sun-Yat Sen and cast her lot with the Communists, while maintaining that she was not herself a Communist. She lived a modest life and is the most admirable character in the whole disgusting story.
July 28, 2010
Ugh. I give up. I got about halfway through this books after two weeks of slogging, and realized I was never going to finish. The early chapters that discuss Madame's life, her time in America, and her series of letter with her friend Emma are fascinating. The following 200+ pages, which detail every military move, every battle and every interaction with the KMT, the Communists, the Americans and the Japanese are super boring, AND Madame barely figures in. The book should be relabeled as what it really is - a history of modern China - as the author often turns the spotlight away from the alleged title character.
February 18, 2010
I didn't finish this thick book but I got far enough to review it. It's a very interesting look at China and especially Madame Chiang Kai-shek's family. The amount of corruption and chaos even before the communists took over is mind-blowing. Part of the reason I didn't finish, though, (got to page 355 though, about halfway) is that I just disliked Madame and her husband so much. They seemed very conniving and Machiavellian in their politics.
I did enjoy reading some of the historical sections and understanding more about China's governmental history. There is WAY too much detail about the harem habits of former rulers, however.
I did enjoy reading some of the historical sections and understanding more about China's governmental history. There is WAY too much detail about the harem habits of former rulers, however.
June 17, 2019
This six hundred page plus book on Madame Chiang is more broadly a history of Chiang Kai Shek’s rule in China and subsequent exile to Taiwan and the influence the Soong family had over China during this time. It is readable however overly lengthy and less of a biography of Madame herself rather than a Chinese history lesson, which I understand some understanding is necessary for context.
Madame Chiang’s family and education is discussed initially given how instrumental it was to who she became in a role that was more expansive than a typical First Lady which I enjoyed.
Where this book lacks is in real insight into Madame Chiang - the book discusses how she uses grandiose and outdated words in her speeches more than how her influence in the West affected her relations with the Generalissimo Chiang and her relations, as an example. Did he find her useful? Resentful? Hard to know.
Overall an interesting read, however the last couple of chapters of her life which covered 30 years read as an afterthought.
Madame Chiang’s family and education is discussed initially given how instrumental it was to who she became in a role that was more expansive than a typical First Lady which I enjoyed.
Where this book lacks is in real insight into Madame Chiang - the book discusses how she uses grandiose and outdated words in her speeches more than how her influence in the West affected her relations with the Generalissimo Chiang and her relations, as an example. Did he find her useful? Resentful? Hard to know.
Overall an interesting read, however the last couple of chapters of her life which covered 30 years read as an afterthought.
August 4, 2010
I learned quite a lot about China's history from reading this book. It was a random pick up because Madame Chiang Kai-shek went to my college. It turned out to be a fascinating family especially her father and how he treated his daughters. I even did a review on Money and Risk.
The freedom and education that this man gave his daughters at the turn of the century was incredible.
The freedom and education that this man gave his daughters at the turn of the century was incredible.
February 6, 2012
What I am so hyped about this book is how Hannah Pakula was able to provide such a colorful tapestry of the Chinese people's narrative through various sources, genres of literature etc. in order to come up with such a spicy collection of relevant takes on China's story. and to think, all these rants while i'm just currently in chapter 9.:)) a MUST-READ!!!xD
February 26, 2010
No one will fail to notice this giant red book on your bookshelf. Nearly 800 pages long, containing two sections of photographs and spanning 137 years, Hannah Pakula’s biography of Soong May-ling, The Last Empress, better known to the world as Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the most famous wife of Chiang Kai-shek (the nationalist general who briefly united China before losing it to the communists organized under Mao Tse-tung) is a formidable conglomeration of information about many of the characters who had a hand in moving China from imperialism to communism. Readers looking for a concise, tightly organized, strategically written account of Madame’s life should look elsewhere: this book is dense with the stories of those whose lives and histories were entangled with the Chiang-Soong families and is as much a story of China as it is of Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
Unfortunately, Pakula’s style is not well suited to explaining concisely the complexities of Chinese political history in the early part of the twentieth century to the average, educated reader. This is not to say that Pakula obscures what is otherwise and elsewhere perfectly clear; the events and attitudes that initiated and characterized China’s shift from imperialism to nationalism to communism are difficult to outline cleanly.
Pakula takes a chronological approach to this biography, dividing the work into nine sections, each covering a span of several years. These sections, which are titled only according to the years they cover (which may be as few as two or as many as twenty-plus), are further broken down into chapters, the titles of which are only numbers. This chronological division is the only explicit structuring move Pakula makes, and she rarely offers her readers authorial ‘anchoring points’, which help the reader to orient her- or himself within the narrative structure. Certainly there is an overarching narrative—the intertwined trajectories of Madame Chiang Kai-shek and modern China—however, Pakula repeatedly interrupts her overarching narrative in order to insert interesting and gossipy anecdotes which can only be (thinly) justified by their chronological placement. This has the effect of flattening much of the narrative movement—important events don’t anchor the narrative or push it forward when surrounded by so many non-essential tidbits.
