A fascinating academic account of an amazing and little-known story

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is incisive, thoughtful, and above all else, it is extremely well researched. The events described in the book are highly relevant to the current state of affairs in international relations, though the book’s true contribution is, obviously, its authoritative and balanced account of the history of US-China relations, particularly its “subversive” elements. Surprisingly, some of the most interesting details relate to the countries’ internal machinations. The story of Downey and Fecteau is a fascinating anchor for the rest of the book, and it is a story that deserves to be better known.

However, it is worth saying that this book reads as (and was probably intended to be) a serious academic work. It is highly readable, but it also aims to cover people and events that are likely to be primarily of interest to an expert in the field or someone studying it purposefully. While these sections are evidently important for understanding how analytical perceptions formed and how events came to pass, they are also covered in a level of detail that, I suspect, will be heavy for the layperson (of which I am one).

Nevertheless, the book is rich, it tells an important and thrilling story as a window into one which is far larger and harder to grasp but is of great import, and it is genuinely fascinating. To my mind, it is very much worth the intellectual investment.

One small point on the reading: the pronunciation of the names of Chinese people throughout is not fantastic. It’s entirely understandable, but it is slightly unfortunate. With that qualification, the performance is good.

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