Taiwan - The Israel of the East: How the US, China, and Japan Influenced the Forming of a New Nation

An amazingly informative book on the history of Taiwan. I highly recommend for anyone that loves history and/or is Taiwanese and wants to know anymore about their culture (like me).

Amazing documentary on Taiwan. A must read.

The author's heart is in the right place. There's a clear interest in the history of Taiwan here. However, the book is far too short to justify its price; at just 96 pages (and in large print at that), it's a very brief and superficial read that feels like reading a long encyclopaedia article rather than a book. Of those 96 pages, several are devoted to describing the Meiji Revolution in Japan, which leaves even less space for content of any depth. The author (understandably) feels that indigenous islanders have been historically excluded by Chinese Taiwanese, but he doesn't tell us anything at all about indigenous culture, other than the fact that there were 23 tribes split between the lowlands and highlands. With little background knowledge specific to Taiwan, I still didn't learn that much from this book.The author can clearly write, and has the ability to sum up historical ideas concisely and clearly. But this book should not cost £8- it ought to be two or three pounds, and honestly, I still probably wouldn't buy it. If you know nothing about the region and just want a very brief introduction, this book might be for you. Otherwise, steer clear.

Libro scorrevole che ripercorre in modo sintetico ma preciso la storia recente della Nazione di Taiwan. È scritto in un inglese semplice, comprensibile anche ai principianti