Forgotten Ally

China's World War II, 1937 - 1945

By: Rana Mitter

Narrated by: Simon Vance

The epic, untold story of China's devastating eight-year war of resistance against Japan.

For decades, a major piece of World War II history has gone virtually unwritten. The war began in China two full years before Hitler invaded Poland, and China eventually became the fourth great ally, partner to the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain. Yet its drama of invasion, resistance, slaughter, and political intrigue remains little known in the West.

Rana Mitter focuses his gripping narrative on three towering leaders: Chiang Kai-shek, the politically gifted but tragically flawed head of China's Nationalist government; Mao Zedong, the Communists' fiery ideological stalwart, seen here at the beginning of his epochal career; and the lesser-known Wang Jingwei, who collaborated with the Japanese to form a puppet state in occupied China. Drawing on Chinese archives that have only been unsealed in the past 10 years, he brings to vivid new life such characters as Chiang's American chief of staff, the unforgettable "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, and such horrific events as the Rape of Nanking and the bombing of China's wartime capital, Chongqing. Throughout, Forgotten Ally shows how the Chinese people played an essential role in the wider war effort, at great political and personal sacrifice.

Forgotten Ally rewrites the entire history of World War II, yet it also offers surprising insights into contemporary China. No 20th-century event was as crucial in shaping China's worldview, and no one can understand China, and its relationship with America today, without this definitive work.

©2013 Rana Mitter (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Excellent overview of the China theater

Mitter does us all a service for this excellent work on World War II's China theater. It provides a balanced take on the role of the major players, particularly in laying out the often insurmountable difficulties faced by the nationalists (which are forgotten or dismissed by other histories, such as Tuchman's 'Stillwell and the American Experience in China.') The book spends much of its time on political and diplomatic events, and could have provided more detail on the major battles and military realities on the ground. The narrator gave a solid performance, but as with most audiobooks on China bungles the pronunciation of various names and places.

Simon Vance is the best

Any additional comments?

Simon Vance is my favorite narrator, fiction or nonfiction. Terrific job with the pronunciation of innumerable Chinese names and places. A wonderful book on an all-too-often forgotten part of the Second World War.

Outstanding read, top notch recording, challenging listen

The book itself is an excellent account of a poorly-understood aspect of World War II and its impact on China’s role in modern geopolitics. The recording is excellent. However, the, at times, rapid iteration of names, places, and affiliations may be difficult to follow without repeating portions of the narration, especially if the listener doesn’t already have somewhat of an, understanding of the regional geography of China and of many of the primary and secondary personalities in Chinese, Japanese, US, British, Russian, and German geopolitics at the time. If this is the case, the written version of the book, would be preferable.

Insightful, balanced analysis

Fills many gaps for audience used to WW2 being characterised as starting in 1941. A must read for a true global perspective of WW2.

The ill fated chang kai-shek

As I believe that I am the first person to write a review on this fast moving account of the china's war of resistance I feel that it is necessary to proclaim how valuable this book is for the WWII buff. Most people are aware of the fact that China was involved in the war but they are not aware to what extent. China in fact was the first theater of WWII and experienced some of the first and most brutal communal war crimes of the war. This book is some what biased towards the Nationalist point of view and that of Chang Kai-Shek in particular. However it explains the communist point of view as well. After reading-listening to this book I came away with a feeling that the communists let the Nationalist camp bare the brunt of all the fighting while waiting for the war to end. Having saved its forces for the upcoming civil war the Communists were better poised to fight then the badly beat National forces. Thus leading to the current communist government in Bejing. As you might be able to tell I was left with a bad taste with the actions of the communist forces durring the battle for Chinas fight for survival. I would suggest this book to any one who was either interested sino-american relations or just WWII it's self.