Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Announcement: Book Release

Dear friends of Taiwan,

I am thrilled to announce the release of my book Democracy in Peril: Taiwan’s struggle for survival from Chen Shui-bian to Ma Ying-jeou! More than two years in the making, Democracy in Peril comes at a critical period in Taiwan’s history, and its release could not be more timely. Over the next few weeks, my book will start being available at various bookstores and online. Already, it can be purchased at Amazon.com and barnes&noble.com (links below picture of the book, right), and the e-book can be directly purchased from the publisher at www.iuniverse.com. As bookstores may not have it in stock, you may have to special order it from them. Hopefully, it should also eventually be available at bookstores in Taiwan as well as on www.books.com.tw. I will try to organize a book launch in Taipei at some point. Please spread the word! This nation is worth it and the rest of the world needs to know what's going on.

Book description

Despite the warm reception in world capitals and favorable press coverage the cross-strait policies of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou have received since he came into office on May 20, 2008, there is something rotten in Taipei. In just one year, the cost of closer relations with Beijing has become increasingly obvious in Taiwan, the small, officially unrecognized democracy of 23 million people, where police brutality, government meddling in the media and political persecution are reawakening the specter of its authoritarian past.

In a timely collection of essays and reportage written during the last 18 months of the Chen Shui-bian administration and Ma’s first year in office, Democracy in Peril offers a history of the present in Taiwan as this vibrant democracy and economic powerhouse strives for international recognition under the constant fear of Chinese invasion. It shows how the greatest threat to the nation’s survival now possibly comes from within, under a government that has proven divisive and whose efforts to improve relations with China could come at an unbearable price — not only to Taiwanese, but to the entire world.

Paperback: 440 pages
Publisher: iUniverse.com (June 25, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1440150591
ISBN-13: 978-1440150593
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
Price: Trade Paperback US$27.95 (e-book US$6.00)

6 comments:

dennis said...

really excited about your book J Michael! where do I go to purchase the electronic copy? also do you have plans for a Mandarin version? these naive supporters of Ma need to read this book!

dennis said...

just found that your publisher iuniverse has also the electronic copy. Bought!

dennis said...

any readers thinking of purchasing the electronic copy of the book I would suggest you wait, as there is a problem with it on iuniverse.com, the e-book is unable to be downloaded due to "The requested eBook title cannot be downloaded at this time due to difficulty in communicating with the retail site. Please try again later."
I've contacted iuniverse.com and awaiting for their reply.

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將 said...

Dennis: First of all, thanks for your interest in acquiring my book! I see, from their site, that others have successfully purchaed the e-book, so it looks like the problem might be temporary (it's July 4, techs might be off). If the problem persists, please let me know and I'll contact them directly. As for a Mandarin version... no plan at the moment. We'll see how it goes with the English version. Again, thank you for your interest. I hope the book meets your expectations and helps in some way.

dennis said...

received the e-book in the email just moments ago.

J. Michael Cole 寇謐將 said...

Dear Dennis: Glad to see that my publisher resolved the problem! Thanks for letting me know. Hope you enjoy the book!