The life of journalist and activist Agnes Smedley is written with empathy and sensitivity. From her beginnings in the coal camps of Colorado late in the 19th century to Mao Zedong's communist China, Agnes Smedley wrote and lived a life of righting wrongs and inequity around the world.

This a a story about the unlikely life of Agnes Smedley, from the poorest of beginnings in the mining areas of Missouri to a global journalist and one who championed the rights of the downtrodden. I loved the fact that although the story seemed barely credible it is written so well that you believe her story. The story takes us through the struggles in India, against the British Empire ( although Agnes never actually set foot in India) to the turmoils in China, against the Japanese and indeed against infighting within factions of China. Despite all her work on behalf of others, Agnes struggled to find her place in the world, or indeed personal happiness. This is really a great read.