James Carter
Books by James Carter
“It’s a creative reimagining of a city on the cusp—at a particular moment when war was ending one incarnation of the metropolis. Shanghai as the amazingly cosmopolitan and freewheeling place it had once been would never really recover, because it went from being occupied by Japan to being under authoritarian rule under the Nationalist Party and then under the Communist Party. It’s a re-creation of a lost world, of the hybridity and messiness and unfairness, as there was a dark side to it, that defined Shanghai for the period when it was divided and partly colonized—but never fully colonized.” Read more...
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Historian
Heart of Buddha, Heart of China
by James Carter
Tanxu is a man who, after an ordinary family life, went through a process of religious discovery which led him to become an itinerant monk. He also lived through many of the most important events of the 20th century.
Interviews where books by James Carter were recommended
Chinese Life Stories, recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Historian and Sinologist Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor, History at UC Irvine, says that to get a real sense of China you need to focus on individuals and their stories. Here he chooses five books that draw on the country’s long tradition of biographical writing.
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1
Aftershock: Essays from Hong Kong
by Holmes Chan (editor) -
2
Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang
by James Millward -
3
Forbidden Memory: Tibet during the Cultural Revolution
by Susan Chen (translator) & Tsering Woeser -
4
Beijing from Below: Stories of Marginal Lives in the Capital's Center
by Harriet Evans -
5
Champions Day: The End of Old Shanghai
by James Carter -
6
American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
Best China Books of 2020, recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Best China Books of 2020, recommended by Jeffrey Wasserstrom
All eyes are on China as it occupies an increasingly important role on the world stage and its economic growth continues to barrel on. But behind the Chinese Communist Party’s apparent competence lies a deep insecurity about its relationship with its own citizens, particularly those who question its right to rule them. American historian and Sinologist Jeffrey Wasserstrom picks the best books of 2020 on China.