This is the final book in a trilogy by Dikötter about China starting in the year 1945 and now ending at 1976. It is the driest of all three but it is still a very interesting and moving read in addition to its inherent factual value. There was an even higher amount of complex political intrigue in this one, and the volume of information and specific events was more difficult for me to keep track of than the previous two in the series. I feel that it could have benefited from being split into two different books. It details an obviously important moment in history and is valuable reading for multiple other reasons namely as a case study of what certain ideas and leadership “styles” look like in practice. Many events in this book distinctly rhyme with events happening currently in the west, which is disturbing to say the least and therefore makes this more important to read than ever. Each key figure mentioned really could have an entire book dedicated just to them. I found the trilogy it is part of to be wonderfully written, well researched, and that the author did a good job of blending statistics and dates with human experiences. I did feel like this particular entry in the trilogy was more “rushed” in comparison to the other two but none-the-less exceptional as a historical account.