Following the Leader

March 15, 2014

What do the leaders of China think about the changes and challenges that their country has faced since the death of Mao Zedong? From 1971 to 2013, Lampton (China studies, Johns Hopkins Sch. of Advanced International Studies; The Three Faces of Chinese Power: Might, Money, and Minds) has conducted over 500 interviews with Chinese leaders at various levels, both inside and outside of government. These discussions form the foundation of this work, which provides an exceptional explanation of the astounding changes that China has experienced, especially since the late 1970s, and offers a sober assessment of the challenges the nation currently faces. Readers will learn how policy is made, the nature of civil-military relations, how China views its place in the world, what keeps the country's leaders up at night, and more. (For a work that provides an equally realistic view but focuses more exclusively on China's external relations see David Shambaugh's China Goes Global: The Partial Power.) VERDICT This important work on understanding contemporary China is essential for all China watchers. Its concise and lucid treatment of the topic will serve as valuable reading to experts and novices alike.--Joshua Wallace, South Texas Coll. Lib., McAllen

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