I just finished reading Forgotten Ally by Rana Mitter and I found it fascinating. Now I really want to read a good history book about the Chinese Civil War, and possibly some good books about the Qing Dynasty (any period).
Thanks guys.
Here's a reading list from a class I took on the history of Modern China: 1911-1989.
Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, 2nd or 3rd ed. (textbook).
Lu Xun [Lu Hsun], The True Story of Ah Q (1921).
Ba Jin [Pa Chin], Family (1931).
Edgar Snow, Red Star Over China (rev. ed., 1989; orig. 1938).
Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro, Son of the Revolution (1984).
Peter Hays Gries, China’s New Nationalism: Pride, Politics, and Diplomacy (2004).
I personally enjoyed Red Star over China and Son of the Revolution out of that selection, but should be a generally good place to start.
Jonathan Spence does a good job.