Nixon and Mao The Week That Changed the World

Interesting book. Not as good as her earlier work, Six Months That Changed the World.

A gripping book that reads more like a stageplay than your standard history book. The setting is Mao's Beijing in the final days of the ailing leader, where the soon-to-be-dethroned Nixon has a major sit-down that marks a turning point in the Cold War. The main characters are fleshed out by MacMillan, and the overall book offers a fresh glimpse into the personalities of giants like Mao and...more

A gripping book that reads more like a stageplay than your standard history book. The setting is Mao's Beijing in the final days of the ailing leader, where the soon-to-be-dethroned Nixon has a major sit-down that marks a turning point in the Cold War. The main characters are fleshed out by MacMillan, and the overall book offers a fresh glimpse into the personalities of giants like Mao and Nixon.   hide

Not much that's new; heavy reliance on the standard texts; little apparent research in original documents. But an interesting depiction of Nixon as more than the cardboard villain and a credible balanced amplification and qualification of both Kissinger's and Nixon's self-promotion.

A great blend of individual histories of the figures involved (like Mao, Kissinger, and Nixon etc) with the international political situation of the time. Very good read.