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“The Moys of New York and Shanghai: One Family’s Extraordinary Journey Through War and Revolution”
In one of the cases of history not so much repeating itself as rhyming, the current trend of Chinese Americans moving to China, either for opportunity or to avoid perceived threats, is hardly a new phenomenon. Historian Charlotte Brooks tells such a story from a century ago in her new book, The Moys of New…
“The Corpse Collector”
Vinu P is a “corpse collector”; that is, he retrieves the bodies of those who die “unnatural” deaths—victims of accidents,…
“Trading at the Edge of Empires Francesco Carletti’s World, c. 1600”
At the turn of the 17th century, Florentine Francesco Carletti left from Seville with his father Antonio for Cape Verde,…
“Writing Between Languages: Translation and Multilingualism in Indian Francophone Writing” by Sheela Mahadevan
Much of the contemporary Indian literary landscape features writing in English and Indian languages, but Sheela Mahadevan points to the…
“The Craft of Indo-Arabic Numerals: How Practical Arithmetic Shaped Commerce and Mathematics in Western Europe, 1200-1600” by Raffaele Danna
There is, despite the title, very little that is Asian in Raffaele Danna’s new The Craft of Indo-Arabic Numerals. The…
“Pyongyang on the Brink: Sixteen Crises That Shaped North Korea” by Fyodor Tertitskiy
Sequels seldom seem as good as the works from which they spring. Many seem to repeat the originals, simply going over the same ground in a similar way. Such is thankfully not the case with Fyodor Tertitskiy’s new book, Pyongyang on the Brink: Sixteen Crises That Shaped North Korea, his sequel to last year’s Accidental Tyrant: The…
“Earth, Water & Fire” by Eiji Yoshikawa
Miyamoto Musashi (ca 1583–1645) was a heroic figure of Japanese history, a master swordsman revered as a kensei, or “sword saint.” Although he was certainly a real person renowned for his swordsmanship and self-cultivation through the martial arts, little is known about his life. His work A Book of Five Rings offers insights into his…
“Murder in Byzantium” by Julia Kristeva
Julia Kristeva is one of the most formidable minds in contemporary literary and cultural theory, the Bulgarian-born, Paris-based intellectual who…
“The Young Will Remember” by Eve J Chung
A number of female war correspondents and photographers covered the Korean War for the American media, although much of this…
“Hooked: A Novel of Obsession” by Asako Yuzuki
Asako Yuzuki came onto the English literary scene with her best-selling novel, Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder, based…“The Competition of Unfinished Stories” by Sener Ozmen
Sertac Karan, a Turkish-Kurd and the protagonist of this absurdist black comedy, is a would-be writer who is alienated from…
“The Dog Meows, the Cat Barks” by Eka Kurniawan
Eka Kurniawan’s The Dog Meows, the Cat Barks follows the coming of age of Sato Reang, a mischievous boy growing up in a small Indonesian town, whose life moves between childhood pranks, religious pressure, friendship with the deeply pious Jamal, and the consequences of choosing rebellion over obedience. From the very beginning, Sato Reang announces his…
“Nourishing Life: Cultures of Food and Health in Early Modern Japan”
Can food determine your fate? Could indulging in delicacies bring calamity to your community? Joshua Schlachet’s Nourishing Life reevaluates the history of Japanese food culture by examining how ideas of…
“Mantras of the Moon” by Srijani Mitra
Mantras of the Moon is a luminous collection of poems born from the desire to explore the self, memory, and Indian heritage. These poems weave together psychology, mythology, desire, and…
“Torikaebaya Monogatari: A Japanese Tale of Gender-Swapped Siblings”
Torikaebaya Monogatari is a twelfth-century Japanese tale like no other. As suggested by its title, which literally translates to “if only I could exchange them” (torikaebaya) “story” (monogatari), it follows…
“Samurai” by Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch
Lavishly illustrated, Samurai explores the reality and myths of the samurai from medieval times to today’s popular culture through objects from international collections. Essays by scholars throughout the book discuss…
“Observing the Unseen: Curiosity and Common Knowledge in Early Modern China” by Andrew Schonebaum
Observing the Unseen explores how literate and marginally literate people in China between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries investigated the invisible, the ubiquitous, and the inexplicable. Whether through medical encyclopedias, daily-use…
“Emotions, Affect, and Narrative in Korean History and Culture”, edited by Jisoo M Kim
This collection of eleven essays explores emotions and affect in Korean culture across a broad temporal span, from the Koryŏ dynasty (918–1392) to the present. Drawing on a diverse array…
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