PARTY, THE : SECRET WORLD OF CHINAS COMMUNIST RULERS-Harper US

The world has watched China's astonishing political and economic growth throughout the past three decades. What is less understood, however, is the role of the Chinese Communist Party in this dramatic transformation. With more than 73 million members, the Party has an iron grip on the government, media, military and all official religions. It also presides over state-owned businesses, many of which are in the top tier of the Fortune 500 list. In The Party, Richard McGregor delves into China's inner sanctum, showing how the Communist Party exerts so much control. As a major global power, China's -- and therefore, the Party's -- decisions have a global impact. And yet the Party is deeply secretive, unaccountable to any other organization, and primed to think the worst of the West. In this provocative and illuminating account, McGregor offers an in-depth portrait of the history of China's Communist Party, its present influence over China, and what its future might hold.