Category: 2025 Books
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Writing After Malaya: Literature, Revolution, and the Silences of History” by Elias KΓΆnig All things Jeremy Tiang in Cha. β Hai Fan (author), Jeremy Tiang (translator). Delicious Hunger, Tilted Axis…
![[ESSAY] “Writing After Malaya: Literature, Revolution, and the Silences of History” by Elias KΓΆnig](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/jeremy-tiang-malay.png?w=867)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “The Weight of Change: Shuang Xuetaoβs Hunter” by Seiya Tanase All things Jeremy Tiang in Cha. Shuang Xuetao (author), Jeremy Tiang (translator). Hunter, Granta Books, 2025. 288 pgs. In a…
![[REVIEW] “The Weight of Change: Shuang Xuetaoβs π»π’ππ‘ππ” by Seiya Tanase](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/shuang-xuetao-author-jeremy-tiang-translator.-hunter-granta-books.jpg?w=977)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Hearing the Pandemic: Sound, State, and Care in Christina Schwenkel’s Sonic Socialism” by Hantian Zhang Christina Schwenkel. Sonic Socialism: Crisis and Care in Pandemic Hanoi, University of California Press, 2025.…
![[REVIEW] “Hearing the Pandemic: Sound, State, and Care in Christina Schwenkel’s πππππ ππππππππ π” by Hantian Zhang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/sonic-socialism-crisis-and-care-in-pandemic-hanoi-university-of-california-press-.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βResurrecting the Memories of the Chinese Passengers on the Titanic: Steven Schwankertβs The Untold Story of the Titanicβs Chinese Survivorsβ by Susan Blumberg-Kason Click HERE to read more about…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] βResurrecting the Memories of the Chinese Passengers on the πππ‘ππππ: Steven Schwankertβs πβπ πππ‘πππ ππ‘πππ¦ ππ π‘βπ πππ‘ππππβπ πΆβππππ π ππ’ππ£ππ£πππ β by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/steven-schwankert-the-six-the-untold-story-of-the-titanics-chinese-survivors-1.jpg?w=988)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “A Landmark in Environmental Science: Ma Tianjie’s In Search of Green China“ by Laurence Westwood Ma Tianjie. In Search of Green China, Polity Books, 2025. 272 pgs. Beginning in the…
![[ESSAY] “A Landmark in Environmental Science: Ma Tianjie’s πΌπ πππππβ ππ πΊππππ πΆβπππ” by Laurence Westwood](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/in-search-of-green-china-tianjie-ma-livres.jpg?w=575)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βNow and Now and Now and Now: Abyssal Form in Yiyun Liβs Things in Nature Merely Growβ by Ronny Chan Yiyun Li. Things in Nature Merely Grow, Farrar, Straus and…
![[REVIEW] βNow and Now and Now and Now: Abyssal Form in Yiyun Liβs πβππππ ππ πππ‘π’ππ ππππππ¦ πΊπππ€β by Ronny Chan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/things-in-nature-merely-grow-by-yiyun-li-farrar-straus-and-giroux-2025.jpg?w=961)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “One Script, Many Languages: The Journey of Chinese Writing Across Asia” by Gabriel Corsetti Zev Handel. Chinese Characters across Asia: How the Chinese Script Came to Write Japanese, Korean, and…
![[REVIEW] “One Script, Many Languages: The Journey of Chinese Writing Across Asia” by Gabriel Corsetti](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chinese-characters-across-asia-how-the-chinese-script-came-to-write-japanese-korean-and-vietnamese-1.jpg?w=667)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Pot Noodles and Power: Junko Takase’s May You Have Delicious Meals” by Anna Nguyen Junko Takase (author), Morgan Giles (translator). May You Have Delicious Meals, Penguin Random House, 2025. 133…
![[REVIEW] “Pot Noodles and Power: Junko Takase’s πππ¦ πππ’ π»ππ£π π·πππππππ’π πππππ ” by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/the-politics-of-the-packed-lunch-junko-takases-may-you-have-delicious-meals.jpg?w=977)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Remixing Memory, Forgetting Politics: On Wong Kar-wai and the Limits of Bricolage” by Anna Nguyen Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon Remixing Wong Kar-wai. Giorgio Biancorosso. Remixing Wong Kar-wai: Music, Bricolage, and…
![[ESSAY] “Remixing Memory, Forgetting Politics: On Wong Kar-wai and the Limits of Bricolage” by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/remixing-wong-kar-wai-music-bricolage-and-the-aesthetics-of-oblivion.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βChungking Dreaminβ: A Review of Giorgio Biancorossoβs Remixing Wong Kar-waiβ by Mario Rustan ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaonΒ Remixing Wong Kar-wai. Giorgio Biancorosso. Remixing Wong Kar-wai: Music, Bricolage, and the Aesthetics…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βThrough the Time Tunnel and Written on Water: Eileen Chang Across Exile and Memoryβ by Jeff Tompkins β Eileen Chang (author), Karen S. KingsburyΒ andΒ Jie Zhang (translators). Time Tunnel, New York…
