20 China books to read (and 5 to avoid)
Update April 2015 - I've made some changes to this list since it was first published in 2013, to reflect new publications and in the spirit of getting it just right. Osnos, French, Goldblatt and Troost are the new additions. I should also disclose I know some of the authors.
This is a (revised) answer I posted on Quora to the question "What are some good books that can give me a window into modern China?" I'm selective, and have split it into five lists of five: books on contemporary China, books on modern China (i.e. late and post Qing history), books from Chinese voices, China books from the canon ... and a bonus list of China books to avoid.
I hope this is useful as an open sesame for new China watchers, or to encourage old hands to plug those holes in their bookshelf. The lists are designed as all you need to pack your bag or Kindle with to understand that aspect or perspective of China, without being overwhelming. Do go ahead and say what I missed in the comments.
5 BOOKS ON CONTEMPORARY CHINA
Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China by Philip P. Pan – Very readable, stories from the post-Mao era that shaped China as it is today
Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip by Peter Hessler – The third book Hessler wrote from China, this is the one both most up-to-date and widest in scope
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie Chang – Sensitively told, the human side of the factory boom, a continuation of the China story
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos – A well weaved narrative profiling a range of Chinese dreamers and dissidents
Chinese Characters: Profiles of Fast-Changing Lives in a Fast-Changing Land ed. Angilee Shah, Jeffrey Wasserstrom – Disclosure: I have a chapter in this book
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5 BOOKS ON MODERN CHINA
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence – The grandaddy of China history books, from late Ming to 1989, this doorstopper is also a pleasure to read
Wealth and Power: China's Long March to the Twenty-first Century by Orville Schell and John Delury – 14 individuals who made modern China, absolutely terrific
A Bitter Revolution: China's Struggle with the Modern World by Rana Mitter – The broad span of modern Chinese history through an original and compelling lens
Midnight in Peking by Paul French – A page turning true crime murder story from the 1930s that immerses you in the badlands of old Beijing
China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know by Jeffrey Wasserstrom – Slim, comprehensive, intuitive. Perfect reading for the plane trip over
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5 BOOKS FROM CHINESE VOICES
China in Ten Words by Yu Hua – A Chinese perspective of the transition from Cultural Revolution to opening up and the contradictions of 21st century China
This Generation: Dispatches from China's Most Popular Literary Star (and Race Car Driver) by Han Han – Social commentary from the superstar Chinese blogger
The Corpse Walker: China From the Bottom Up by Liao Yiwu – Surprising and often moving narratives of ordinary people from all over China's countryside
China Candid: The People on the People's Republic by Sang Ye – Oral histories of ordinary Chinese lives, a ground up portrait of China since 1949
Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused: Fiction from Today's China ed. Howard Goldblatt –The perfect open sesame to contemporary Chinese literature
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5 CHINA BOOKS FROM THE CANON
The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun trans. Julia Lovell – China's George Orwell. At least read the canonical "The True Story of Ah Q" and "Diary of a Madman"
Fortress Beseiged by Qian Zhongshu – Funny and sharp indictment of Chinese society in the late 1930s, an often overlooked but still relevant classic
Monkey by Wu Cheng'en, trans. Arthur Waley – Approachable translation of Journey to the West, the most accessible of China's four classic texts, in a great translation
Wandering on the Way by Zhuangzi, trans. Victor Mair – For ancient Chinese philosophy, skip Confucius and Laozi, I say, and go straight to Zhuangzi, it's more fun
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck – 1931 American novel of a rags-to-riches Chinese farmer, it might feel a bit dated but Oprah's book club is never wrong
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5 CHINA BOOKS TO AVOID*
The Coming Collapse of China by Gordon Chang – Published in 2001, we're still waiting Gordon. This is why you never make a prediction in a book title
When China Rules the World by Martin Jacques – Some insightful analysis, but in the end these birds-eye-view big-thesis China books just aren't worth it
Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday – Mao was a complex figure who caused horrific suffering, but demonising him without nuance is just bad history
Lost on Planet China, by J Maarten Troost – Flag bearer of the other type of bad China book, the "look how wacky this place is" memoir, shallow as a puddle
Shanghai Baby, by Wei Hui – If you're tempted by this "dark and edgy" novel of sex and self discovery, run in the other direction. It's unbearably affected and pretentious
(*I don't mean that these books have no value – they all have value and are informative – but that they are ultimately misleading and so you should avoid them in favour of others. It's all very subjective.)
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Other "listicles" on the Anthill:
