Why Taiwan Matters - Kerry Brown - 2025
A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future

By: Kerry Brown
Narrated by: Kerry Brown
Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 01-28-25
Categories: History, Politics, International Relations
Language: English
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Format: mp3 64/48 mono
 
Publisher's Summary

This program is read by the author.
Taiwan expert Kerry Brown sums up the history of Taiwan and the danger of a Chinese takeover in this succinct and authoritative book.

When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities.

Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US—escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg.

Why Taiwan Matters helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. Why Taiwan Matters is the essential audiobook for understanding Taiwan’s unique story told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2025 Kerry Brown (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"A cogent and unsettling exploration of one of the key geopolitical issues of our time."–Publisher's Weekly

“A thorough and unbiased overview. An excellent introduction for those newly curious about Taiwan and a handy refresher or useful reference for more seasoned readers.”–William Hurst, Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge

“Why Taiwan Matters is an excellent account of a complex issue that is commonly misunderstood. The style is accessible, and the combination of political and historical context with on-the-spot observations is superb. Completely up-to-date, it presents information from the Taiwan side of the China–Taiwan conflict that is not readily available. This is the best introduction for anyone trying to understand this conflict.”–Michael Dillon, author of We Need To Talk About Xi


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