Three Tigers, One Mountain

Three Tigers, One Mountain by Michael Booth (2020 Jonathan Cape softcover 349pp)

One of my recent favourite authors, Michael Booth is back with a new book. This time he turns his humour and typically self-effacing prose to 4 Asian nations – Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China. Starting in Japan he takes a lengthy trip exploring the many animosities between these countries and sometime what divides even various internal factions. This makes for a somewhat darker read than his previous books which usually focussed on food culture and national foibles. Along the way he posits various grand theories of what the root causes of these troubles are, only to have them repeatedly shot down by academics and the ordinary locals. It becomes clear that some issues are more complicated and nuanced than what we in the West can easily understand. It also becomes clear that many of the simmering controversies have become tools of the local politicians who are not past using them to gain support and votes when needed. For all its serious nature this book is once again a great read and will open your eyes to many aspects of Asian history long forgotten or hidden away.