China's Long March

by Jean Fritz

Describes the events of the 6,000 mile march undertaken by Mao Zedong and his Communist followers as they retreated before the forces of Chiang Kai-shek.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, School, Read For School, Biography, Childrens

124 pages, Hardcover

First published February 29, 1988

About the author

Jean Guttery Fritz was an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the Children's Legacy Literature Award for her career contribution to American children's literature in 1986. She turned 100 in November 2015 and died in May 2017 at the age of 101.

Reviews

[Viktor Nilsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Positive:
+It's amazing that hearing a story retold in a more personal way can make a reader find sympathy and understanding for people and perspectives that were previously strongly shut out by his own mental firewall. I had such an experience with this book, having previously read about the civil war mainly from the Nationalists' point of view.
+It gives a good understanding for some of the factors that led the tiny communists to victory over the much bigger, and internationally supported, nationalists. This is something that many other books I've read fail to do.
+It does get exiting sometimes, and the audiobook is well narrated.

Negative
-While I wouldn't call anything in this book false, it's certainly not balanced. If you've read a book about Chiang Kai-shek, the nationalists, etc. then this book can be a great complement - it certainly was for me. On its own however, it might give you a twisted understanding of Mao and the communists.
-This book is so full of phrases of emotions and awe that I'm often at a loss as to the facts. Where are they now? Who was this so-and-so person again?

Read this book to broaden your understanding - not as an objective stand-alone historical account.

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 1934, the Chinese Communist First Front Army began a strategic retreat from the Chinese Nationalist forces which resulted in a hard, 6,000 mile trek through the countryside of western China. This is known as the Long March and is quite a remarkable story of struggle, perseverance and triumph. If it's true, that is. Having read Jung Chang's Mao , I approached Ms. Fritz's account of the Long March with some skepticism. Her take on it is not so critical, at least to judge it at face value. Sometimes I wonder if she might not have been applying the <sarcasm> tag. But that's a mystery for another time. The book did draw me in, but only because the tale itself is so compelling. I really didn't care for Ms. Fritz's style. Instead of simply reporting the events in third person or telling the tale through the eyes of a fictional character, she tried to report the tale peppered with recollections of the participants she was able to interview. The problem was, sometimes she didn't have any recollections to use, so she resorted to lines like "Perhaps... the survivors of the First Front Army wondered about their comrades in the Fourth." But if you can forgive such transgressions, China's Long March does make a suitable introduction to a memorable event in human history.

[Carolyn Lockwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good source for the hardships of the Long March. It helped me understand how the Communists were able to defeat the Nationalists. It was a dry book. I had to force myself to finish it.

[Noel Adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

If there was ever a piece of propaganda written for children, this was it. If your kids read this, read it first, and know your history. Fritz makes Zedong, the man who murdered millions of his own, practically heroic. I expected more from this normally very good author.

[Hanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

by the end I felt like I sided with the "reds", or Communists...which was an interesting viewpoint.

[Brian Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of revisionist history. Many of these stories have been debunked over the years. And Mao is portrayed as sympathetic, when the reality is no less sympathetic person has ever lived.

[Tanya Shearin · Rating 3 out of 5]

China's Long March is not one of Jean Fritz's best works. Somewhat lackluster in the retelling of China's Long March, Fritz seeks to provide a detailed account of the the Communist party's First Front Army, which engaged in a 6,000 mile trek across multiple rivers, mountains, and grasslands. General Mao is presented in a kindly light throughout the book. Deeply concerned about the terrible injustice done to the impoverished at the hands of the Nationalist government, Mao calls on the poor to rise up against the imperial system and join the Communist party which promised a better life fort he peasant population. All to eager to be free from the chains of injustice, the poor eagerly sought salvation through this new form of government and young men readily signed up to join the army. Thus, the long march began, but it was not clear where they were going and how long they would be gone, nor what the purpose of the march was. They just went. Written for older elementary students, China's Long March is broken into eight chapters that corresponds to the eight segments of the march. The reader rejoices with the Red Army when they finally reach their destination and settle down in Norther China at the end of the book.