The story, whatever the flaws in the storytelling, is an enthralling one. Even when I grew frustrated with Pakula’s prose, I continued to read on... and on... and on. Pakula, who is carefully sympathetic to Soong May-ling, sometimes portrays her as a kind of feminist sympathizer, reinforcing May-ling’s articulate recognition of the political implications of women’s subordinate status. At other times, there are revelations of Madame’s hardness and cruelty: asked how China would respond to a difficult union leader, Madame remained silent and simply slid her hand across her throat. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, whose political speeches charmed billions of dollars in U.S. loans to China; whose translating work for her husband helped to delay world recognition of some of his personal and political shortcomings; whose sex appeal was the subject of some amusingly purple journalism (“her teeth are visual symphonies of oral architecture.” Wow. Just wow.); who worked to improve conditions in hospitals and orphanages but spent thousands of dollars on furs and shoes and wore diamonds the size of buttons; who lived to be 105 and whose life spanned the entire twentieth century was a fascinating woman whose story could well fill several books. Pakula’s The Last Empress makes for a sometimes juicy, sometimes frustrating, but always eventful read.
Review by Kristina Grob
Unfortunately, Pakula’s style is not well suited to explaining concisely the complexities of Chinese political history in the early part of the twentieth century to the average, educated reader. This is not to say that Pakula obscures what is otherwise and elsewhere perfectly clear; the events and attitudes that initiated and characterized China’s shift from imperialism to nationalism to communism are difficult to outline cleanly.
Pakula takes a chronological approach to this biography, dividing the work into nine sections, each covering a span of several years. These sections, which are titled only according to the years they cover (which may be as few as two or as many as twenty-plus), are further broken down into chapters, the titles of which are only numbers. This chronological division is the only explicit structuring move Pakula makes, and she rarely offers her readers authorial ‘anchoring points’, which help the reader to orient her- or himself within the narrative structure. Certainly there is an overarching narrative—the intertwined trajectories of Madame Chiang Kai-shek and modern China—however, Pakula repeatedly interrupts her overarching narrative in order to insert interesting and gossipy anecdotes which can only be (thinly) justified by their chronological placement. This has the effect of flattening much of the narrative movement—important events don’t anchor the narrative or push it forward when surrounded by so many non-essential tidbits.
The story, whatever the flaws in the storytelling, is an enthralling one. Even when I grew frustrated with Pakula’s prose, I continued to read on... and on... and on. Pakula, who is carefully sympathetic to Soong May-ling, sometimes portrays her as a kind of feminist sympathizer, reinforcing May-ling’s articulate recognition of the political implications of women’s subordinate status. At other times, there are revelations of Madame’s hardness and cruelty: asked how China would respond to a difficult union leader, Madame remained silent and simply slid her hand across her throat. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, whose political speeches charmed billions of dollars in U.S. loans to China; whose translating work for her husband helped to delay world recognition of some of his personal and political shortcomings; whose sex appeal was the subject of some amusingly purple journalism (“her teeth are visual symphonies of oral architecture.” Wow. Just wow.); who worked to improve conditions in hospitals and orphanages but spent thousands of dollars on furs and shoes and wore diamonds the size of buttons; who lived to be 105 and whose life spanned the entire twentieth century was a fascinating woman whose story could well fill several books. Pakula’s The Last Empress makes for a sometimes juicy, sometimes frustrating, but always eventful read.
Review by Kristina Grob
January 31, 2013
A book that forces you to commit to the long haul of reading, you have to be a history buff to get through this.
This biography is not only a bio of the women in question, but an in depth account of China from the overthrow of the Imperial Government (if you want to call it that) to the rule of the Warlords in the various provinces to the rise of Chiang Kai-shek (her husband) to the occupation and war with the Imperial Japanese to finally, the war with Mao Tse-tung and the Communists with the eventual exile to Taiwan.
If you are interested in history and international affairs, then I would absolutely recommend this book to you. This book not only discusses the woman who influence so much of what happened in China prior to the start of the Communist era, but the state of mind of her husband and the truth behind the Kuomintag Government.
Unfortunately, the Chinese people have suffered for generations and the Kuomintag Government was of not much help during the height of their rein. Sure, Madame Chiang Kai-shek did do some good deeds such as her orphanage, but in the grand scheme of things, she facilitated the transfer of million upon millions of dollars from the United States for a War that Chiang Kai-shek was inept or willing to fight (even though he has top American Advisors).
This biography is not only a bio of the women in question, but an in depth account of China from the overthrow of the Imperial Government (if you want to call it that) to the rule of the Warlords in the various provinces to the rise of Chiang Kai-shek (her husband) to the occupation and war with the Imperial Japanese to finally, the war with Mao Tse-tung and the Communists with the eventual exile to Taiwan.
If you are interested in history and international affairs, then I would absolutely recommend this book to you. This book not only discusses the woman who influence so much of what happened in China prior to the start of the Communist era, but the state of mind of her husband and the truth behind the Kuomintag Government.
