Review: A Thousand Hills
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200906400131 |
| Published date | 01 March 2009 |
| Date | 01 March 2009 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
| Reviews |
| 304 | Winter 2008-09 | International Journal |
Ven th at she cites) contradicts her concl usion. Some direct quote s are
provided with citations, but most are not. Sun offers readers her conclusions,
not her reasoning. We get the film but not the outtakes or the reasons the
scenes were shot in the ways that they were.
Sun’s es sential hum anity and fair-mindednes s, as well as her vivid
writing, redeem this book. While it is not a scholarly history, it is a reliable
source of what s urvivors remember today, and while imper fect, such
memories are necessary c ontributions to the history not only of th e long
march but also of China’s troubled 20th century. Reading this book will not
give the reader the “true history” of the long march, but it will add some
powerful experiences of ordinary people whose lives matter and whose
stories, despite personal failings, speak of human hope and perseverance.
It is inspiring. Wh at Sun Shuyun makes of these personal stories is not
history in the social science sense, but it is an artistic vision that has merit.
Her version is yet another story, one that is important because it reflects the
apostate moment for many Chinese of her generation today.
Timothy Cheek/University of British Columbia
A THOUSAND HILLS
Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It
Stephen Kinzer
New York: Wiley, 2008. 380pp, $28.99 cloth (ISBN 978-0-470-12016-6)
Journalist Stephen Kinzer has written a magnificent yet disappointing book
on the man who rules post-genocide Rwanda, Paul Kagame. Those who
admire Kagame’s visionary leadership style in bringing peace and security to
a once-troubled country will hail the book. It will be widely read by western
audiences, who will be all too willing to believe that Kagame is indeed his
country’s saviou r and guardian. For those familiar with Rwandan politics,
the book will be a disappointment as we learn nothing new about the man
who rules with an iron fist. Kagame’s d etractors should still read Kinzer’s
book in order to equip themselves to argue against its unwarranted portrait
of Kagame as an African leader who cares deeply about his people and their
development.
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