[Anh Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was part of our sophomore homeschool history curriculum. As a war refugee fleeing the Communist take over of my home country, Vietnam, I can't say I was thrilled about having to read this

After reading this book, you'd think that "Chairman Mao" was a kindly master who cared for his people and not the man responsible directly or indirectly for the murder of millions of his own people. This is the sort of propaganda common in Communist countries. Fritz interviewed people who did this march, people who were so entrenched in this cause that they literally gave everything. Fritz definitely glossed over Mao's shortcomings, and the masses that were murdered under his rule as he attempted to recreate a new China. Anyone who disagreed was "unnaturally" killed. The numbers vary but Mao is considered by many historians to have murdered more people than Stalin or even Hitler.

I'm disappointed in Fritz, whose books I had previously liked. I realize I am biased, but I had the taste of bile in my mouth throughout this entire reading.

[Dawn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

My knowledge of Chinese history and geography are spotty at best. This filled in a few more gaps. I had never heard of the long march of the communist First Front Army through China in 1934 and 1935. This short book gave me a new perspective on Mao as a young revolutionary. I need to bump Jean Fritz's autobiography "Homesick" to the top of my to-read list. Up til now, I think all the Jean Fritz books I've read were about American history, but she grew up in China and obviously loves the people and the land.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the years 1934-35, during the civil war between the Communist Red Army and Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist army, Communist Mao Zedung led his First Front Army on a miserable but triumphant 6,000-mile-long march across China through harsh terrain to their headquarters in Bao'an. This is an account of that march.

[Kaitlynn Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

everything about china seemed to be viewed through rose-colored lenses

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could Mao possibly be worse than Stalin?...

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a tad dry in places and it seemed like the author took a lot of time to say not a whole lot .

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me the odd feeling of being pulled in against my will—though I wasn't especially inclined to read about the Chinese Communist army, I cared about them through the story

[Summer Vespestad · Rating 3 out of 5]

History reading for homeschool. Jean Fritz makes learning history a LOT more fun.

[Lizzie J · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not as boring as you'll think from the cover and description.

[Beth Mohn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I gained a lot of information from this book (which is one of only two reasons it is a two-star and not a one), it was not well-written at all. It felt like someone was told we need a book about this historical period by tomorrow! Besides, it is written in such a way that makes Mao Zedong the hero and Communism what you are rooting for. Not cool at all. Plus, midway through the book the author begins using the phrase "maybe they were" as he describes a scene. Ummm... this is odd to me. We know you are writing a historical fiction book here. Why are you suddenly describing it to us now? this was strange.
The two factors that kept this book at two-stars for me were, first, the amount of information that he portrays. I did learn a lot in the book as to what the Long March was like. And, secondly, the individuals he describes. His descriptions are not stellar but you did begin to put a picture together in your head of certain individuals and start to like them.
Overall, this was a great story that was not told well.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of the Long March that doesn't minimize the hardships but leaves out the gory details so it's suitable for younger children. I like how Fritz gave some explanation of why communism captivated China, some of the positive events communism brought about during the march, and an afterword-style explanation of how the high and idealistic hopes for a communist society failed and came crashing down in the Cultural Revolution. The books reads as being sympathetic to the idealism and vigor of the marchers without extolling communism itself.

[Abigail Mohn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing: 2/5
Educational Value: 3/5
Message: 2.5/5
Entertainment: 2.5/5
General Enjoyment: 2.5/5
Average: 2.5 stars, rounded down

Meh. This was an interesting subject, but told in a very ineffective manner. The writing was pretty dry, and I found it hard to keep track of all the information. I learned some interesting things from it, but I could have learned a lot more if it had been told in a more engaging way.

[Lisa Rosenow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about this March and the Revolution

[Cole Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subject is interesting but the book ends so abruptly which could be excused if there was a more detailed account of the Long March, but there was not.

[Julie Bamberger · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was surprised at how Mao was portrayed in this book. It felt like I was reading Chinese Communist Party propaganda. It was a painful read.

[Danielle Hardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As always it is interesting to think about how all history can be manipulated and portrayed in a way that draw sympathies to any side.

[counter-hegemonicon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly first person accounts and historical narratives. I’ll be interested to see if the Sun Shuyun book better contextualizes it against other military campaigns.

edit: okkk so this was pretty much party line propaganda

[Marci Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

About a 6,000 mile March of a communist army through China in 1934 and 1935. Quite a feat, many hardships along the way. Amazing the determination they had.

[Bryan Spahr]

read for school in 10th grade