ASIA BOOKS REVIEW
30 OCTOBER 2019
Endeavour by Peter Moore review – the ship that changed the world
For those interested in Captain James Cook’s 1768-71 voyage of discovery across the world in the bark Endeavour, author Peter Moore delivers up quite a packageyage to discover the continent of Australia
https://www.asiasentinel.com/book-review/endeavour-the-ship-that-changed-the-world/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/25/endeavour-ship-captain-cook-peter-moore
16 AUGUST 2019
Liberalism and Democracy in Myanmar, by Roman David and Ian Holliday
3 FEBRUARY 2019
Anand Panyarachun and the Making of Modern Thailand
Dominic Faulder’s new biography is a very welcome addition to the rather sparse English-language offerings on former Thai political leaders. While Anand’s life was depicted in a 1999 biography in Thai, this is the first consolidated portrait in English, covering Anand’s career as diplomat, politician, businessman and philanthropist
https://www.newmandala.org/book-review/anand-panyarachun-and-the-making-of-modern-thailand/
https://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2019/01/30/khun-anand-panyarachun-and-the-making-of-modern-thailand/
16 JANUARY 2019
China and Southeast Asia in the Xi Jinping Era
https://www.amazon.com/China-Southeast-Asia-Jinping-Era/dp/1498581110
29 DECEMBER 2018
Sikkim – Dawn of Democracy : The Truth Behind The Merger With India by GBS Sidhu
In his fast-paced, clear-sighted narrative, Sidhu tracks the reasons behind New Delhi’s shift from a long-standing pro-Chogyal stand to a pro-democracy position and maps the political alignments on the ground in Sikkim. He outlines the interplay of personalities-Indira Gandhi, the Chogyal, the Kazi, and the Indian officials and intelligence agencies involved-to reveal the chain of events that led to the merger of the Himalayan kingdom with India
https://highpeakspureearth.com/2018/sikkim-dawn-of-democracy-the-truth-behind-the-merger-with-india-by-gbs-sidhu/
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2179904/how-indian-secret-agents-removed-god-king-sikkim-and-claimed
http://arrackistan.com/2018/10/20/essential-reads-sikkim-dawn-of-democracy/
27 OCTOBER 2018
Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
by Ruby Lal
In her new book Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan, feminist historian Ruby Lal goes beyond the more or less well-known stories about how Jahangir fell in love with her
http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/empress-the-astonishing-reign-of-nur-jahan-by-ruby-lal/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36236091-empress
5 OCTOBER 2018
Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948 by Ramachandra Guha
A monumental biography, using newly released papers, relates Gandhi’s mission to deliver India from the Raj
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/04/gandhi-1914-1948-ramachandra-guha-review
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/196463/gandhi-the-years-that-changed-the-world-1914-1948-by-ramachandra-guha/9780385532310/
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-making-of-mahatma
12 AUGUST 2018
Home is Not Here
Sun Yat-sen to Mao Zedong, I watched the birth of a new China: the Wang Gungwu memoir
https://www.asiaobserver.org/chinese-culture-and-history
11 MAY 2018
Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
By Stephen R. Platt
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/131825/autumn-in-the-heavenly-kingdom-by-stephen-r-platt/9780307472212/
http://taworld1516.wiki.thayer.org/file/view/Autumn+in+the+Heavenly+Kingdom.pdf
http://www.miwsr.com/2013/downloads/2013-034.pdf
28 MARCH 2018
China’s Indian war
By Bertil Lintner
Lintner argues that China began planning the war as early as 1959 and proposes that it was merely a small move in the larger strategic game that China was playing to become a world player—one that it continues to play even today
https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle/dp/B078HH892C/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail#customerReviews
http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/chinas-india-war-collision-course-on-the-roof-of-the-world-review-a-counter-narrative-to-history/article22430059.ece
http://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/book-review-of-chinas-india-war-bertil-linter-gives-a-rigorous-introduction-to-define-the-21st-century-relationship/977253/
25 MARCH 2018
A Short History of the Mongols
by George Lane
It is worth periodically remembering—as the tsunami of news of China’s momentous economic and political developments rushes past—that China has not always been “Chinese” in the quite the way it is, or can be presented to be, today
http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/a-short-history-of-the-mongols-by/#more-2974
https://short-histories.squarespace.com/a-short-history-of-the-mongols
12 FEBRUARY 2018
Asian Century… on a Knife-edge: A 360 Degree Analysis of Asia’s Recent Economic Development
By John West
Today, Asia is sitting on a knife-edge. The potential of the region to generate good and happy lives for its citizens is enormous. But the requirements of success and the risks of failure are equally enormous. This book argues that to realise an Asian Century, Asia will need to overcome seven key challenges in the 21st century.
