Person
Jeffrey Wasserstrom's book recommendations
Jeffrey Wasserstrom appears on the Lex Fridman Podcast as an expert and scholar discussing Chinese politics, history, foreign relations, and global totalitarian systems. Drawing from extensive academic knowledge, he references key political works and non-fiction books to contextualize modern authoritarian governance, social resistance, and long-term political struggles. Wasserstrom recommended Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin's book "Among the Braves" while discussing self-censorship and the realities faced by foreign correspondents in Hong Kong. He also endorsed Emily Feng's work "Let Only Red Flowers Bloom" to illuminate political shifts taking place under Xi Jinping's leadership in China. To explore the non-linear, protracted trajectory of social movements, Wasserstrom highlighted Rebecca Solnit's essay collection "No Straight Road Takes You There." Beyond contemporary analysis, Wasserstrom discussed classic literature concerning authoritarianism, noting that George Orwell's novel "1984" has been legally available in Chinese bookstores since the mid-1980s and is interpreted in diverse ways by local readers. He also examined historical literary connections by discussing Orwell's dialogue with Aldous Huxley, including Huxley's dystopian novel "Brave New World," Orwell's critiques of it, and Huxley's later essay collection "Brave New World Revisited." Additionally, Wasserstrom mentioned Hannah Arendt's foundational study "The Origins of Totalitarianism" as an example of critical political theory that circulates without direct state suppression because it does not explicitly target the modern Chinese regime.
Books Jeffrey Wasserstrom recommends
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Among the Braves
Recommended“I should give credit for that insight, Shibani Mahtani, who's co-wrote a very good book on Hong Kong, 'Among the Braves,' she was talking about that...”
Where to get it
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Let Only Red Flowers Bloom
Recommended“One is called 'The Xi Jinping Effect,' which was just a bunch of scholars, an academic volume sort of looking at take this topic, and that topic, how much is Xi Jinping as a person really affected it? And they come up with all kinds of answers. But there's a book I really like, Emily Feng of NPR has a”
Where to get it
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No Straight Road Takes You There
Recommended“So Rebecca Solnit, he's got a new book, 'No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain.' And she's talking about taking a longer view of some struggles...”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel explores a totalitarian regime marked by perpetual surveillance, historical denial, and thought control.
Discussed“You can buy '1984' in a Chinese bookstore, you've been able to since 1985. You can buy again, it's not about China, and actually for some people within China in the mid 1980s, where they focused on the part of 1984, that's like the two minutes of hate...”
Where to get it
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Animal Farm
George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is an allegorical novella that satirizes totalitarianism through the story of barnyard animals whose egalitarian revolution degrades into tyrannical oppression.
Discussed“And then there's 'Animal Farm in 1984' is a second book.”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is a dystopian novel depicting a technologically engineered society where human beings are pacified through genetic conditioning, consumerism, and state-sanctioned pleasures.
Discussed“But he had criticized 'Brave New World' in reviews this like not having imagined a world of capitalism run wild like before...”
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Brave New World Revisited
Discussed“But you know, there was a kind of, it's not exactly a sequel, but Huxley did write something called 'Brave New World Revisited.' - Yes, he did.”
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Neuromancer
Discussed“So the other line besides best of worst internet, I always like is William Gibson who wrote one of the other important dystopian novels of the present, 'Neuromancer.'”
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The Origins of Totalitarianism
Discussed“You can read all sorts of things in China about totalitarian, you can read Hannah Arendt's book on totalitarianism, which would be the kind of thing you just, you know, you're not supposed to be able to read that in a somewhat totalitarian state or a dictatorial state, or anything.”
Where to get it
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We
Discussed“And it's a box set where you have Zamyatin's 'We', that inspired both Orwell and Huxley to some extent. That's one book.”
Where to get it
Books Jeffrey Wasserstrom wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #466 – Jeffrey Wasserstrom: China, Xi Jinping, Trade War, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mao | Lex Fridman Podcast | 2025-04-24 | 14 |