People in our profession frequently need to explain why we think historians have something to say about science. In this rich collection of oral histories, historian Xiong Weimin seeks to demonstrate the converse: that scientists have important things to say about history. Every scholar interested in Mao-era science will want a copy of this book; it would also be very suitable in the (Sinophone) classroom and has already received a very positive reception among more general audiences in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The bulk of the book comprises interviews with sixteen people, including research scientists spanning the physical, biological, and engineering sciences; a prominent philosopher and historian of science; administrators in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); and editors of major scientific publications. In addition, Xiong provides an introduction to the collection titled "Between Science and Politics." and he closes with his essay "How to Improve the Reliability of Oral History." Most of the material in the volume has been previously published, but it is brought together here for the first time and gains much depth through the resulting juxtaposition-_and of course in book form the material has become accessible to audiences beyond those who usually read scholarly journals.
