Praise for Madame Chiang Kai-shek:
"Laura Tyson Li gives us Mayling Soong, not just Mme. Chiang Kai-shek…[and] helps us go beyond Madame's public face to reveal Mayling's private one. Here we find a transnational, postcolonial subject who sought, in her own way, to bridge the reigning binaries of the day: East vs. West, tradition vs. modernity, Confucianism vs. Christianity, masculinity vs. femininity. The story of Mayling Soong, in short, is a story of our times. We would do well to learn from her."
-L.H.M. Ling, Associate Professor of International Affairs, The New School, and author of Postcolonial International Relations: Conquest and Desire Between Asia and the West
"Laura Tyson-Li has brought Mayling Soong back to life and back into the limelight.…[a] powerful and exciting book…beautifully crafted, well told, and fully fleshed-out…a balanced and nuanced portrait."
-Murray A. Rubinstein, History Department, Baruch College/CUNY, and editor of Taiwan: A New History
"A riveting story, written with beautiful clarity and full of fresh information and startling anecdotes. Warm in her human sympathies yet stern in her criticisms, Laura Tyson Li presents an impeccably balanced portrayal of this weird compound of Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette…. This is the story of the American China that never was."
-Philip Snow, author of The Star Raft
"Through the controversial life and turbulent times of Mayling Soong, China's original icon of 'New Womanhood,' Tyson Li explores the story of modern China's chaotic rise and compelling future. Breathtakingly researched and richly drawn, this is a fascinating portrait of one of contemporary history's most enduring and colorful boldfaced names."
-Jeff Yang, author of Once Upon a Time in China
"A well-balanced biography of one of the most powerful women in Chinese history…absorbing…While Tyson Li shows great admiration for Mayling's staunch opposition to Communism and her enviable oratory skills, which often saw her digging deep into the English language to use words even native English speakers found puzzling, she is also highly critical of her unwillingness to truly break free of her conservative shackles. This criticism is most pointed when Tyson Li examines the decadent lifestyle Mayling indulged in, which sharply countered that of her fellow countrymen-a factor that appears to have been frequently overlooked by those infatuated with the glamorous, charming woman…. An interesting and detailed account."
-Kirkus Reviews
"To admirers, the wife of the Nationalist dictator of China and later Taiwan was a symbol of resistance to Communist tyranny; to detractors, she was a crafty 'Dragon Lady' or a quisling of American imperialism. In this absorbing biography, Tyson Li…manages a balanced portrait that situates Madame Chiang in an uneasy borderland between East and West…. Amply conveying her subject's charisma without falling under its spell, Tyson Li…offers a well-researched, fluently written assessment of the life and impact of one of the twentieth century's iconic figures."
-Publishers Weekly
"Brings to life the little-known facts and dramatic dynamics of China's charmingly well-crafted and influential 'dragon lady.'"
-The Daily Record
"It's surprising to note that this is the first biography of one of the most politically influential women of modern times, but Madame Chiang Kai-shek: China's Eternal FirstLady remains the only title to provide the complete story of a woman who seized unofficial and official power during China's civil war. Her position against Chinese Communism and her diplomatic relations affected decades of Chinese-American relations, so this book is key to a thorough understanding of not just the woman, but Chinese politics and influences in particular."
-The Midwest Book Review
"Petite, elegant, and mighty, Madame Chiang Kai-shek lived to be 105, but when she died in 2003, many Americans had no idea of how powerful a woman she was or of how much she suffered…. Li is the first to tell Madame Chiang's dramatic life story…. Sensational and indomitable, she infuriated Churchill; put Franklin Roosevelt on his guard; disappointed Eleanor Roosevelt with her narcissism, grandiosity, and insensitivity; and, Tyson Li theorizes, helped jump-start Washington's anti-Communist witch hunts. With access to newly opened files, fluent insights into China's convulsive transformation, and a phenomenal gift for elucidating intricate politics and complicated psyches, Li brilliantly analyzes a fearless and profoundly conflicted woman of extraordinary force."
- Booklist (starred review)
"An amazing book. Madame Chiang Kai-shek is clearly one of the great characters of history, and Laura Tyson Li does her great justice, coloring her portrait with every hue imaginable. Madame Chiang Kai-shek is outstanding history., full of details that have eluded others, couched in a broad perspective that gives Madame more humanity, more uniqueness, and more depth than anything I have ever read. I am pretty familiar with Chinese history over the past century, but this book opened my eyes in many places. Bravo."
-Seth Faison, author of South of the Clouds
"A fantastic book…it lets me really get to know more about this controversial and extraordinary woman. It exposes the historical and political insights into how her husband lost mainland China, and how she influenced American attitude toward Chinese communism. The book would also allow a Westerner to understand China and its government better."
-Diana Lu, author of Daughter of the Yellow River
"Madame Chiang Kai-shek belongs with Eleanor Roosevelt and Eva Peron as three of the most politically influential women of the past century. In her comprehensive biography, Laura Tyson Li examines the extraordinary life of the Wellesley-educated Chinese aristocrat who married the Nationalist Party dictator of China…. Li presents both sides of this complicated woman."
-USA Today
"Paints a picture of an intelligent, strong-willed, and single-minded woman who had a clear vision of what she wanted for her country. At a time when women even in the United States-one of the up-and-coming socially progressive nations in the world-clung to well-defined gender roles, Mayling defied tradition by becoming active in civic and social life in her native China."
-The Asian Reporter
MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK
For Richard and Sienna