Category: 2024 Books
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βAesthetic Experiences: A Study of Anri Yasudaβs Beauty Mattersβ by Luca Griseri Anri Yasuda, Beauty Matters: Modern Japanese Literature and the Question of Aesthetics, 1890β1930, Columbia University Press, 2024. 304…
![[ESSAY] βAesthetic Experiences: A Study of Anri Yasudaβs π΅πππ’π‘π¦ πππ‘π‘πππ β by Luca Griseri](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/https-__m.media-amazon.com_images_i_819sezp2oml._sl1500_.jpg.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βFrom Star to Performer-Worker: Rethinking Anna May Wong Through Labourβ by Anna Nguyen Yiman Wang, To Be An Actress: Labor and Performance in Anna May Wongβs Cross-Media World, University of…
![[ESSAY] βFrom Star to Performer-Worker: Rethinking Anna May Wong Through Labourβ by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/yiman-wang-to-be-an-actress-labor-and-performance-in-anna-may-wongs-cross-media-world-university-of-california-press.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βSkipping, Living: Notes on Xi Xiβs Mourning a Breastβ by Madeleine Slavick Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Mourning a Breast. Xi Xi (author), Jennifer Feeley (translator),Β Mourning a Breast, Giramondo Publishing,…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βSkipping, Living: Notes on Xi Xiβs πππ’πππππ π π΅ππππ π‘β by Madeleine Slavick](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cover_xixi_mourning-a-breast_9781923106109_lr.jpeg?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βThe Endearing Sisterhood in Yoko Ogawaβs Mina’s Matchboxβ by Fathima M Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Mina’s Matchbox. YΕko Ogawa (author), Stephen B. Snyder (translator), Minaβs Matchbox, Pantheon Books, 2024. 288…
![[REVIEW] βThe Endearing Sisterhood in Yoko Ogawaβs ππππβπ πππ‘πβπππ₯β by Fathima M](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/819ycgclrml._sl1500_.jpg?w=940)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βWhere Do We Belong? On Language, Migration, & Teresa Wongβs All Our Ordinary Stories” by Rebekah Chan Teresa Wong, All Our Ordinary Stories, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024. 240 pgs.…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βWhere Do We Belong? On Language, Migration, and Teresa Wongβs π΄ππ ππ’π ππππππππ¦ ππ‘πππππ β by Rebekah Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/arsenal-pulp-press-our-ordinary-stories.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Quan Manh Ha and Quynh H. Vo (translators), Longings: Contemporary Fiction by Vietnamese Women Writers, Texas Tech University Press, 2024. 260 pgs. Vietnamese literature in English translation is…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βFinding Meaning in the Very Act of QuestioningβπΏπππππππ : πΆπππ‘ππππππππ¦ πΉπππ‘πππ ππ¦ ππππ‘πππππ π πππππ ππππ‘πππ β by Rebecca Maine](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/longings-contemporary-fiction-by-vietnamese-women-writers.jpg?w=907)
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πΒ RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπΒ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ThuαΊn (author), Nguyα» n An LΓ½ (translator), Elevator in SΓ i GΓ²n, New Directions, 2024. 192 pgs. Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano once wrote that βit is not the future which counts,…
![[REVIEW] “Truth, Lies, and the Mask We Choose: On ThuαΊnβs πΈπππ£ππ‘ππ ππ πππ πΊππ” by Michael Londra](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/f09f9381-return-to-first-impressions-f09f9381-return-to-cha-review-of-books-and-films.jpg?w=881)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Kong Shangren (author), Wai-yee Li (translator), The Peach Blossom Fan, Oxford University Press, 2024. 816 pgs. Wai-yee Li is one translator who knows how to hook a reader.…
![[REVIEW] βThings Fall Apart: Kong Shangrenβs πβπ ππππβ π΅πππ π ππ πΉππβ by Jeff Tompkins](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/the-peach-blossom-fan.png?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Elizabeth Ai (editor), New Wave: Rebellion and Reinvention in the Vietnamese Diaspora, Angel City Press, 2024. 192 pgs. Elizabeth Aiβs edited volume New Wave: Rebellion and Reinvention in the…
![[REVIEW] βArchival RhythmsβYouth, Identity, and Cultural Resistance in the Vietnamese Diaspora: Elizabeth Ai’s πππ€ πππ£πβ by Nguyα»
n Minh TiαΊΏn](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/acp_11.11.24-54-copy.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Weike Wang, Rental House, Riverhead Books, 2024. 224 pgs. Reading Rental House is, for a Chinese person, a singularly curiousβalmost epiphanicβexperience. Years ago, slightly tipsy at a reception in…
