Mao the scholar
Most people are under the impression that Mao is a coarse and illiterate leader, perhaps because of his round and big Hunan facial features. That…
Russia in Winter
Russia is a relatively new country, deeply rooted in old traditions. Travelling through the Russian winter in Dec is the best. One sees snow amid…
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Religions in China—Part 4
Religious Change in Post-Mao China by Sun Yan Fei, 2026. Why is Protestantism the fastest-growing religion in China post-Mao? Why are popular Chinese religions (the…
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Religions in China—Part 3
Religious Change in Post-Mao China This book is a revelation to those who think religions were not allowed by Mao. Mao in the 1950s actually…
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The Last Days of Budapest
The Last Days of Budapest, 2025, published. This book by Adam LeBor is touted for its wealth of human details, culled from letters, diaries, oral…
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A Woman Between Worlds
Braving Irrationality by Florence Kuek, 2025, published. Do not let the convoluted title of this book deter you from reading it. This is the only…
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War, Memory and Japan
John Dower is one of the preeminent historians of modern Japanese history, in particular on the Showa period. This book, Japan in War and Peace…
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When Titans Clashed
The Napoleonic War and WW2 taught the Russians that they need neutral countries between Germany and Moscow to act as buffer states to survive a…
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The World Beyond Life in Early China
Life and Afterlife in Ancient China by Jessica Rawson, 2023. I read this book in 2023. Rawson, a former professor at Oxford University, in this…
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Books on The Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency: Revolution and Counterinsurgency at the End of Empire By Karl Hack, 2022 is touted as the definitive history. While it is indeed…
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Religions in China—Part 2
Phenomenal growth in Protestantism, Post-Mao Since 1978, Protestantism has been the fastest-growing religion in China. Before 1949, its growth was not impressive by any standards.…
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