Unfortunately, the Chinese people have suffered for generations and the Kuomintag Government was of not much help during the height of their rein. Sure, Madame Chiang Kai-shek did do some good deeds such as her orphanage, but in the grand scheme of things, she facilitated the transfer of million upon millions of dollars from the United States for a War that Chiang Kai-shek was inept or willing to fight (even though he has top American Advisors).
February 4, 2010
I'm still reading this and not finding it all that compelling. It is highly informative, though, broadly researched and useful to those who don't know all that much about the "birth of modern china."
April 21, 2010
This was a fascinating portrayal of Madame Chiang Kai-shek, but also a great overview of the political history of China.
November 2, 2010
I agree with the reviewer who said this is more of a history of modern China than a biography of Madame Chiang. I just couldn't finish it.
December 17, 2010
Great book about a truly remarkable woman.
October 13, 2011
It's like a giant chunk of 20th century China's History in one book. Hanna Pakula's work is gigantic and riveting! It is truly a five star piece of work.
March 2, 2018
This was fascinating. I knew nothing about May-Ling before reading this book and I found her life story intriguing.
February 25, 2014
The book not only focused on biography, but more so, about Chinese history. It showed how USA had been intertwined with the superpower that's been in China for ages now. Never a history buff so I focused more on personalities. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek had struck me as controversial yet interesting. She is the youngest of the Soong sisters, who were known to be privileged, beautiful and chose to marry rich men. She made her husband even wealthier because of the financial aids she raised from her speeches. Soong Mayling was ahead of her time-influential, educated, manipulative, social climber or maybe a hero. It's either you love her or hate her but you can never ignore such a quintessential woman. She wouldn't be named one of the ten most outstanding women in the time when fear interpolated communism for nothing.
November 8, 2010
A balanced, objective view of the life and times of Madame Chiang Kai-shek. At the beginning of the book Ms. Pakula writes alot about Madame Chiang older sisters and the rest of the Soong family, then tampers off and focuses on Madame and Chiang...this is too bad for a general reader not aquainted with 20th century Chinese history for Madame's sister and brothers were equal with her in power and fame. But for an old 'China hand' like myself it was great fun and filled with tears, laughs and guaffs...
November 5, 2017
Fascinating and very well-written, thoroughly researched biography. While Madame is central to the telling, this is an excellent book for plugging gaps in your knowledge of the years between the final emperor or China and the death of Chiang Kai-Shek and the Kuomintang dictatorship on Taiwan. I’ve read much more about the civil war and the rise of the Communists than I have about the Nationalists so this balanced my knowledge significantly.
March 29, 2010
This is the biography of Soong Mayling, who became Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and one of the most powerful and influential women of the twentieth century; certainly the most powerful in Asia. Soong was born in March, 1897, in Shanghai to a Methodist minister and businessman "Charlie" Soong. Charlie earned his degree in theology at Vanderbilt and became a sort of “Americo-phile” and – in my opinion – general sycophant who used the religion to insinuate himself into the American community in China. He married a devout Methodist Chinese woman and they had 6 children of which Mayling became the best known internationally, but all were famous in their own right. Although her sister, Chinling was said to be the beauty of the family, from the photos, I think that Mayling was hands down the most beautiful of the Soong sisters. She was also power hungry, sly, cunning, ruthless, and highly intelligent. If you want to like Soong Mayling, you will not after reading her biography. If you want to be absolutely fascinated by the meteoric rise of this woman, you will not be disappointed.
Mayling graduated from Wellsely College with a degree in English literature and philosophy. She was a popular and accomplished student, winning academic awards and joining a sorority. Following her graduation from Wellesley College in 1917 and in 1920 she met Chiang Kai Shek, a Buddhist and rising star in the Chinese military, who dumped his second wife, Jenny, when he decided that he wanted to marry Mayling. He sent Jenny on a trip to the U.S. (under a false pretense) and while she was there, he quietly divorced her and married Mayling. He also converted to Methodism and was baptized. Eventually Chiang became Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist Party, and engaged in a struggle with communist factions which would continue for the rest of his life. Madame was her husband's English translator, secretary, advisor and an influential propogandist for the Nationalist cause.
Madame Chiang became the first Chinese national, and the second woman, to ever address a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate, making the case for strong U.S. support of China in its war with Japan.
But Chiang was a despicable character who condoned corruption, incompetence, and under whose diverted millions of U.S. aid dollars away from the fight against the Japanese. He was obsessed with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and Mao Zedung, and it seems that he either dithered and fiddled while his country was raped by the Japanese, or was too weak and paralyzed to take them on despite the massive amounts of aid flowing to him from the U.S.