John West debunks two common myths: that the region’s continued high growth is inevitable, and that it will be driven by a large and booming middle class. In sharp contrast to Asia’s “miraculous” past performance, West reminds us of the myriad problems facing its economies
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/review-asia-knife-edge
The electronic version of this book is available on Open Access at the following address
https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9789811071812
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-981-10-7182-9.pdf
3 FEBRUARY 2018
The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi
By Arun Gandhi
In this poignant and timely exploration of the true path from anger to peace, as recounted by Gandhi’s grandson, Arun Gandhi. In the current troubled climate, in our country and in the world, these lessons are needed more than ever before
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31945429-the-gift-of-anger
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/books/reviews/micro-review-the-gift-of-anger-is-the-gift-we-need/articleshow/58695694.cms
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/30/arun-gandhi-grandfather-mahatma-gandhi-saw-anger-fuel-for-change
2 DECEMBER 2017
Following the steps of Matteo Ricci to China
By Zhang Xiping
‘The moment they sought help from a Chinese emperor was the moment they placed themselves in the hands of these powerful－and often equally intelligent－men. But the manipulation, if that’s what you want to call it, was mutual,” says Zhang Xiping, whose book Following the Steps of Matteo Ricci to China offers tantalizing glimpses into a group of adventurer-missionaries who arrived in between the 16th and 19th centuries. Most would never see the land of their birth again.
https://www.chinadailyasia.com/articles/53/222/187/1511663884129.html
http://www.mandarinbooks.cn/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&products_id=1359
19 SEPTEMBER 2017
Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India
By Shashi Tharoor
Inglorious Empire tells the real story of the British in India – from the arrival of the East India Company to the end of the Raj – revealing how Britain’s rise was built upon its plunder of India
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/inglorious-empire-what-the-british-did-to-india-1.2981299
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34185892-inglorious-empire#other_reviews
8 SEPTEMBER 2017
China at War: Triumph and Tragedy in the Emergence of the New China, 1937-1952
China at War focuses on this period, examining the complex truth behind the propaganda of both East and West. Cambridge professor Hans van de Ven shows how the results of the fighting ended European imperialism in East Asia, restored China to its traditional position of regional centrality, and gave the USA a decisive role in East Asian politics
https://www.asiasentinel.com/book-review/china-at-war/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/China-War-Triumph-Tragedy-Emergence/dp/1781251940
https://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/directory/vandevenhans
18 AUGUST 2017
China’s Soft Power Diplomacy in South Asia, Myth or Reality?
