Asian Review of Books

“These violent delights have violent ends. And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which as they kiss, consume.” These Violent Delights(Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2020) is the debut novel by Chloe Gong. At first glance, the book seems like Romeo and Juliet transplanted to 1920s Shanghai: two rival families, and two main characters: Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov. But Chloe Gong takes the tropes of Romeo and Juliet and transforms them in ways beyond the new setting: Juliette and Roma have already had their teenage relationship, an epidemic of madness stalks the population of Shanghai, and there are rumors of a monster in the Huangpu River. These Violent Delights is a thrilling tale of intrigue and investigation, woven with horror and fantasy elements. More information can be found at Chloe’swebsite. In this interview, Chloe and I talk about her book, and how its elements connect to the setting of 1920s Shanghai. We talk about the various ways she works in the tropes of Romeo and Juliet into the story, and some of the unintended parallels to the present day! Chloe Gong is a student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying English and international relations. During her breaks, she’s either at home in New Zealand or visiting her many relatives in Shanghai. Chloe has been known to mysteriously appear when “Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s best plays and doesn’t deserve its slander in pop culture” is chanted into a mirror three times. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books, including its review ofThese Violent Delights. Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

The “diva” is a common trope when we talk about culture. We normally think of the diva as a Western construction: the opera singer, the Broadway actress, the movie star. A woman of outstanding talent, whose personality and ability are both larger-than-life. But the truth is throughout history, many cultures have featured spaces for strong female artists, whose talent allows them to break free of the gender roles that pervaded their societies. InThree Asian Divas: Women, Art and Culture in Shiraz, Delhi and Yangzhou(Abbreviated Press: 2020) David Chaffetz briefly explores how these “Asian divas” could be seen as some of the first recognizably “modern women''. In this interview, David and I talk about the three different cultures of Three Asian Divas: Shiraz, Delhi and Yangzhou. We discuss what it meant to be a diva in these historical contexts, and what they say about gender roles in these historic Asian societies. After studying Persian, Turkish and Arabic in college, David Chaffetz worked on the publication of the Encyclopedia Iranica and is also the author of A Journey through Afghanistan, a study of its varied people, social classes and religious sects. He has lived in Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, and travelled extensively in Asia. After a forty-year break working in the technology industry, he returned to writing with “Three Asian Divas.” You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every country around the world in a manner not seen since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, and is perhaps one of the most transformative events in decades. Most countries and governments have played catch-up to the pandemic, trying to get a handle on case numbers after an explosive increase. But a few places: Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam and China appear to have kept the virus largely under control. Confronting COVID-19: A Strategic Playbook for Leaders and Decision Makers(Marshall Cavendish International Asia,2020)by Devadas Krishnadas is one of the first attempts to seriously study the public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as plot out some of the possible economic, geopolitical and social changes that may arise. More information on the book can be found onits official microsite. In this interview, Mr. Devadas and I talk about what policies worked to control COVID, how the region will develop, and how business and social operations might change as a result of the pandemic. We also talk about how recent events since the book’s publication affect its conclusions. Devadas Krishnadas is CEO of the Future-Moves Group, with more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He previously held senior positions in the Singapore government, such as in the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Ministry of Home Affairs. “Confronting COVID-19” is his fifth book. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books, including its review ofConfronting COVID-19. Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Enter the Wu-Tang.Return to the 36 Chambers. People listening to these albums by the Wu-Tang Clan and its members likely never knew about Sophia Chang: a Korean-Canadian woman who worked with members like RZA, ODB and Method Man. Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest called Sophia Chang “an integral part of the golden era of hip-hop.” The Baddest Bitch in the Room(Catapult, 2020)charts Sophia Chang’s life, from her childhood in Vancouver, through time in New York’s hip-hop scene and travels between the United States and China managing martial arts, through to the present day. Sophia Chang is the music business matriarchitect who managed Ol’ Dirty Bastard, RZA, GZA, D’Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Q Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest as well as working with Paul Simon. She did marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, A&R Admin at Universal, as well as serving as General Manager of RZA’s Razor Sharp Records, Cinematic Music Group, and Joey Bada$$’ Pro Era Records. Sophia is currently a screenwriter and author developing numerous TV properties, including a scripted series at FX based on her memoir “The Baddest Bitch in the Room”. She trained with and managed a Shaolin Monk, who became her partner and father of her children. She produced runway shows for Vivienne Tam and "Project Runway All Stars," and recently createdUnlock Her Potential, a program that provides mentorship for women of color. In this interview,Sophia and I talk about her life: her time in the music business, her relationship with hip-hop, and her transition to martial arts and other cultural activities. We talk about what spurred her to tell her own story, and what it was like to be an Asian woman working in these spaces. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,where you can find its review ofThe Baddest Bitch in the Room.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Enter the Wu-Tang.Return to the 36 Chambers. People listening to these albums by the Wu-Tang Clan and its members likely never knew about Sophia Chang: a Korean-Canadian woman who worked with members like RZA, ODB and Method Man. Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest called Sophia Chang “an integral part of the golden era of hip-hop.” The Baddest Bitch in the Room(Catapult, 2020)charts Sophia Chang’s life, from her childhood in Vancouver, through time in New York’s hip-hop scene and travels between the United States and China managing martial arts, through to the present day. Sophia Chang is the music business matriarchitect who managed Ol’ Dirty Bastard, RZA, GZA, D’Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Q Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest as well as working with Paul Simon. She did marketing at Atlantic, A&R at Jive, A&R Admin at Universal, as well as serving as General Manager of RZA’s Razor Sharp Records, Cinematic Music Group, and Joey Bada$$’ Pro Era Records. Sophia is currently a screenwriter and author developing numerous TV properties, including a scripted series at FX based on her memoir “The Baddest Bitch in the Room”. She trained with and managed a Shaolin Monk, who became her partner and father of her children. She produced runway shows for Vivienne Tam and "Project Runway All Stars," and recently createdUnlock Her Potential, a program that provides mentorship for women of color. In this interview,Sophia and I talk about her life: her time in the music business, her relationship with hip-hop, and her transition to martial arts and other cultural activities. We talk about what spurred her to tell her own story, and what it was like to be an Asian woman working in these spaces. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,where you can find its review ofThe Baddest Bitch in the Room.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

