My Asia Book Recommendations, By Country

I’ve spent a lot of the last few years reading my way through Asia’s modern history — Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore — and the diaspora stories that connect them to the West. Here’s what I’ve read, organized by country, with my own commentary on each.

Korea/Japan Vietnam Taiwan China Malaysia Thailand Singapore Japan Asian-American General

Korea/Japan

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee — Historical Fiction · 10/10

Probably my favorite. Such a fascinating deep dive into the history of Koreans in Japan and the characters are so interesting. Min Jin Lee is just an incredible writer. I will read anything she writes.

Vietnam

The Sympathizer

Viet Thanh Nguyen — Literary Fiction · 7/10

Great book detailing a communist spy's personal story in the Vietnam war and working with a South Vietnamese general during the final days, their escape to America and involvement in making a movie about the war (a take on Apocalypse Now). Very energetic writing. Slow at parts but entertaining throughout.

The Mountains Sing

Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai — Historical Fiction · 7.5/10

Follows a family through the French period, Japanese occupation, the famine, land reform and Vietnam war. Very intense and sad book but still very good.

Taiwan

Orphan of Asia

Wu Zhuoliu — Historical Fiction · 8.5/10

Memoir reflecting on pre-WWII Taiwan through the eye of a scholar caught between multiple identities — Japanese colonial rule, Chinese heritage, and Taiwanese reality. The main character's journey between Taiwan, Japan and China brings alive a feeling of being lost and feeling home at the same time.

Green Island

Shawna Yang Ryan — Historical Fiction · 8.5/10

Multi-generational story starting right after WWII during the White Terror period and following a family up through modern Taiwan. Gets into some heavy stuff about martial law and political prisoners but through a really personal lens. Made me understand Taiwan's historical journey from post-WWII and how these events impacted families in a whole new way.

China

Homeseeking

Karissa Chen — Historical Fiction · 9/10

Book about two Shanghainese families pre- and post-WWII and the fallout from the wars with Japan, WWII, and civil war. Follows two characters as they move across China, Taiwan, and the US. Very enjoyable read and good perspective on both Chinese diaspora as well as Waishengren who fled to Taiwan.

Wild Swans

Jung Chang — Memoir · 10/10

Three generations of Chinese women — from a warlord's concubine to a Communist Party official and finally to the author herself — weaving their personal narratives through China's tumultuous 20th century history. Through their interconnected stories, Jung Chang masterfully captures the devastating impact of the Cultural Revolution on ordinary families while providing intimate insights into Chinese society's transformation from feudalism through communism.

Mao's Last Dancer

Li Cunxin — Memoir · 7.5/10

Li Cunxin's autobiography about his journey from poverty in rural Maoist China to becoming an internationally acclaimed ballet dancer. Selected to train at Madame Mao's Beijing Dance Academy at age 11, Li endured years of intense training. Later, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he made the dramatic decision to defect to the West, causing a diplomatic crisis. The book powerfully captures his struggle between loyalty to family/country and pursuing his dreams, while providing vivid insights into life during China's Cultural Revolution.

Malaysia

The House of Doors

Tan Twan Eng — Historical Fiction · 8/10

Enjoyable historical fiction set in Penang, Malaysia in the 1920s detailing a visit from the writer Somerset Maugham to a British family. Overlaps with Chinese revolution efforts of the time, including Sun Yat-sen's activities in the region. Really nice mix of story, characters, real history, and scandal.

The Ghost Bride

Yangsze Choo — Historical Fantasy · 6/10

Historical fantasy set in 1890s Colonial Malaysia about a young Chinese woman who agrees to become a ghost bride to a wealthy family's deceased son. Exploration of Chinese customs and traditions which I found interesting but the story was a bit meandering at times.

Thailand

The Four Reigns

Kukrit Pramoj — Historical Fiction · 6.5/10

A long book that is a little slow at first, but I enjoyed reading it while living in Thailand, following a woman whose life is entangled with the Royal family as the country moves from absolute monarchy to constitutional government over four consecutive reigns. Is interesting to follow a country like Thailand during major world events (like WWII) and westernization as they are unique in that they never became central players in world events.

Singapore

How We Disappeared

Jing-Jing Lee — Historical Fiction · 9/10

Powerful historical novel set in Singapore that details a woman's experience as a "comfort woman" during the Japanese occupation in WWII, and a young boy's modern-day discovery of his grandmother's secret past. Slow start but picks up and very interesting lens into WWII Asian life.

Japan

A Beginner's Guide to Japan

Pico Iyer — Travel Nonfiction · 10/10

Pico Iyer's observations on Japanese culture from an outsider looking in, but with the depth that comes from decades living there. It's filled with these little contradictions and paradoxes that make Japan so fascinating, and I found myself nodding along as he captures things I noticed but couldn't articulate. His writing is precise yet poetic, making even mundane observations feel profound.

Autumn Light

Pico Iyer — Travel Memoir · 6/10

Slow contemplative book on returning to Japan and going through the seasons of life. I really like Iyer's style and it's inspired me to try to do some similar writing about Taiwan. Part of me could see a future similar to Pico but living in Taiwan.

Tokyo Noir

Jake Adelstein — Nonfiction — True Crime · 7/10

A follow-up to the bestseller and TV series Tokyo Vice, this book details Jake's post taking down the yakuza days and him making sense of his life in midlife. The book meanders a bit and has interesting thoughts on the underworld and crime but really came together through the touching personal relationships Jake has toward the end.

Things Become Other Things

Craig Mod — Travel Memoir · 10/10

I absolutely loved this book. Felt like Craig was very true to his own unique style and personality, combining deep contemplative thoughts about living abroad, and growing up adopted, the history of Japan. I can feel in every page he cared deeply about what he was sharing, sentence level, structure, overall story. It was very powerful — he wasn't trying to "do" a certain kind of book, he was letting truth come through the pages in only this way it could be told.

Asian-American

Crying in H Mart

Michelle Zauner — Memoir · 9/10

A memoir by Michelle Zauner about growing up as a Korean American and her own story of losing her mother and reconnecting with her roots. Good writing and powerful story.

Free Food For Millionaires

Min Jin Lee — Literary Fiction · 9/10

Min Jin Lee's first book about a Korean American in the U.S. in the 90s. It was cool to read a book about a young professional before the internet — felt like the last days of an era and also see the class between immigrant and prestigious culture. The main character is very captivating.

Stay True

Hua Hsu — Memoir · 6/10

Story of early 90s at Berkeley and being Taiwanese American. Was an interesting peek into the cultural movements at Berkeley (many of which are dominant now) and also just the very personal story of him losing his friend and trying to make sense of that period.

The Souls of Yellow Folk

Wesley Yang — Essays · 6/10

Collection of essays examining Asian American identity, masculinity, and cultural politics through a sharp, often contrarian lens. Yang's provocative writing challenges both mainstream narratives about Asian Americans and Asian American conventional wisdom while exploring themes of alienation, ambition, and assimilation in contemporary America.

General

How Asia Works

Joe Studwell — Nonfiction — Economics · 9/10

A fascinating analysis of how Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China achieved dramatic economic growth through strategic policies in agriculture, manufacturing, and finance, while other Asian nations struggled. Studwell reveals that successful Asian economies followed similar patterns: land reform to support small-scale farming, export-focused manufacturing, and strict control of finance to channel capital into productive industries.