Superb, stylishly written.

Illuminating.

If [the subject] sounds in any way dry, this book will assure you that it’s not. Sparks is a work of scholarship, investigative journalism of a kind that rarely happens in the age of slashed budgets, with eyewitness accounts of brutality that will chill your blood.

It is deeply satisfying to read a book about China that could only have been written after decades of serious engagement with the country.

[Johnson's] focus is not on character studies, though he profiles some individuals well, but on publications, documentary films, and archives.

A brave book about inspiring people, underlining the value of freedom, independence, and courage..