Perhaps the most horrible part of this history is Chiang’s abandonment of Nanking, the Nationalist capital. The notorious "Rape of Nanking" that immediately ensued began as a wholesale murder of Chinese prisoners of war and civilian men on pretext that they were fleeing soldiers who had discarded their uniforms. As the discipline of Japanese troops collapsed they began indiscriminately killing civilians. Estimates of the number of victims range widely from between 150, 000 to 300,000. Women and children (as young as 7) were raped repeatedly – sometimes to death. There is a book and a movie about the Nanking massacre. Part I and II of the documentary are on YouTube and are very difficult to watch.
In 1949, when communist forces gained control of China's major cities, Chiang Kai-shek fled the mainland, and declared Taipei, Taiwan to be the temporary capital of China, where he was elected president. Madame Chiang continued to play a prominent international role, although the Chiangs lost influence with U.S. leadership. Truman despised them both.
Madame Chiang moved to New York after her husband’s death, and she died at the age of 102 – or 103?
So, that is the synopsis. What about the book? It took me a while to plow through this massive biography of 816 pages. Was it interesting? Most definitely. Hannah Pakula, a master biographer, has done a great deal of research and she writes exceedingly well and vividly. Some of that research was not primary, as she uses secondary sources, such as accounts written by historian Barbara Tuchman. But that is fine. This is not a book intended for a history scholar. For what it is and for the excellent writing I have to give it 4 stars. I passed on giving it 5 as there are some inaccuracies in it. E.g. Pearl Buck was not just simply awarded a Pulitzer, but she was awarded a Nobel Prize. Another reason is that at times she gets a bit bogged down in the details, and the book could have used another dose of editing. There are some details that we simply do not need to know to bring to life this extraordinary woman in the context of the making of modern China.
Mayling graduated from Wellsely College with a degree in English literature and philosophy. She was a popular and accomplished student, winning academic awards and joining a sorority. Following her graduation from Wellesley College in 1917 and in 1920 she met Chiang Kai Shek, a Buddhist and rising star in the Chinese military, who dumped his second wife, Jenny, when he decided that he wanted to marry Mayling. He sent Jenny on a trip to the U.S. (under a false pretense) and while she was there, he quietly divorced her and married Mayling. He also converted to Methodism and was baptized. Eventually Chiang became Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist Party, and engaged in a struggle with communist factions which would continue for the rest of his life. Madame was her husband's English translator, secretary, advisor and an influential propogandist for the Nationalist cause.
Madame Chiang became the first Chinese national, and the second woman, to ever address a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate, making the case for strong U.S. support of China in its war with Japan.
But Chiang was a despicable character who condoned corruption, incompetence, and under whose diverted millions of U.S. aid dollars away from the fight against the Japanese. He was obsessed with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) and Mao Zedung, and it seems that he either dithered and fiddled while his country was raped by the Japanese, or was too weak and paralyzed to take them on despite the massive amounts of aid flowing to him from the U.S.
Perhaps the most horrible part of this history is Chiang’s abandonment of Nanking, the Nationalist capital. The notorious "Rape of Nanking" that immediately ensued began as a wholesale murder of Chinese prisoners of war and civilian men on pretext that they were fleeing soldiers who had discarded their uniforms. As the discipline of Japanese troops collapsed they began indiscriminately killing civilians. Estimates of the number of victims range widely from between 150, 000 to 300,000. Women and children (as young as 7) were raped repeatedly – sometimes to death. There is a book and a movie about the Nanking massacre. Part I and II of the documentary are on YouTube and are very difficult to watch.
In 1949, when communist forces gained control of China's major cities, Chiang Kai-shek fled the mainland, and declared Taipei, Taiwan to be the temporary capital of China, where he was elected president. Madame Chiang continued to play a prominent international role, although the Chiangs lost influence with U.S. leadership. Truman despised them both.
Madame Chiang moved to New York after her husband’s death, and she died at the age of 102 – or 103?
So, that is the synopsis. What about the book? It took me a while to plow through this massive biography of 816 pages. Was it interesting? Most definitely. Hannah Pakula, a master biographer, has done a great deal of research and she writes exceedingly well and vividly. Some of that research was not primary, as she uses secondary sources, such as accounts written by historian Barbara Tuchman. But that is fine. This is not a book intended for a history scholar. For what it is and for the excellent writing I have to give it 4 stars. I passed on giving it 5 as there are some inaccuracies in it. E.g. Pearl Buck was not just simply awarded a Pulitzer, but she was awarded a Nobel Prize. Another reason is that at times she gets a bit bogged down in the details, and the book could have used another dose of editing. There are some details that we simply do not need to know to bring to life this extraordinary woman in the context of the making of modern China.
September 12, 2015
What a vast volume of work! This book is about Soong Mei-ling but also very much about the Guomintang (KMT, the Chinese Nationalist Party) in the context of the history of modern China, with a strong emphasis on the life of Chiang Kai-Shek, Mei-ling's husband.