The Blakiston’s fish owl is the world’s largest living species of owl, with larger females of the species weighing as much as ten pounds. It lives in the Russian Far East and Northern Japan. It is also endangered: global populations are estimated to be around 1500 owls in total. The story of one conservationist’s efforts to save these owls is told inOwls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl(Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 2020), the first book by Jonathan Slaght. The book traces Jonathan’s many trips to the territory of Primorye in the Russian Far East, as part of his research into where the fish owls live and hunt. In the dead of the Russian winter, Jonathan and his Russian compatriots survey the forests, listen for fish owl duets, investigate nests and capture owls in an attempt to learn more about these creatures. Jonathan Slaght is the Russia and Northeast Asia coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he manages research projects on endangered species and coordinates avian conservation activities along the East Asia–Australasian Flyway from the Arctic to the tropics. You can follow him on Twitter at@JonathanSlaght. Owls of the Eastern Ice has won widespread acclaim, including being longlisted for theNational Book Award for Nonfiction. In this interview, Joanthan and I discuss his research project, and how he turned it into a book. We also delve a little deeper into the ways we think about conservation, and what else needs to be done. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books. Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

"Ivy Lin was a thief but you would never know it to look at her” White Ivy (Simon & Schuster: 2020), the debut novel by Susie Yang, is the story of Ivy Lin,a Chinese-American teenager growing up just outside of Boston, where she struggles to achieve the trappings of suburban teenagerhood. Years later, as a 27-year-old teacher haunted by confused feelings about her upbringing, she comes across characters from her past, which spurs a desire — perhaps an obsessive one — to remake her life. “White Ivy” has won rave reviews in publications and book clubs across the United States over the past few months. Before turning to writing, Susie Yang originally launched a tech start-up that taught 20,000 people how to code. She then studied creative writing at Tin House and Sackett Street. She was born in China, came to the United States as a child, and now resides in the UK. You can follow her on Twitter at@susieyyang. In this interview,Susie and I discuss White Ivy’s character and setting in New england. We’ll delve into how Ivy’s Chinese heritage interacts with the story, and how it leads to important observations about wealth and gender. We’ll also discuss the idea of “immigrant fiction”: is it a label that helps or hurts up-and-coming writers? You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,where you can find its review ofWhite Ivy.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Det, Chang and Lek are young university students living in Thailand during the 1970s. It is a turbulent time for the country’s politics: student-led protests in 1973 succeeded in (briefly) overthrowing the country’s military dictatorship. Det, Chang and Lek — three students from very different backgrounds — navigate the country’s changing politics from the streets of Bangkok to the jungles of northern Thailand. This is the premise behindA Good True Thai(Epigram Books: 2020), the debut novel by Sunisa Manning, and a finalist for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize for Southeast Asian writers. In this interview,Sunisa and I discuss the historical setting of her book, and how much her characters represent the dynamics and emotions of Thailand’s student activists. We also discuss the process of writing historical fiction, and some of the parallels one might draw with today’s protest, with reference to Sunisa's recent piece forNikkei Asia,"Thailand's punctured monarchy". Sunisa Manning was born and raised in Bangkok by Thai and American parents. She went to Brown University and now lives in California. Her work has appeared in Prairie Schooner, The Rumpus and other places. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,where you can find its review ofAGood True Thai.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Visitors around the world have travelled to Europe to see the tall spires and stained glass windows of the continent’s Gothic cathedrals: in Cologne, Chartres, Milan, Florence, York and Paris. The trappings of Gothic architecture have become shorthand for “medieval Europe”. Yet inStealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe(Hurst: 2020), Diana Darke investigates the Islamic origins of Gothic architecture, tracing its history through pre-Islamic Syria through the Islamic empires to the tall European cathedrals between the 12th and 17th centuries. The book sold out on its first day of sale, in part due to its review inThe Guardian,which called the book "an exhilarating, meticulously researched book that sheds light on centuries of borrowing." In this interivew, Diana Darke and Italk about the origins of what we consider to be “Gothic architecture”, how those styles came to Europe, how this history of cultural and intellectual exchange may have gotten lost, and what we miss when we code something as fully “European”, fully “Islamic”, or fully any kind of culture. Diana Darke is an Arabist and cultural expert who has lived and worked in the Middle East for over thirty years. Among her better-known books areThe Merchant of Syria: A History of SurvivalandMy House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,where you can find its review ofStealing from the Saracens.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

Most of our discussions about how “technology will change the world” focus on the global cities that drive the world economy. Even when we talk about China, we focus on its major cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Xiaowei Wang corrects this metronormativity in their recent bookBlockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside(FSG Originals: 2020), which explores how rural China is not just adapting the technology used around the world, but innovating on it. In this interview, we talk aboutthe frontiers of technology that are being charted in rural China, and why China’s countryside may be the best place to understand how technology, capitalism and society will intersect in the coming years — often in not altogether positive ways. We also talk about some of the more recent developments in how Chinese technology is treated in the United States, with reference to their recent articles:"WeChat Has Both Connected Families and Torn Them Apart" inSlateand "How the Theatrics of Banning TikTok Enables Repression at Home" inThe Nation. Xiaowei Wang is the creative director at Logic Magazine, whose work encompasses community-based and public art projects, data visualization, technology, ecology, and education. Their projects have been featured in The New York Times, the BBC, CNN, VICE, and elsewhere. You can follow them on Twitter at@xrw. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays atThe Asian Review of Books,including its review ofBlockchain Chicken Farm.Follow onFacebookor on Twitter at@BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. In his day job, he’s a researcher and writer for a think tank in economic and sustainable development. He is also a print and broadcast commentator on local and regional politics. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review