Hostage in Peking Plus

by Anthony Grey

Book by Grey, Anthony

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Anthony Grey OBE is a British journalist and author. As a journalist for Reuters he was detained for 27 months in China from 1967 to 1969. He has written a series of novels and non-fiction books, including several relating to his detention.

Reviews

[Ellen O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearing out our collection of books - which to keep? which to give to Loved Ones? which to give to the Friends of the Library? etc. - I ran across this book of my husband's. It's Mr. Grey's account of his 2+ years of solitary confinement in Peking begun during the early explosive days of the Cultural Revolution in China. He was the Reuter correspondent, and newly arrived in Peking when targeted and captured. It's a provocative read - prompting a person to think "What would I do in such a circumstance?" "Should I connect the mindless rage of the Red Guards to that of the hard Right here in the U.S. right now?" "How does global diplomacy serve the interests of individual victims?" "What role can individual external advocates for the incarcerated play in the treatment of such captives?" I think it would be available through an interlibrary loan if that service is available to you, and highly recommend it if the above questions are yours. Plus, the fact that he survived to write the book is, of course, the "happy ending" such a true story needs. Note: I rarely give a book 5 stars.....The last was "Hamnet"

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book and a fascinating experience for this journalist. Worth a read, but remember it being a little bit drawn out. For something different and an insight to Maoist China, take a look.