Carol and John chat about Lan Su, the Asian-American community in the Northwest, and Suzhou’s rich heritage as a center of book culture and scholar gardens, especially during the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644).

Also mentioned is the graphic novel We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration by authors Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura, and illustrators Ross Ishikawa and Matt Sasaki (Chin Music Press, 2021).

To see Carol’s work, including photographs of Lan Su, visit her website.

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

The islands, in order of appearance in the episode, are: Geomun Island (Port Hamilton); the garden island of Oedo (Oe Island – “do” is the Korean word for “island”); Geojedo, site of an important Korean War POW camp and often spelled “Koje”;Ulleungdo and the nearby disputed islets of Dokdo; and the fictional island of Sukhan.

Books mentioned in this Episode:

A Korean Odyssey: Island Hopping in Choppy Waters (2020) by Michael Gibb

Anglo-Korean Relations and the Port Hamilton Affair, 1885–1887 (2016) by Stephen A. Royle

The Hijacked War: The Story of Chinese POWs in the Korean War, (2020) by David Cheng Chang

War Trash (2004) by Ma Jin

Island of Fantasy: A Memoir of an English Teacher in Korea (2005) by Shawn Matthews

The Korea Story (1952) by John C. Caldwell

The Cuttlefish (2005) by Chris Tharp

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Books discussed in this episode, in order of appearance:

The Last Great Australian Adventurer: Ben Carlin's Epic Journey Around the World by Amphibious Jeep (Random House Australia, 2017) by Gordon Bass

Once a Fool: From Japan to Alaska by Amphibious Jeep by Boye De Mente

Japanese Swords and Armor: Masterpieces from Thirty of Japan's Greatest Samurai Warriors (Tuttle, 2024) by Paul Martin

The Modern Japanese Garden by Stephen Mansfield (Thames & Hudson, 2025)

The Wondrous Elixir of The Two Chinese Lovers (Plum Rain Press, 2025) by Tim McGirk

China Running Dog, (Plum Rain Press, 2025) by Mark Kitto

An American Bum in China: Featuring the Bumblingly Brilliant Escapades of Expatriate Matthew Evans (Camphor Press, ) by Tom Carter (Available in Audio book format, narrated by Eryk Michael Smith)

The Cuttlefish, by Chris Tharp (Plum Rain Press, 2025)

A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa (Plum Rain Press, 2024) by Yao-Chang Chen

The Lotus Moon: Art and Poetry of Buddhist Nun Ōtagaki Rengetsu (Floating World Editions, 2023) by John Stevens

Other podcasts mentioned:

BOA Ep. 56:Ted Goosen on translating Hiromi Kawakami's The Third Love

Formosa Files Podcast about the Amphibious Jeep

BOA Ep. 39: Paul Martin on Japanese Swords and Armor

BOA Ep. 48: Stephen Mansfield on The Modern Japanese Garden

BOA Ep.54: Mark Kitto on China Running Dog

BOA Ep. 35: John Stevens on The Healing Power of Ōtagaki Rengetsu

Formosa Files Podcast: Taiwan and Xu Fu, and the Two Chinese Lovers with Tim McGirk

Formosa Files Podcast: A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa

Bookish Asia Podcast: Chris Tharp on The Cuttlefish

The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press.

Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.

The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.