![[REVIEW] βItβs My House, and I Live Here: Weike Wangβs π
πππ‘ππ π»ππ’π πβ by Peixuan Xie](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/rental-house.jpg?w=994)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Quan Manh Ha and Paul Christiansen (translators). Light Out and Modern Vietnamese Stories, 1930β1954. Northern Illinois University Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press, 2024. 228 pgs. Light Out…
![[REVIEW] βWriting Against Empire: πΏππβπ‘ ππ’π‘ and Survival in Colonial Vietnamβ by Josie Miller](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/light-out.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βThe Legacy and Brilliance of Hong Kong Crime Novels: Charles Philipp Martinβs Rented Graveβ by Susan Blumberg-Kason Charles Philipp Martin, Rented Grave: An Inspector Lok Novel, Level Best Books,…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βThe Legacy and Brilliance of Hong Kong Crime Novels: Charles Philipp Martinβs π
πππ‘ππ πΊπππ£πβ by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/rentedgrave-1.jpg?w=992)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Order in the City: Tammy Lai-Ming Ho’sIf I Do Not Reply” by Luca Griseri ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ If I Do Not Reply. Tammy Lai-Ming Ho, If I Do Not…
![[REVIEW] “Order in the City: Tammy Lai-Ming Ho’s πΌπ πΌ π·π πππ‘ π
πππ𦔠by Luca Griseri](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/if-i-do-not-reply_tammy-ho-1.jpg?w=907)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jack Weatherford, Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024. 368 pgs. Emperor of the Seas recounts one of historyβs most remarkable transformation…
![[REVIEW] βThe Making of An Unlikely Maritime SuperpowerβJack Weatherfordβs πΈππππππ ππ π‘βπ ππππ : πΎπ’ππππ πΎβππ πππ π‘βπ ππππππ ππ πΆβπππβ by Ryan Ho Kilpatrick](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/emperor-of-the-seas-kublai-khan-and-the-making-of-china-1.jpg?w=963)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Uncovering the Truths of the Toleration-Regulation RegimeβPark Jeong-mi’s The State’s Sexuality: Prostitution and Postcolonial Nation Building in South Korea” by Jack Greenberg Park Jeong-mi, The Stateβs Sexuality: Prostitution and Postcolonial…
![[REVIEW] “Uncovering the Truths of the Toleration-Regulation RegimeβPark Jeong-mi’s πβπ ππ‘ππ‘πβπ πππ₯π’ππππ‘π¦: ππππ π‘ππ‘π’π‘πππ πππ πππ π‘ππππππππ πππ‘πππ π΅π’ππππππ ππ πππ’π‘β πΎππππ” by Jack Greenberg](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/https-www.ucpress.edubooksthe-states-sexualitypaper-1.jpg?w=1000)
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β I Made Sure It Had Nothing Whatsoever To Do With Hong Kong: A Confessionβ The Ballad of Billy Lopez: An Excerpt Stewart McKay, The Ballad of Billy Lopez, Proverse Publishing, 2024. 208 pgs. So Iβm walking down the middle of the…
![[FEATURE] “πβπ π΅πππππ ππ π΅ππππ¦ πΏππππ§: An Excerpt” by Stewart McKay](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/stewart-mckay.jpg?w=971)
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β I Made Sure It Had Nothing Whatsoever To Do With Hong Kong: A Confessionβ The Ballad of Billy Lopez: An Excerpt Stewart McKay, The Ballad of Billy Lopez, Proverse Publishing, 2024. 208 pgs. You have lived in Hong Kong…
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Matthew Wong Foreman, Sunset at Lion Rock, Proverse Press, 2024. 288 pgs. ………Iβve no strength left to stop the contradiction………My heart is tired and my eyes blurry you know………βLeslie…
![[REVIEW] “Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Among Many, Many Other Things: Matthew Wong Foremanβs ππ’ππ ππ‘ ππ‘ πΏπππ π
πππ” by Jason S Polley](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/matthew-wong-foreman-sunset-at-lion-rock-1.jpg?w=962)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Yuta Takahashi (author), Cat Anderson (translator), The Chibineko Kitchen, John Murray, 2024. 192 pgs. The Japanese iyashikeiβor healingβgenre has resonated deeply with readers worldwide, offering solace and comfort through…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Dining with the Departed: Yuta Takahashiβs πβπ πΆβπππππππ πΎππ‘πβππ” by Aditi Yadav](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/the-chibineko-kitchen-john-murray-1.jpg?w=651)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Paola Irene Galli Mastrodonato, Emilio Salgari: The Tiger Is Still Alive!, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2024. 462 pgs. The very first thought that crossed my mind upon seeing Paola…
![[REVIEW] βAsia’s Italian Novelist: Paola Irene Galli Mastrodonato” by Masturah Alatas](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/emilio-salgari-the-tiger-is-still-alive-1.jpg?w=932)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS π RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Bei Dao (author), Jeffrey Yang (translator), Sidetracks, New Directions, 2024. 176 pgs. The βsidetracksβ of Bei Daoβs title can first be understood as a structural metaphorβtwo parallel…
![[REVIEW] “The Fugitive: Bei Daoβs πππππ‘πππππ ” by Jeff Tompkins](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/sidetracks-bei-dao_cha.jpg?w=611)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS π RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Karan Mujoo, This Our Paradise, Penguin Random House, 2024. 240 pgs. For some, Kashmir is a paradise of serene valleys and pristine lakes. For others, it is…
![[REVIEW] “A Fractured Paradise: Karan Mujooβs πβππ ππ’π πππππππ π” by Ananya Singh](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/this-our-paradise.jpeg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONS π RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Susan Lieu, The Manicuristβs Daughter: A Memoir, Celadon Books, 2024. 305 pgs. The Manicuristβs Daughter: A Memoir is both a profound exploration and a courageous recovery of…
![[REVIEW] βTeetering Between Cultures: Susan Lieuβs πβπ ππππππ’πππ π‘βπ π·ππ’πβπ‘ππβ by Thu Le](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-manicurists-daughter.jpg?w=987)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaΒ onΒ If I Do Not Reply. Tammy Lai-Ming Ho, If I Do Not Reply, Shearsman Books, 2024. 110 pgs. Tammy Lai-Ming Ho in Chicago, November 2024…
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ο» RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSο» RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Yilin Wang (editor & translator), The Lantern and the Night Moths: Five Modern and Contemporary Chinese Poets, Invisible Publishing, 2024. 120 pgs. The Lantern and The Night…
![[REVIEW] “Poetry Translation in the Chinese Diaspora: Yilin Wangβs πβπ πΏπππ‘πππ πππ πβπ πππβπ‘ πππ‘βπ ” by Hongwei Bao](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-lantern-and-the-night-moths.jpg?w=1024)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal, Instruments of Torture, Harper Collins India, 2024. 200 pgs. In this haunting collection of stories, each narrative is aptly named after a medieval torture device, metaphorically…
![[REVIEW] βLabyrinthine Corridors of the Human Psyche: Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyalβs πΌππ π‘ππ’ππππ‘π ππ ππππ‘π’ππβ by Namrata](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/aparna-sanyal_cha.jpeg?w=800)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Yvonne Yevan Yu, Christine Vicera, and Julie Ham (editors), Ingat: An Anthology of Works by Migrant Domestic Worker Creatives in Hong Kong, Small Tune Press, 2024. 228 pgs. The…
![[REVIEW] βSometimes Painful, Sometimes UpliftingβπΌππππ‘: π΄π π΄ππ‘βπππππ¦ ππ πππππ π΅π¦ πππππππ‘ π·ππππ π‘ππ ππππππ πΆππππ‘ππ£ππ πΌπ π»πππ πΎπππβ by Tim Pit Hok Yau](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/4670.jpg?w=500)
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π RETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπ RETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Jiaming Tang, Cinema Love, John Murray, 2024. 304 pgs. Cinema Love is the impressive debut novel by Chinese-American writer Jiaming Tang. The bookβs blurb and the opening chapters may…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βGut-punching Melodrama: Jiaming Tangβs πΆπππππ πΏππ£πβ by Hongwei Bao](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/jiaming-tang-cinema-love-john-murray.jpg?w=975)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS Lauren Walden, Surrealism from Paris to Shanghai, Hong Kong University Press, 2024. 152 pgs. In Surrealism from Paris to Shanghai, Lauren Walden has done modern Chinese art history a…
![[REVIEW] βRecovering Shanghaiβs Lost Surrealist Tradition: Lauren Waldenβs ππ’πππππππ π ππππ πππππ π‘π πβπππβππβ by Paul French](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/surrealism-from-paris-to-shanghai.jpg?w=1024)
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πRETURN TO FIRST IMPRESSIONSπRETURN TO CHA REVIEW OF BOOKS AND FILMS ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entriesΒ in Cha on The Life of Tu Fu. Eliot Weinberger, The Life of Tu Fu, New Directions, 2024. 64 pgs. A flying goose dropping out of…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “A Fictional Autobiography: Eliot Weinberger’s πβπ πΏπππ ππ ππ’ πΉπ’” by Juan JosΓ© Morales](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/screenshot-2024-11-29-at-17.39.54.png?w=1024)
Cha 