Denise Chong, the Canadian author of The Concubine’s Children and The Girl in the Picture, talks to Joseph Planta, about her new book, Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship (Random House, 2009); as well Chong discusses being Canadian.

Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship by Denise Chong. (Random House, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Egg on Mao

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

Joining me now is the noted Canadian author, Denise Chong, who for the first time in a decade returns with a new book. Egg on Mao: The Story of an Ordinary Man Who Defaced an Icon and Unmasked a Dictatorship is a compelling book that tells the story of Lu Decheng, a small town mechanic, who saw through the Communist’s rule in China. He and a couple of friends, travel to Beijing at the height of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989—20 years ago earlier this summer—and with paint filled eggs pelt the famed portrait of Chairman Mao. They’re jailed, but that’s not the end of the story. What follows is an account of Lu’s life, as well as a view onto China during those years of protest and beyond. Denise Chong is the author of two previous books, The Concubine’s Children and The Girl in the Picture. They were prize winners and big bestsellers. Egg on Mao is published by Random House. In Vancouver this day, please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Denise Chong; Good morning, Ms. Chong.

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