Here are some of the topics covered in this book:
History of Charlie Soong, Mei-ling's father;
Snapshots of Shanghai in the 1920s;
Bound feet, clothing, layouts of early 20th century Chinese houses;
The friendship and personal correspondence between May-ling and her school friend Emma;
The creation of the KMT, its infiltration by the soviet communist agent Borodin;
The inner rifts within the KMT, the chaos in China in the second half of the 1920s;
Many chapters on Chiang Kai-shek, some quotes from his previous wife Jenny;
The marriage between May-ling and Chiang; Quotes from Chiang's diary;
The Japanese invasion of China, the rape of Nanking;
The international, mainly American, media activity of Soong May-ling and her drive to secure financial and material aid for China. Her national charity work.
The scheming of her sister Ai-ling and her husband H.H.Kung; the work of T.V. Soong, all the while spiced up with views of the protagonists by their contemporaries.
The corruption plaguing all strata of Chinese society, especially the machinations at the high levels of power;
The bizarre, surreal situation in which Japan is spreading, raping and pillaging across the width and breadth of China, while the KMT Government is pretending to the world to fight back while in reality just sitting tight and trying to survive the storm, and also doing its utmost to seek and destroy as many communists as it can. The communists for their part, according to one of Mao Zedong's secret directives quoted in the book, "The Sino-Japanese War affords our party an excellent opportunity for expansion.", and "our policy should be to spend 70 per cent of our effort on the party's expansion, 20 per cent dealing with the KMT, and only 10 per cent on resisting Japan";
The Lend-Lease agreement and Chiang's plan to use U.S. technical aid to fight the Communists after the war; the billions of US dollars poured into the hands of the Chinese Nationalist government by the USA and the continuing poverty and corruption in China;
Mei-Ling's pro-Chinese propaganda visits to the USA and the American "China Lobby"; her work during the Second World War and her material state;
The state of her marriage to Chiang, her affair;
The Chiangs' life in Taiwan and the political situation on the island after the KMT were forced out of mainland China by the Communists;
The death of Chaing Kai-shek and Mai-ling's old age.
I was impressed by the sheer range of topics discussed in "The Last Empress", and I almost feel I know Mei-ling personally after reading so much about her life. I wouldn't necessarily take all the information in this book as hard fact, but the overall picture that it paints, down to the descriptions of the clothes Madame was wearing on various occasions, is comprehensive and valuable, and without a doubt helped me learn a great deal about the complex personality of Soong Mei-ling, as well as about the history of modern China.
Here are some of the topics covered in this book:
History of Charlie Soong, Mei-ling's father;
Snapshots of Shanghai in the 1920s;
Bound feet, clothing, layouts of early 20th century Chinese houses;
The friendship and personal correspondence between May-ling and her school friend Emma;
The creation of the KMT, its infiltration by the soviet communist agent Borodin;
The inner rifts within the KMT, the chaos in China in the second half of the 1920s;
Many chapters on Chiang Kai-shek, some quotes from his previous wife Jenny;
The marriage between May-ling and Chiang; Quotes from Chiang's diary;
The Japanese invasion of China, the rape of Nanking;
The international, mainly American, media activity of Soong May-ling and her drive to secure financial and material aid for China. Her national charity work.
The scheming of her sister Ai-ling and her husband H.H.Kung; the work of T.V. Soong, all the while spiced up with views of the protagonists by their contemporaries.
The corruption plaguing all strata of Chinese society, especially the machinations at the high levels of power;
The bizarre, surreal situation in which Japan is spreading, raping and pillaging across the width and breadth of China, while the KMT Government is pretending to the world to fight back while in reality just sitting tight and trying to survive the storm, and also doing its utmost to seek and destroy as many communists as it can. The communists for their part, according to one of Mao Zedong's secret directives quoted in the book, "The Sino-Japanese War affords our party an excellent opportunity for expansion.", and "our policy should be to spend 70 per cent of our effort on the party's expansion, 20 per cent dealing with the KMT, and only 10 per cent on resisting Japan";
The Lend-Lease agreement and Chiang's plan to use U.S. technical aid to fight the Communists after the war; the billions of US dollars poured into the hands of the Chinese Nationalist government by the USA and the continuing poverty and corruption in China;
Mei-Ling's pro-Chinese propaganda visits to the USA and the American "China Lobby"; her work during the Second World War and her material state;
The state of her marriage to Chiang, her affair;
The Chiangs' life in Taiwan and the political situation on the island after the KMT were forced out of mainland China by the Communists;
The death of Chaing Kai-shek and Mai-ling's old age.
I was impressed by the sheer range of topics discussed in "The Last Empress", and I almost feel I know Mei-ling personally after reading so much about her life. I wouldn't necessarily take all the information in this book as hard fact, but the overall picture that it paints, down to the descriptions of the clothes Madame was wearing on various occasions, is comprehensive and valuable, and without a doubt helped me learn a great deal about the complex personality of Soong Mei-ling, as well as about the history of modern China.
