He's been called a schmuck and a schmoozer, a statesman and a mensch. But above all, Morris Cohen was a character. Much about his life has been a myth--thanks to Cohen himself--so ten years ago Daniel Levy set the record straight with his biography of the infamous General Cohen. … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Empire Made Me
I apologize for the long absence. This weekend I'm going to give a talk about Jews in China during World War II, so I've been using all my free time to prepare for that. This preparation has included reading a narrative titled Empire Made Me (Penguin, 2003) by Robert Bickers. … [Read more...]
Book of the week–The Map of Lost Memories
Have you ever come across a book that seems as if it had been written just for you?That's what I felt about Kim Fay's debut novel, The Map of Lost Memories (Ballantine, 2012). If you've read this blog much, you'll know that I'm obsessed with 1930s Shanghai. Fay breaks free … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Hong Kong State of Mind
This is quite a momentous weekend in Hong Kong. Mass demonstrations culminated in the Chief Executive backing down on requiring all public schools to introduce a new curriculum that spews the party line. (The problem hasn't gone away entirely, but some schools will be able to get … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Tone Deaf in Bangkok and Other Places
Last week I read Tone Deaf in Bangkok (ThingsAsian Press, 2008), a delightful memoir by Janet Brown. In 1995, Brown--the mother of two grown sons--moves to Bangkok to teach. At the age of 45, she quickly immerses herself into local life and ends up staying six years.When … [Read more...]
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