By B. M. Jain
This book traces the origin of China’s engagement with South Asian states from historical, political, economic, and security perspectives in order to better understand the dynamics of its South Asia policy
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739193402/China’s-Soft-Power-Diplomacy-in-South-Asia-Myth-or-Reality#
https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/story/chinese-soft-power-south-asia
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34643357-china-s-soft-power-diplomacy-in-south-asia
4 AUGUST 2017
The Invisible Force: Singapore Gurkhas by Chong Zi Liang and Zakaria Zainal
The Gurkhas need no introduction, with their storied reputation built up over two centuries of battlefield exploits around the world. A unit of these Nepalese warriors have been serving Singapore for more than 65 years
https://www.ethosbooks.com.sg/products/the-invisible-force-singapore-gurkhas
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/0317/files/Invisble_Force_Sample_Pages.pdf?4941397595498263075
http://www.atimes.com/article/salute-invisible-force-gurkha-contingent-singapore/
28 JANUARY 2017
A Great Place to Have a War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA
By Joshua Kurlantzick
The untold story of how America’s secret war in Laos in the 1960s and 1970s transformed the CIA from a loose collection of spies into a military operation and a key player in American foreign Policy
http://www.cfr.org/laos/great-place-have-war/p38273
https://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/book-review-a-great-place-to-have-a-war-laos/
https://www.amazon.fr/Great-Place-Have-War-Military-ebook/dp/B01CO34O3Y
http://sea-globe.com/new-book-secret-war-us-laos/
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Great-Place-to-Have-a-War/Joshua-Kurlantzick/9781451667868/browse_inside
22 JANUARY 2017
Road to Nandikadal: True story of defeating Tamil Tigers
By Major General Kamal Gunaratne
Based on first hand experiences and insights gained through the multitude of roles and responsibilities held over the years from tactical to strategic level, the author shares his journey from Thirunaveli in 1983 to Nandikadal in 2009. It is the true story of defeating terrorism and brining eternal peace to Sri Lanka
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ROAD-TO-NANDIKADAL-BOOK-The-true-story-of-defeating-Tamil-Tigers-Sri-Lanka-War-/232115941771?hash=item360b30318b:g:dkwAAOSw4shYA7N8
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/2111
https://thuppahi.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/defeating-the-ltte-major-general-kamal-gunaratne-in-riveting-q-and-a/
15 JANUARY 2017
The Mongol invasions of Japan 1274 and 1281
by Stephen Turnbull (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)
The two attempts by Khubilai Khan, the Mongol Emperor of China, to invade Japan in 1274 and 1281 represent unique events in the history of both countries. It pitted the samurai of Japan against the fierce warriors of the steppes who had conquered half the known world
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846034566/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1846034566&linkCode=as2&tag=jalemosbl-20&linkId=972144441d9d5b7b3e3e6913d6629139#reader_B01BY34IP4
22 DECEMBER 2016
Genghis Khan and the Quest for God: How the World’s Greatest Conqueror Gave Us Religious Freedom
A landmark biography by the New York Times bestselling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World that reveals how Genghis harnessed the power of religion to rule the largest empire the world has ever known, published in October 2016
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/543962/genghis-khan-and-the-quest-for-god-by-jack-weatherford/
https://books.google.fr/books?id=AWF_CwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Jack+Weatherford%22&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimvO_YxojRAhXIORoKHcAICuoQ6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false
14 DECEMBER 2016
Taiwan’s China Dilemma
Contested Identities and Multiple Interests in Taiwan’s Cross-Strait Economic Policy
By Syaru Shirley Lin
http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23460
6 DECEMBER 2016
The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present
By John Pomfret. Henry Holt; 693 pages; $40.
New book discloses U.S. machinations that globally- revived Tamil Tigers – An Asian Tribune Review
An investigative-research-analyses which discloses Washington’s playbook and machinations that revived Sri Lanka’s domestically-annihilated Tamil Tigers in the global arena as an influential diplomatic-political force is well documented in a book – Tamil Tigers’ Debt To America
http://asiantribune.com/node/89766
Taiwan’s Democracy Challenged: The Chen Shui-bian Years edited by Yun-han Chu, Larry Diamond and Kharis Templeman
This new systematic, impartial and evidence-based evaluation of Chen’s presidency is a must-read for students and scholars researching contemporary Taiwanese politics, finds M. Bob Kao
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2016/11/01/book-review-taiwans-democracy-challenged-the-chen-shui-bian-years-edited-by-yun-han-chu-larry-diamond-and-kharis-templeman/