This is a major and detailed biography of the man known as the Generalissimo, who dominated politics in China from as early as 1928, when he headed the Chinese government in Nanking, to 1949, when he lead Nationalist troops to Taiwan after the Communist takeover of the mainland. Jonathon Fenby, a British journalist who has covered Asia for years, calls Chiang Kai-Shek one of the most influential men of the 20th century. Chiang was leader of the world's most populous nation at a time when the world was sliding into the chaos of World War II and as Communism under Mao Tse-tung spread across China. Written in a lively narrative by a professional journalist, the life of Chiang Kai-Shek is revealed in minute details, many decades after he emerged as the leader of the Nationalist movement (Kuomintang) in China, and after the 1911 revolution which ended the Chinese monarchy under the Qing dynasty. The book concentrates on events in the mainland, mostly from 1911 to 1949, when Nationalist troops landed in Taiwan.

Fenby highlights the kidnapping of Chiang in December 1936 in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province in Northern China, as he begins this long study of the general's life. The kidnapping in Xian was ordered by Zhang Xueliang, known as the Young Marshall, to distinguish him from his father, the Old Marshall of Manchuria, who was killed by Japanese troops after their invasion of Manchuria. Zhang's intention was to convince Chiang to join other Chinese forces to fight their common Japanese aggressors, while Chiang was concentrating on his anti-communist campaign. But the author says Chiang's tough attitude during his 13-day detention convinced Zhang that the Generalissimo must be released. Chiang's influential wife, Soong Meiling, played a major role in securing Chiang's release. Fenby uses an abundance of documentation, now open to researchers and scholars, as background for the events in Xian. Writings by Western journalists who covered the events in Xian contribute to this biography. Chiang arrived in Nanking by the end of December 1936, following negotiations for his release that involved Zhou Enlai, a Communist negotiator at the time. Zhou was ordered to seek Chiang's cooperation in fighting Japanese invaders. When he arrived in Nanking, Chiang was quoted as saying that he was "conscious of living a second life."

A wave of nationalism and anti-Japanese feeling spread in China at that time. Chiang decided to shift his policy to support the anti-Japanese movement and restrain his campaign against Mao's communist troops. Fenby says if Chiang was not kidnapped for 13 days in Xian, he could have pursued the anti-communist campaign and Mao may not have had the chance to gain control over China. "That is why the 13 days in December, 1936, constituted a crucial moment in the 20th century," Fenby says. When Chiang and the defeated Nationalist troops landed in Taiwan in 1949, the Generalissimo began a third life, Fenby says. Chiang ruled over Taiwan for 26 years until his death in 1975. He always had the dream of returning one day to China. As leader of Taiwan, Fenby says Chiang was a "Cold War icon" in the 1950s, as he was under protection by the US. Taiwan was also able to maintain China's seat in the UN Security Council until 1971, when the US officially shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

He says the negative verdict against Chiang for losing China - and the war to Communists, is ignoring Chiang's positive achievements in the mainland.

"The nationalists established the institutions for a modern state, however imperfectly these functioned," he says. Fenby continues at the end of the book to question whether the kidnapping in Xian in 1936 could have changed the events in China immediately after the Japanese invasion. He speculates if Chiang had been killed by his kidnappers, the pro-Japanese elements in the mainland could have pushed the vast Chinese army to join Japan and attack the Soviet Union in the east, while Hitler's armies could attack the west. Such a scenario would have changed the outcome of World War II, Fenby says. He also offers other scenarios, based on whether the Generalissimo was alive. The book offers a well researched historical perspective on China during the years before the Communist takeover and a multitude of intriguing details on the life of the Generalissimo.