Summer is here! And with it, our bi-annual reading list with books from and about Asia. As always, we asked for your favorite books and received excellent recommendations from colleagues, speakers, and friends. The following ten books are sure to keep you busy throughout the summer, whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction.

Thanks to all contributors for the great recommendations!

Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance by Karthik Muralidharan (2024) [non-fiction]

Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance by the economist Karthik Muralidharan is a masterful deep dive into the challenges of governance and delivering public services in India with numerous lessons for the rest of the world. – Recommended by Milan Vaishnav (Senior Fellow and Director, South Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and speaker at STATE OF ASIA 2023).

The Chinese Computer: A Global History of the Information Age by Thomas S. Mullaney (2024) [non-fiction]

A standard QWERTY keyboard has a few dozen keys. How can Chinese – a language with tens of thousands of characters and no alphabet – be input on such a device? In The Chinese Computer, Thomas S. Mullaney sets out to resolve this paradox, and in doing so, discovers that the key to this seemingly impossible riddle has given rise to a new epoch in the history of writing. – From the publisher;  recommended by Jonas Ruegg (Asia 21 and Gen A Alumnus).

The Geometries of Afro Asia: Art beyond Solidarity by Joan Kee (2023) [non-fiction]

How do we embark on a history of art from the assumption of a global majority, outside of essentializing categories like race? With this book, Joan Kee presents a framework for understanding the rich and surprisingly understudied relationship between Black and Asian artists and the worlds they initiate through their work. – From the publisher; recommended by Laura Kandle (Asia Society New York).

Hellfire by Leesa Gazi (2020) [fiction]

An excellent book set in Dhaka, Bangladesh, focusing on patriarchy, intergenerational trauma and how both intertwine in various ways. The story takes place over one day and follows a woman, and her family. – Recommended by Pavi Hundekari (Asia Society India).

The Little Book of Ikigai: Live a Happy And Long Life the Japanese Way by Ken Mogi (2018) [non-fiction]

A great summer read that will not only inspire you to live a happy and fulfilling life, but will also give you a better understanding of the Japanese way of thinking and culture. Ken Mogi combines science with anecdotes in a way that makes it difficult not to read the book in one afternoon or during your flight to Japan! – Recommended by Julia Ganter (Programme Director International Affairs at the German foundation Körber-Stiftung, and speaker at the LIVE Oxford Debate 2024).

George Yeo: Selected Musings by George Yeo (2024) [non-fiction]

Over sessions which lasted two to three hours each time, every week for half a year, George Yeo met and mused over a wide range of topics with writer Woon Tai Ho and research assistant Keith Yap. He gives his views on India, China, ASEAN, Europe, the US and other parts of the world, and how Singapore's history and destiny are connected to all of them. – From the publisher; recommended by Kyung-hwa Kang (Asia Society President and CEO).

Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future by Chun Han Wong (2023) [non-fiction]

A clear-eyed view of the Chinese Communist Party under Xi, analyzing his reassertion of party control of every aspect of state, economy, culture and society. – Recommended by Bilahari Kausikan (Former Ambassador, Permanent Secretary of Singapore, and speaker at STATE OF ASIA 2023).
 

Sovietistan: A Journey Through Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan by Erika Fatland (2021) [non-fiction]

With Putin's Russia still exercising a degree of influence over the former Central Asian Soviet Republics and Xi's China becoming increasingly assertive, the 'Stans' may be set to become part of a 'Great Game 2.0', making brushing up on this seldom understood region all the more pertinent. – From the publisher; recommended by Joerg Wuttke (President Emeritus of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and speaker at STATE OF ASIA 2023).

Sound and Silence: My Experience with China and Literature by Yan Lianke (2024) [non-fiction]

Yan Lianke, one of China's pre-eminent novelists and short story writers, is also an incisive essayist and literary critic, as attested in this collection of his non-fiction over the last decade plus. Tackling topics from "China's darkness" and national amnesia to American literature and the consolations of censorship, Yan is at his strongest when writing personally, such as a powerful essay about his journey from army propagandist to fiction writer. – Recommended by Alec Ash (Asia Society Center on U.S. China Relations).

The Tiger Leading the Dragon: How Taiwan Propelled China's Economic Rise by Shelley Rigger (2021) [non-fiction]

I loved this book because in a clear, concise and engaging manner. It brings a rather dull topic to life and dissects how Taiwanese businessmen have played a role in propelling China's meteoric ascent, turning the country into the workshop of the world. – Recommended by Simona Grano (Associate Professor at the University of Zurich, Senior Fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, and Inaugural TOY Senior Fellow).
 

Finished all the listed books? Find more suggestions on previous reading lists or check our Alec Ash's Summer China Reads 2024.

Share your book recommendations!
We are always eager to receive your highly appreciated book suggestions, just write us an e-mail to [email protected]

Happy reading!