Women of the Long March by Lily Xiao Hong Lee and Sue Wiles is a biography that focuses on the stories of three women who completed the Long March as part of the Communist Party of China from 1934-1935. The women themselves are interesting, but the way their stories are told leaves something to be desired. The authors attempt to balance interviews with the women at the end of their lives with official Communist biographies and writings of Western journalists from the 1930s. The end product is mixed, and the book probably would have worked better as a historical novel that tried to fill in the gaps in these women’s lives.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Recommended