APP'S BOOKS OF THE WEEK of April 19, 2026

 📚Books of the Week📖

Cold War Comrades: An Emotional History 

of the Sino-North Korean Alliance

By Gregg A. Brazinsky, Professor of History and International Affairs, 

George Washington University

PURCHASE BOOK 1/8/2026

Brazinsky argues that neither the PRC nor the DPRK would have survived as socialist states without the ideal of Sino-North Korean friendship. Chinese and North Korean leaders encouraged mutual empathy and sentimental attachments between their citizens and then used these emotions to strengthen popular commitment to socialist state building. He explains why the unique relationship that Beijing and Pyongyang forged during the Korean War remained important throughout the Cold War and how it continues to influence the international relations of East Asia today.

Narrowing Sea: Fukuoka, Pusan, and the Rise 

and Fall of an Imperial Region

By Hannah Shepherd, Assistant Professor of History, 

Yale University

PURCHASE BOOK 12/2/2025

Shepherd examines the shared histories of Pusan and Fukuoka over the eight decades from Japan's forced opening of Korea's ports in 1876 to the end of the Korean War in 1953. Wars, colonization, and capitalist industrialization forged intimate connections between the two, knitting together an imperial region that transcended its maritime boundaries. She challenges traditional views of empire and urban growth and shows how local networks, migration, and capital flows shaped the region's exploitative and uneven geographies.

Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: 

Russian Intelligence and Putin's Secret War

By Sean Wiswesser, Former Senior Operations Officer,

Central Intelligence Agency

PURCHASE BOOK 4/21/2026

Using historical examples and firsthand accounts, this book reveals the tactics employed by the three main services of Russia's intelligence apparatus: the SVR, GRU, and FSB. Wiswesser's unparalleled expertise comes from years of sitting across from Russian intelligence officers, operating overseas, and using their own methods against them. He breaks down ten key elements of their tradecraft, offering invaluable insights.

Japanese Rebels: Non-Conformists in a Conformist Society

By David McNeill, Former Correspondent, The Independent 

and The Economist

&

Stephen McClure, Freelance Journalist, Former Asia Bureau Chief, Billboard

PURCHASE BOOK 4/28/2026

Japan is often seen through the lens of an unusually resilient stereotype that it is a nation of risk-averse conformists. McNeill and McClure deconstruct that stereotype by showing that there have always been Japanese people who have rejected the status quo, challenged injustice, and fought for personal freedom. 

*Books purchased through the links here support Asia Policy Point*

Books selected on the APP website are not a sign of endorsement. 

They are simply new and interesting.