“A fine, sharp study of this tumultuous, elusive era . . . [An] excellent follow-up to his groundbreaking previous work . . . Dikötter tells a harrowing tale of unbelievable suffering. A potent combination of precise history and moving examples.” ―starred review, Kirkus Reviews

“If [The Cultural Revolution] were widely circulated in China, it could undermine the legitimacy of the current regime . . . This book is a significant event in our understanding of modern China.” ―New York Times Book Review

“Richly documented . . . Dikötter paints a chilling picture.” ―Publishers Weekly

“For those who have swallowed the poisonous claim that the Communist Party deserves some credit for China's current patchy prosperity, Mr. Dikötter provides the antidote.” ―Wall Street Journal

“Dikötter's well-researched and readable new book on the Cultural Revolution's causes and consequences is a crucial reminder of the tragedies, miscalculations and human costs of Mao's last experiment.” ―The Guardian

“A fascinating account of how people twisted or resisted the aims of Mao's movement ****” ―Daily Telegraph

“The murderous frenzy of the times, which tore apart friends and families, not to speak of the Communist party itself, is powerfully conveyed.” ―Book of the Week, The Times

“Definitive and harrowing.” ―Book of the Week, Daily Mail

“The final book of his magnificent historical trilogy . . . [Dikötter] has mastered the details so well that with the most sparing use of description he weaves a vivid tapestry of China at the time . . . This brilliant book leaves no doubt that Mao almost ruined China and left a legacy of paranoia that still grips its modern dictatorship under the latest autocrat, Xi Jinping.” ―Sunday Times

“Like Dikötter's two previous books . . . The Cultural Revolution exposes, in measured prose and well-documented analysis, the impact of communist rule in a period of extraordinary stress . . . Together, these three books, which Dikötter calls the 'People's Trilogy', constitute a major contribution to scholarship on modern China, one that is unequalled, certainly in the English language.” ―Literary Review

“Gripping, horrific . . . A significant event in our understanding of modern China.” ―International New York Times

“Fluent, compelling and based on a wide range of evidence.” ―Financial Times