"God's Chinese Son: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom of Hong Xiuquan" by Jonathan D. Spence. [View all]

DU'er ellisonz mentioned this work in an earlier post, and I'm about 3/4's the way through it. I know practically nothing of Chinese history so I'm not qualified to speak to Spence's scholarship; however, the voice he uses makes this narrative a pleasant break from what I'm used to from most historians.

An added plus is the unwillingness of the author to flood the reader with an overwhelming amount of detail, something I especially appreciate because it is my first reading on the subject. After I've finished I'll read The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: Rebellion and the Blasphemy of Empire by Thomas H. Reilly.

These Taipings might make an interesting subject for the R/T forum, if I can screw up the nerve to jump in there.

Anywayyyy...tip-o-the-hat to ellisonz for a great recommendation!