May 15, 2016
Honestly I feel that this book should have been dedicated solely on the life of Madam Chiang Kai Shek as the title refers specifically to her. Pakula had burdened me with unnecessary details about the life of other people who were instrumental in her life. I found that much of the first half of the book was not interesting since I only believed that I was only interested in Madam Shek more than any other character. I didn't really see much of the corrupt chameleon that she was in the first half. It seemed like she was a rather candid woman who didn't hesitate to speak her mind and was independent in her line of thought. This woman was probably not as corrupt as she was portrayed. I mean, I feel that living up to 105 is truly a blessing from God and that she had done a great deal of wonderful deeds--setting up schools for warphans, giving all these speeches and even writing her own. Whether she had done these things for show is debatable. She might have, she might not have. We do not know her true intentions and motives, but we do know that had it not been for her, Chiang Kai Shek himself would have been finished long ago. Although her legacy was short-lived and she had to leave Taiwan after Chiang Kai Shek died, I never understood why she was hated by so many people. I mean, it's obvious that she cared for her family and her family alone. Even if she did pocket all the aid that the U.S. had given her, I don't thikn she had lavished it upon herself. If we didn't trust her, we would not have seen her as a friend and ally. And whether she had the affair with Wilkes is debatable, as Simon Cowles could have made it up. I doubt Madam Chiang Kai Shek was like that. I mean, it was rumored(wikipedia) that she could have hurled a vase at the Generalissimo herself when she found out he had an affair with their nurse, but I don't know. If she did and the affair had taken place between her and Wilkies, then she would have been a hypocrite. I doubt she was the nasty woman that she was portrayed in this book. I doubt that she even had an affair. This woman was too moral to perform such an act.
When the author quoted Laura Tyson Li, I was just shocked. I mean, Li is married to a Chinese man herself, and givent hat the chinese already hate her and consider her a corrupt woman, how can she write a truly objective account of who the Madame herself was? I mean, sure, everything has a bias, but since it is negatively skewed towards her, it is clear that we may never know who she really is. Although I do have to say that Madam Chiang herself does seem to convey craftiness in the way she appears or somewhat anti-chinese in her speech.
Madam Chiang did risk her life when she was in world war 2 so i have to give her some credit for that. I also feel that Madam Chiang Kai shek herself had done a lot of good, and I am not sure if she was behind the slaughter of some people like Luce, since she did tell Eleanor Roosevelt that they would kill them or rather, she made a slicing motion across her throat.
When the author quoted Laura Tyson Li, I was just shocked. I mean, Li is married to a Chinese man herself, and givent hat the chinese already hate her and consider her a corrupt woman, how can she write a truly objective account of who the Madame herself was? I mean, sure, everything has a bias, but since it is negatively skewed towards her, it is clear that we may never know who she really is. Although I do have to say that Madam Chiang herself does seem to convey craftiness in the way she appears or somewhat anti-chinese in her speech.
Madam Chiang did risk her life when she was in world war 2 so i have to give her some credit for that. I also feel that Madam Chiang Kai shek herself had done a lot of good, and I am not sure if she was behind the slaughter of some people like Luce, since she did tell Eleanor Roosevelt that they would kill them or rather, she made a slicing motion across her throat.
April 5, 2016
Note: The above rating should be 2 1/2 stars.
I feel like a mouth-breathing troglodyte to only give this highly acclaimed book 2 1/2 stars, but my god, was this hard to get through!
I love to read, and few things are better than truly enjoying a book. While I enjoyed portions of this book, as a whole, it was incredibly tedious and difficult to finish. In fact, I went entire days without reading this, and it was only because I hate giving up on books that I made myself finish.
The beginning is promising - a brief history of Mei-ling's (the future Madame Chiang Kai-shek) parents, followed by Mei-ling's childhood and young adulthood. It's where Pakula attempts to explain the conflicts between China and Japan that the narrative really bogged down for me. I fully realize this could be due to my lack of interest in military history, but even though I read portions multiple times, the finer details of those conflicts and battles are still lost on me. I finally gave up and moved on; otherwise, I would probably still be stuck in one of those chapters.
Unfortunately for me, this book has a LOT of military history in it, and again, I realize that is probably necessary in a book of this undertaking, and also given that much of the book takes place during WWII. Again, some portions were interesting - it is illuminating to read how Chiang Kai-shek, through his own selfishness and narcissism, helped force China to choose Mao and Communism, rather than think of Kai-shek as a noble leader who was trampled by the unforgiving forces of Communist brutes - but by and large, my eyes glazed over during many of these chapters.
Much of the book is focused on the actions of Kai-shek and his delegates, which may seem contrary for a book which proclaims to be a biography of Madame Kai-shek, but given that those two people led such intertwined lives, I don't think you can tell her story without including much of his (and his government).
Overall, I respect Pakula for this undertaking, and the scholarly achievement in writing such a tome - but as a reader, I probably wouldn't read this again, nor would I recommend it to anyone unless I knew they enjoyed a hefty dose of military history along with their biographies.
I feel like a mouth-breathing troglodyte to only give this highly acclaimed book 2 1/2 stars, but my god, was this hard to get through!
I love to read, and few things are better than truly enjoying a book. While I enjoyed portions of this book, as a whole, it was incredibly tedious and difficult to finish. In fact, I went entire days without reading this, and it was only because I hate giving up on books that I made myself finish.
