Heaven Does Not Block All Roads
A History of Taiwan Through the Life of Huang Chin-tao
$55.01
- Hardcover
352 pages
- Release Date
31 July 2025
Summary
As the geopolitical importance of Taiwan grows, this history provides a guide to the country.
Huang Chin-tao was born in 1926, when Taiwan was still part of the Japanese Empire. By the time he died in 2019, Taiwan was a bustling, high-tech democracy and Huang had lived through every twist and turn along the way. He served as a Japanese soldier in China during World War II; joined an armed uprising against Taiwan’s Chinese Nationalist post-war government; spent twenty-…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781911723622 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1911723626 |
| Author: | Anna Beth Keim |
| Publisher: | C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd |
| Imprint: | C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 31 July 2025 |
| Weight: | 544g |
| Dimensions: | 216mm x 138mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
‘Using archives and interviews married with sparkling prose, Keim tells a compelling story of historical significance.’ * BBC History Magazine, ‘Books of the Year’ *
‘Keim tells a riveting, well-paced story, deftly interweaving vivid details … The result is cinematic.’
* Los Angeles Review of Books *‘The tides of history still rip through the Taiwan Strait. In crystalline prose, Keim traces their impact on the nigh incredible life of an impetuous Taiwanese nationalist. Safe haven or pirate kingdom, gulag or Asian Tiger, the island’s story has never been better told.’
– John Keay, author of China: A History and Himalaya: Exploring the Roof of the World‘A Japanese soldier, a Chinese rebel, and a Formosan prisoner of conscience; commended by the president, celebrated in death metal and worshipped as a god, this is a gripping story of a man who contains multitudes, like Taiwan itself.’
– Jonathan Clements, author of Rebel Island: The Incredible History of Taiwan‘An extraordinary story of Taiwanese resistance, written with the vitality and beauty of a novel.’ – Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Green Island
‘A vivid account of the dramatic story of Taiwan over the last century through the life of one person. Anna Beth Keim’s unique approach makes Taiwan’s path to today more knowable and easier to relate to—and above all, very human.’
– Professor Kerry Brown, author of The Taiwan Story: How a Small Island Will Dictate the Global Futur‘The extraordinary story of Huang Chin-tao is beautifully told by Anna Beth Keim. Fighting for his homeland from Nantun to Tokyo, Hainan to Green Island, Huang never lost hope and ultimately became a reluctant hero for democratic Taiwan.’
– Professor Syaru Shirley Lin, author of Taiwan’s China Dilemma‘This is the history of today’s Taiwan through the life of the indomitable Huang Chin-tao: soldier, freedom fighter, prisoner and democracy activist. A first-class introduction to Taiwan and its people, beautifully written and narrated.’
– Professor O.A. Westad, Yale UniversityAbout The Author
Anna Beth Keim
Anna Beth Keim is a freelance writer and translator, who has been reporting on Taiwan since 2015. Her work has appeared in ChinaFile, Foreign Policy, YaleGlobal and The Foreign Service Journal. This is her first book.
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