next »

[european]

I just finished this wonderful biography of Hong Xiuquan by Jonathan Spencer. Despite being an academic book, it actually reads quite like a novel at times. Most fascinating was the fact that there was no obvious skepticism about Hong's claims - nothing that would undermine the story and pull us back out of the belief system of the Taipings. Obviously, Spencer doesn't actually acknowledge those claims, but simply due to his lack of commentary, the book remains marvelous.

Most definitely worth a read.

[crowie]

Thanks for the recommendation, sounds fascinating.

[european]

Apologies, by the way: it's Jonathan Spence, not Spencer.