The beginning is promising - a brief history of Mei-ling's (the future Madame Chiang Kai-shek) parents, followed by Mei-ling's childhood and young adulthood. It's where Pakula attempts to explain the conflicts between China and Japan that the narrative really bogged down for me. I fully realize this could be due to my lack of interest in military history, but even though I read portions multiple times, the finer details of those conflicts and battles are still lost on me. I finally gave up and moved on; otherwise, I would probably still be stuck in one of those chapters.
Unfortunately for me, this book has a LOT of military history in it, and again, I realize that is probably necessary in a book of this undertaking, and also given that much of the book takes place during WWII. Again, some portions were interesting - it is illuminating to read how Chiang Kai-shek, through his own selfishness and narcissism, helped force China to choose Mao and Communism, rather than think of Kai-shek as a noble leader who was trampled by the unforgiving forces of Communist brutes - but by and large, my eyes glazed over during many of these chapters.
Much of the book is focused on the actions of Kai-shek and his delegates, which may seem contrary for a book which proclaims to be a biography of Madame Kai-shek, but given that those two people led such intertwined lives, I don't think you can tell her story without including much of his (and his government).
Overall, I respect Pakula for this undertaking, and the scholarly achievement in writing such a tome - but as a reader, I probably wouldn't read this again, nor would I recommend it to anyone unless I knew they enjoyed a hefty dose of military history along with their biographies.
September 13, 2018
Apabila berbicara mengenai sejarah moden negara China,pastinya tidak akan terlepas untuk menyentuh tentang peranan dan sumbangan keluarga Soong ke atas pembentukan negara China moden. Soong May-ling sememangnya mempunyai tempatnya yang tersendiri di dalam lembaran sejarah tersebut,baik yang bersifat positif mahupun negatif.
Apabila saya menoktahkan pembacaan saya,saya merasakan seolah-olah buku ini ditulis bukanlah khusus untuk May-ling. Sebaliknya,saya merasakan seperti membaca sebuah buku mengenai sejarah China secara amnya! Tetapi,saya berpandangan bahawa ini bukanlah hasil dari kesalahan penulis buku ini,Hannah Pakula. Saya memahami,bahawa untuk memastikan para pembaca diberikan kefahaman yang mendalam dan baik mengenai subjek beliau,pembaca mestilah terlebih dahulu mengetahui mengenai secara asas sejarah China pasca dinasti Qing dan tokoh-tokoh yang sezaman dengan May-ling.
Pakula menegaskan bahawa May-ling memainkan peranannya di dalam pembentukan China moden. Saya secara amnya bersetuju dengan pandangan penulis ini. Hal ini dapat dibuktikan terutamanya pada ketika Perang Dunia Kedua (Perang China-Jepun 1937 sehingga 1945). May-ling bukan sahaja bertindak penterjemah kepada suaminya,Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,malahan juga sebagai duta,penasihat dan penggubal dasar kepada pemimpin China tersebut. Tugasan ini dilakukan baik secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Latar belakang May-ling yang berpendidikan Barat dan sangat fasih berbahasa Inggeris memampukan dirinya untuk berkomunikasi dengan tokoh-tokoh dari negara Barat,terutamanya dengan Amerika Syarikat. Tambahan pula,May-ling memiliki daya tarikan dan karisma yang membuatkan ramai orang,terutamanya golongan lelaki untuk tertarik kepadanya. Malahan,ada yang menjalinkan hubungan sulit dengannya!
Membaca buku hasil karangan Pakula ini ternyata berjaya memberikan beberapa pengetahuan baharu kepada saya bukan sahaja mengenai May-ling sahaja semata-mata tetapi juga mengenai sejarah moden China secara amnya.
Apabila saya menoktahkan pembacaan saya,saya merasakan seolah-olah buku ini ditulis bukanlah khusus untuk May-ling. Sebaliknya,saya merasakan seperti membaca sebuah buku mengenai sejarah China secara amnya! Tetapi,saya berpandangan bahawa ini bukanlah hasil dari kesalahan penulis buku ini,Hannah Pakula. Saya memahami,bahawa untuk memastikan para pembaca diberikan kefahaman yang mendalam dan baik mengenai subjek beliau,pembaca mestilah terlebih dahulu mengetahui mengenai secara asas sejarah China pasca dinasti Qing dan tokoh-tokoh yang sezaman dengan May-ling.
Pakula menegaskan bahawa May-ling memainkan peranannya di dalam pembentukan China moden. Saya secara amnya bersetuju dengan pandangan penulis ini. Hal ini dapat dibuktikan terutamanya pada ketika Perang Dunia Kedua (Perang China-Jepun 1937 sehingga 1945). May-ling bukan sahaja bertindak penterjemah kepada suaminya,Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,malahan juga sebagai duta,penasihat dan penggubal dasar kepada pemimpin China tersebut. Tugasan ini dilakukan baik secara langsung atau tidak langsung. Latar belakang May-ling yang berpendidikan Barat dan sangat fasih berbahasa Inggeris memampukan dirinya untuk berkomunikasi dengan tokoh-tokoh dari negara Barat,terutamanya dengan Amerika Syarikat. Tambahan pula,May-ling memiliki daya tarikan dan karisma yang membuatkan ramai orang,terutamanya golongan lelaki untuk tertarik kepadanya. Malahan,ada yang menjalinkan hubungan sulit dengannya!
