A few days after the New Year news sources reported on the near completed construction of a 120 foot (37 meter) statue of Mao Zedong (毛泽东). Last week, those same news agencies shockingly reported the demolition of the same structure.

With almost the same speed as the Chinese stock plummet, the golden Mao was dissembled. After nearly three months of building, why was the construction crew tasked with taking it down?

In his new book The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution 1945-1957, author and historian Frank Dikotter thoroughly debunks the myth that the early years of Communist rule in China were characterized by relative peace and increasing prosperity. Dikotter documents in painstaking detail the violence, poverty, and famine that ravaged China during the years following "Liberation."