![[ESSAY] βThrough the ππππ ππ’ππππ and ππππ‘π‘ππ ππ πππ‘ππ: Eileen Chang Across Exile and Memoryβ by Jeff Tompkins](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/eileen-chang-cha-an-asian-literary-journal-jeff-tompkins.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βThe Forgotten Chapter of Indian History: A Study of Abbas Panakkalβs Hindu Amir of Muslimsβ by Kabir Deb Abbas Panakkal, Hindu Amir of Muslims: Indigenized Islam from the Indian Ocean…
![[ESSAY] βThe Forgotten Chapter of Indian History: A Study of Abbas Panakkalβs π»ππππ’ π΄πππ ππ ππ’π ππππ β by Kabir Deb](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/hindu-amir-of-muslims-indigenized-islam-from-the-indian-ocean-littoral-of-malabar-bloomsbury-academic.jpg?w=929)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Influence, Fandom, and Platform Power: On Asian Celebrity Cultures in the Digital Age” by Jennifer Junwa Lau Jian Xu, Glen Donnar, and Divya Garg (editors). Asian Celebrity Cultures in the…
![[REVIEW] “Influence, Fandom, and Platform Power: On π΄π πππ πΆπππππππ‘π¦ πΆπ’ππ‘π’πππ ππ π‘βπ π·ππππ‘ππ π΄ππ” by Jennifer Junwa Lau](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/jennifer-lau-influence-fandom-and-platform-power-asian-celebrity-cultures.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Pains, Survival, and Self-Publishing: Gurpreet Kaur Khosaβs Pain & Other Inheritances” by Michael Tsang Gurpreet Kaur Khosa. Pain & Other Inheritances, BookLeaf Publishing, 2025. 50 pgs. This collection stands…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Pains, Survival, and Self-Publishing: Gurpreet Kaur Khosaβs ππππ & ππ‘βππ πΌπβππππ‘πππππ ” by Michael Tsang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/pain-other-inheritances.jpg?w=850)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βFood as Violence, Food as Salvation: Ramya Chamalie Jirasingheβs Father Cabraalβs Recipe for Love Cakeβ by Rituparna Mukherjee Ramya Chamalie Jirasinghe. Father Cabraalβs Recipe for Love Cake, Penguin Random House…
![[REVIEW] βFood as Violence, Food as Salvation: Ramya Chamalie Jirasingheβs πΉππ‘βππ πΆππππππβπ π
πππππ πππ πΏππ£π πΆπππβ by Rituparna Mukherjee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ramya-chamalie-jarasinghe.-father-cabraals-recipe-for-love-cake.jpg?w=940)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Terao Tetsuya’s Spent Bullets: Alienation and Intimacy in Silicon Valleyβs Taiwanese Diaspora” by Jennifer Eagleton Terao Tetsuya (author), Kevin Wang (translator). Spent Bullets, HarperCollins, 2025. 208 pgs. Set in…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Terao Tetsuya’s πππππ‘ π΅π’ππππ‘π : Alienation and Intimacy in Silicon Valleyβs Taiwanese Diaspora” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/spent-bullets-hardcover-e28093-october-14-2025-by-terao-tetsuya-author-kevin-wang.jpg?w=987)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βMordant Wit and Material Imagination in Huang Fan’s flower ashβ by Nicholas Y. H. Wong Huang Fan (author), Josh Stenberg (translator). flower ash, Flying Island Books, 2025. 120 pgs. I…
![[REVIEW] βMordant Wit and Material Imagination in Huang Fan’s ππππ€ππ ππ ββ by Nicholas Y. H. Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/huang-fan-author-josh-stenberg-translator.-flower-ash-flying-island-books.jpg?w=600)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “ReadingβMaking Notes on (There is Always Music)βGeoffrey William Brodaksilva’s The Philosophy of Aggressiveness” by Jeremy Fernando Geoffrey William. Brodaksilva. The Philosophy of Aggressiveness: The Necessity and Indeterminacy of Escape, Atropos…
![[ESSAY] “ReadingβMaking Notes on (There is Always Music)βGeoffrey William Brodaksilva’s πβπ πβππππ ππβπ¦ ππ π΄πππππ π ππ£ππππ π ” by Jeremy Fernando](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/the-philosophy-of-aggressiveness-geoffrey-w-brodaksilva-author.jpg?w=855)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS Editor’s note: Ryan Ho Kilpatrick reflects on Reorienting Taiwan: Ocean, Selfhood, and the Pacific, a volume that interrogates Taiwanβs asserted maritime identity. The contributors expose tensions between political rhetoric, historical experience,…
![[ESSAY] “Islands in Denial: π