Membaca buku hasil karangan Pakula ini ternyata berjaya memberikan beberapa pengetahuan baharu kepada saya bukan sahaja mengenai May-ling sahaja semata-mata tetapi juga mengenai sejarah moden China secara amnya.
December 28, 2012
Make no mistake, this book is an undertaking. Not only is The Last Empress long, but it is very detailed with many names to keep track of. I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about China's history, especially in World War II and the rise of Communism. While a book about the Kai-Sheks may seem like an indirect way of doing so, I feel this book gave me a good idea of why the Chinese turned to Communism. Neither Madame nor Chiang are particularly likable people. They presided over a very corrupt and hypocritical government that did few positive things for the Chinese people. Unfortunately, the faults of the Kai-Sheks do make this book less exciting to read because there is a good chance many people simply won't like or respect them. To make matters worse, I couldn't help but feel a good editor might cut down on some of the details which can become repetitive. This book is nearly 700 pages (not including the notes and sources) and I couldn't help but feel that reducing it to 400-500 pages would hurt the book at all. Also there is a lot of going forward and backwards in time which may ultimately be necessary, but the jumps in time do make the book a little more stop and start than what some readers would prefer. Ultimately, if you have an interest in this part of China's history, this book will be worth the endeavor, but everyone else would probably be wise to skip The Last Empress.
September 1, 2019
Seems like most of their lives (in power) were just the same events repeating over and over with different actors. This account was interesting but I feel it could have been shorter or more varied
August 10, 2013
This book was fascinating. Admittedly, I know very little about Chinese history, which could be the reason it impressed me so much, but I was quite taken with this huge brick of a biography. The author left no stone unturned in writing this, and presented a very fair and balanced look at the situation in China, especially during World War II, even as things became more and more convoluted. I applaud Hannah Pakula in this. Writing this book must have been a herculean effort.
That's not to say I particularly liked May-ling. She was such an intriguing person, with so many different sides and aspects, it's difficult to judge her as a whole. I was impressed and repulsed by her in turns; I was even downright surprised by the author's ability to invoke pity in me for a woman who, arguably, cared very little for the plight of the common person. To be honest, I'm not sure I've come away from this book really knowing Madame Chaing Kai-shek any better, but now, I do feel like I understand her and her motivations. This was an excellent, excellent read.
That's not to say I particularly liked May-ling. She was such an intriguing person, with so many different sides and aspects, it's difficult to judge her as a whole. I was impressed and repulsed by her in turns; I was even downright surprised by the author's ability to invoke pity in me for a woman who, arguably, cared very little for the plight of the common person. To be honest, I'm not sure I've come away from this book really knowing Madame Chaing Kai-shek any better, but now, I do feel like I understand her and her motivations. This was an excellent, excellent read.
December 25, 2012
This is a very long, comprehensive biography. It is extensively researched. It offers a perspective from much more of an international diplomatic history perspective than a Chinese history perspective, leaning very heavily on English-language sources and writers. Very rarely does Pakula quote Chinese sources other than the principal actors, whereas she frequently references English-language historians of World War II. The book is a narrative of events and has almost no analysis. It would have benefited from a more selective approach to details--my interest faded in and out, often because of an excess of minutia. I would recommend the biography to anyone who already has a strong interest in world political history.
September 19, 2012
Very thorough book. That's about the best that I can say to recommend it. I maintained my interest for about half the book and could barely muster the interest to read till the end after that. Difficult read in that it begins to get boring. Also way too many people to keep track of. I almost feel like there needed to be little numbers next to names referring to footnotes that would give you page numbers where this person was mentioned before, just so that you don't have to be thumbing through the entire book trying to figure out where you had read about this person before. Not something that I'll ever read again.
January 25, 2013
I like this book because the English is highly readable. I know there are complaints that Hannah Pakula rambles, instead of merely focusing on Soong Mei Ling. But the author did say that she wanted to put Soong Mei Ling in context to the times that was written about... the environment at that time and what others said. I agree with the writer because I don't know much about Chinese history. So her treatment of the subject is most welcome, as far as I am concerned. Would the critics complain, if the title of the book had been different? They didn't say.
December 10, 2014
What a thorough book on Madame Chiang Kai-Shek's life. It was very well researched and was quite a scholarly presentation on the "Last Empress" of China. Since I was not familiar with the last 100 year history of China, I found this book very interesting. The downside being that there were so many footnotes to get through that the book became exhaustive, which is why it took me so long to read. All-in-all if you would like a very thorough book on the Nationalist rule of China then this is the book for you.
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