PositiveLibrary JournalEssential reading for those interested in modern China.
Francis Fukuyama
RaveLibrary JournalEssential reading for all students of political science. Fukuyama’s scholarly, yet approachable work is highly recommended for any reader interested in understanding the current political environment.
Louisa Lim
RaveLibrary Journal... beautifully written ... A fascinating work that is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Hong Kong.
Jing Tsu
RaveLibrary Journal... fascinating ... comprehensive ... Essential reading for anyone interested in Chinese language or modern Chinese history.
Mae Ngai
PositiveLibrary JournalNgai’s thoroughly researched work is essential for anyone studying the Chinese diaspora in the Anglo American world, or gold rushes generally.
Chongda Cai
RaveLibrary Journal... moving ... expertly translated ... Readers will get a sense of the course of his life from his childhood to the present, but because the essays are not exactly chronological, some events that Cai alludes to earlier in the book aren’t explained in greater detail until later. This allows the author to reveal life events in interesting ways and offer a vivid portrait of family and friendship. Although there are glimpses into China’s 21st-century political realities—for example, Cai’s father loses his job for violating the one-child policy—this work isn’t primarily concerned with politics. Rather, it is a window into aspects of family life, spiritual life, and day-to-day life in China more generally. This book brings specific attention to Fujian province, where the author grew up ... Essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary life in China, and highly recommended for memoir enthusiasts in general.
Yang Jisheng trans. by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian
PositiveLibrary JournalThis detailed and thoroughly researched work is essential reading for all students of modern Chinese history.
Amy Stanley
PositiveLibrary JournalEssential for anyone interested in 19th-century Japanese history, and a great companion piece to Anna Sherman’s The Bells of Old Tokyo, which compares modern day Tokyo with historic Edo.
Antony Dapiran
RaveLibrary JournalReaders will appreciate how the author places the events of 2019 in the context of earlier episodes in Hong Kong’s history such as the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 1967 riots ... This fascinating read is essential for anyone interested in the current affairs of Hong Kong, specifically, and China, generally.
Lan Yan, Trans. by Sam Taylor
RaveLibrary Journal... expertly translated by Sam Taylor ... A touching, essential account for anyone interested in 20th-century Chinese history and highly recommended for fans of personal family memoir.
Erika Lee
PositiveLibrary JournalLee reveals that the rhetoric Trump and his supporters employ when speaking about immigration and immigrants—fears about bringing crime, taking away jobs, failing to assimilate—has long been part of American political discourse from Colonial times to the present ... This thoroughly researched, informative, and lucid work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, and how it influences the current political environment.
Anna Sherman
PositiveLibrary Journal... a beautiful debut of creative nonfiction that explores cultural interpretations of time ... Despite the fact that this work frequently jumps between time periods, it is an enjoyable read that is easy to follow ... Highly recommended for anyone who has visited or is planning to visit Tokyo. Readers will gain insight into the history, culture, and language of Japan as well as ideas on city hot spots.
Julia Flynn Siler
PositiveLibrary JournalThis thoroughly researched work is highly recommended for those interested in the Chinese American experience or the history of San Francisco.
Sunil Amrith
PositiveLibrary JournalA real strength of the narrative is the explanation of how events in India had ripple effects throughout Asia and beyond ... An enjoyable read for those interested in modern Asian history, and an essential text for Indian history enthusiasts.
Stephen R. Platt
RaveLibrary JournalReaders will find a variety of perspectives represented ... While the story concentrates on the colorful cast of British and Chinese, it also offers interesting vignettes of Indian merchants and the relationship between American John Murray Forbes and Hong merchant Wu Bingjian (known as Howqua in the West), the world\'s wealthiest man at the time ... This thoroughly researched and delightful work is essential for anyone interested in Chinese or British imperial history.