πππππππ‘πππ ππππ€ππ Amid a Sea of Contradictions” by Ryan Ho Kilpatrick](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/reorientating-taiwan-ocean-selfhood-and-the-pacific.jpg?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] βThe Three Teachings in Action: Wayne Wongβs Martial Arts Ecologyβ by Mario Rustan Wayne Wong. Martial Arts Ecology: Aesthetics, Philosophy and Cinematic Mediation, Edinburgh University Press, 2026. 304 pgs. After…
![[ESSAY] βThe Three Teachings in Action: Wayne Wongβs ππππ‘πππ π΄ππ‘π πΈππππππ¦β by Mario Rustan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/wayne-wong.-martial-arts-ecology-aesthetics-philosophy-and-cinematic-mediation-edinburgh-university-press.jpg?w=750)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βClaire Lee’s On The Verge: Silence, Urban & City Life, and Quiet Chaosβ by Tin Yuet Tam Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon On the Verge. Claire Lee, On the Verge, Independently…
![[REVIEW] βClaire Lee’s On The Verge: Silence, Urban & City Life, and Quiet Chaosβ by Tin Yuet Tam](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/on-the-verge_claire-lee.png?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Freedom from Time and Space: On James Sheaβs Last Day of My Face” by Jonathan Han Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Last Day of My Face. James Shea, The Last Day…
![[REVIEW] “Freedom from Time and Space: On James Sheaβs πΏππ π‘ π·ππ¦ ππ ππ¦ πΉπππ” by Jonathan Han](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/https-uipress.uiowa_.edubookslast-day-my-face.jpg?w=970)
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Editor’s note: Troy Cabida reflects on his debut poetry collection Neon Manila, exploring queer Filipino-immigrant embodiment, pop music, resistance, as glamour and violence coexist. Some poems from the collection can be found HERE. [ESSAY] βOn Neon Manila: A Balancing Act…
![[ESSAY] βOn ππππ ππππππ: A Balancing Act Between Sparkle and Substanceβ by Troy Cabida](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_6830.jpg?w=1024)
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Read Troy Cabida’s essay “On Neon Manila: A Balancing Act Between Sparkle and Substance” HERE. [EXCLUSIVE] βFour Poems from Neon Manilaβ by Troy Cabida Troy Cabida, Neon Manila, Nine Arches Press, 2025. 72 pgs. Black Turtleneck Sonnet With my first ever…
![[EXCLUSIVE] “Four Poems from ππππ ππππππ” by Troy Cabida](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/81b4db7dtkl._sl1500_-1.jpg?w=984)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “What is an Orange? Reading Gillian Szeβs An Orange, A Syllable” by Robert Black Gillian Sze, An Orange, A Syllable, ECW Press, 2025. 88 pgs. What Is an origin? A…
![[ESSAY] “What is an Orange? Reading Gillian Szeβs π΄π ππππππ, π΄ ππ¦ππππππ” by Robert Black](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/https-ecwpress.comproductsorange-a-syllable.webp?w=663)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS Editor’s note: In Hongwei Bao’s new essay, Pillion (2025), directed by Harry Lighton and adapted from Adam Mars-Jonesβs 2020 novella Box Hill, becomes a lens for exploring queer biker cinema, kink…
![[ESSAY] “Geared Up for Pillion” by Hongwei Bao](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/pillion-film-poster.jpg?w=1024)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Observation as Inheritance: Tim Fitts’s The Peopleβs Island” by Jack Greenberg Tim Fitts, The Peopleβs Island, Spuyten Duyvil, 2025. 175 pgs. The Peopleβs Island presents itself as a coming of…
![[REVIEW] “Observation as Inheritance: Tim Fitts’s πβπ ππππππβπ πΌπ ππππ” by Jack Greenberg](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/tim-fitts-the-peoples-island-spuyten-duyvil.jpg?w=1000)
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “On the Verge with Claire Lee: Where Objects Become Literature” by Susan Blumberg-Kason ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaonΒ On the Verge. Claire Lee, On the Verge, Independently published, 2025. 120…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βAn Oceanic Taiwan: Niki J. P. Alsford and Ti-Han Changβs Reorienting Taiwanβ by Lu Feng ClickΒ HERE to readΒ all entries inΒ ChaonΒ Reorienting Taiwan. Niki J. P. Alsford and Ti-Han Chang (editors), Reorienting…
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θΆ FIRST IMPRESSIONS θΆ REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] βYou Are My Friend: On Ocean Vuongβs The Emperor of Gladnessβ by Nirris Nagendrarajah Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness, Penguin, 2025. 416 pgs. For Ocean Vuong, the critically acclaimed…
![[REVIEW] βYou Are My Friend: On Ocean Vuongβs πβπ πΈπππππ ππ πΊππππππ π β by Nirris Nagendrarajah](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ocean-vuong-the-emperor-of-gladness.jpg?w=992)
Cha 