Monsoon Readers' Favorite Monthly List · April 2026
四月的季风榜单，像是一份从历史现场延伸到当代政治的阅读地图。这个月，书店的活动与选书不断回到几个核心问题：战争如何留下记忆，威权如何塑造社会，个人又如何在巨大的制度阴影中保存声音。
中文书单中，龙应台的《大江大海一九四九》中文简体版首次面世，重新打开1949年的集体创伤；伊藤诗织的《裸泳》延续《黑箱日记》之后的生命书写；Jeffrey Wasserstrom 的《奶茶联盟》则把香港、泰国、缅甸等地的民主运动放在一条跨国连带的线索中。从情报小说、女性处境、科举帝制到数字威权，这份书单呈现的是一种对历史、权力与个体命运的持续追问。
英文书单则与四月的多场活动形成呼应：Jonathan Cheng 的 Korean Messiah 带我们理解北韩金氏王朝与宗教式个人崇拜的根源；Shiori Ito 的 Black Box 回到日本 #MeToo 运动的起点；Everyday Movement 与 Clear My Name 则把香港、台湾、乌克兰等地的抗争、身份与记忆交织在一起。四月的阅读，不只是关于书，也是关于我们如何在世界剧烈变动时，重新理解自由、尊严与抵抗。
The April list reads like a map of memory, power, and resistance. Across our events and selections this month, one question returns again and again: how do individuals preserve voice and dignity under the pressure of history, war, and authoritarian systems?
From Lung Ying-tai’s account of 1949 to Shiori Ito’s writing after Black Box, from the Milk Tea Alliance to North Korea’s personality cult, from Taiwan and Hong Kong to Ukraine, this month’s books ask us to look closely at the structures that shape our lives — and at the fragile but persistent forms of courage that survive within them.
【中文书单 Top 10】
《大江大海一九四九》（简体未删节版）
龙应台／读道社
《大江大海一九四九》并不是一本单纯讲述国共内战的历史书。龙应台真正试图书写的，是战争如何进入普通人的生命，并在几十年后仍然留下一种无法愈合的沉默。她透过大量访谈、书信与家族记忆，把原本宏大的历史重新拆解成一个个具体的人：撤退中的士兵、失散的恋人、被迫迁徙的知识分子、永远等不到亲人回家的母亲。
这本书最令人震动之处，在于它拒绝用胜利或失败去概括1949，而是让读者重新看见“人”如何被历史洪流吞没。那些在教科书中被简化的年份，在龙应台笔下重新变成疼痛、流离与长久失语的生命经验。2026年推出的简体版，也让这部作品在新的时代背景下再次成为关于记忆、和解与历史责任的重要阅读。
《裸泳》
伊藤诗织／中信出版社
在《黑箱日记》之后，伊藤诗织并没有停留在“受害者叙事”之中。《裸泳》更像是一部关于重新活下去的书。她写创伤之后的疲惫、网络世界的恶意、与家人的距离感，也写旅行、友情、孤独与身体重新感受到自由的瞬间。
这本散文集最动人的地方，在于它并不试图把伤痛浪漫化。伊藤诗织反而非常坦率地承认：创伤不会真正结束，它只是慢慢变成生活的一部分。但也正因如此，《裸泳》最终呈现出的，不只是控诉与愤怒，而是一种极其脆弱却真实的生命力。从《黑箱日记》的司法现场，到《裸泳》的日常片段，我们看到的是一位女性如何重新夺回对自己人生的叙述权。
《奶茶联盟：亚洲民主运动如何互相帮助与组织抗中网络》
Jeffrey Wasserstrom／卫城出版
这本小书记录的，不只是香港、泰国、缅甸等地青年运动彼此之间的声援，更是一种跨越语言、国界与制度压力的新世代政治想象。Jeffrey Wasserstrom 试图追问：在亚洲各地截然不同的政治现实中，为什么年轻抗争者仍然能够彼此辨认、彼此理解？
书中访谈了多位流亡者、学生运动参与者与民主倡议者，也重新梳理“奶茶联盟”如何从一个网络迷因逐渐发展成跨国民主连带的象征。它既关于社群媒体，也关于恐惧、孤立与希望；既是对近年亚洲政治变化的现场记录，也是一份属于当代年轻世代的历史档案。
《天鹅旅馆》
张悦然／上海三联书店
《天鹅旅馆》是张悦然全新的长篇小说。故事从一次看似普通、甚至带有童话色彩的春游展开，却逐渐揭开其背后蓄谋已久的阴谋。小说将现实的残忍与童话般的纯真放在同一空间之中，使阶层差异、女性处境、人心欲望与道德选择在不动声色中慢慢浮现。
张悦然以优雅而凌厉的笔触，写出私家保姆于玲与女主人秦文之间复杂的关系：依赖、羡慕、伤害、友谊与彼此救赎交织在一起。当生活原有的秩序突然崩塌，人物不得不在诱惑、信任与自我保存之间做出选择。这不只是关于一场阴谋的小说，也是一部关于当代女性如何在幻象破裂后重新面对自身命运的作品。
《叛国者》
李志德／镜文学
《叛国者》以九○年代两岸重启交流、香港回归倒数、国共情报战升温的历史背景为舞台。小说围绕台湾情报单位策反解放军高阶军官的“玄武专案”展开，将国家安全、军事情资、个人信念与政治背叛交织成一场高度紧张的情报棋局。
作品最吸引人的地方，在于它并不把“爱国”与“叛国”写成简单的道德二分。每个人物都被置于时代巨轮之中：有人相信中国终将民主化，有人追逐权力与利益，有人则在忠诚与求生之间逐渐失去选择。李志德写出的不只是间谍故事，更是一代人在两岸历史夹缝中无法脱身的命运感。
《中国模式的终点》
黄亚生／今周刊出版社
黄亚生在这本书里提出一个极具穿透力的问题：为什么中国式威权治理能够持续如此之久？他的答案并不只是“共产党”，而是一条更长的制度脉络——从科举帝制到当代数字监控，中国历史上形成了一套高度依赖官僚体系与中央控制的治理逻辑。
本书最重要的地方，在于它不是单纯讨论“中国崛起”，而是试图理解中国制度深层的延续性与宿命感。黄亚生认为，中国近代的经济成长其实来自短暂的自由化与民间活力，而非威权本身；但每当政治重新收紧，制度便再次回到控制与稳定优先的循环。这不只是一本关于中国的书，也是一部关于权力如何塑造社会与思想的长时段历史。
《别处的月光》
林雪虹／51人
《别处的月光》是马来西亚作家林雪虹的第一部散文集，收录她旅居中国多年期间写下的五十一篇作品。这些文章既不是宏大叙事，也不急于给出结论，而是从日常生活的细部出发：城市的味道、异乡的天气、语言之间的距离、人与人相遇时微妙的陌生与亲近。
这本书的动人之处，在于它以温柔的笔触书写“在别处生活”的经验。异乡并不只是地理上的移动，也是一种观看自身与世界的方式。林雪虹在生活碎片中捕捉文化差异、身份感与时间流动，使读者看见那些平常不被注意的微光。它是一部安静的散文集，也是一份关于移动、观察与内心安放的私人记录。
《斯大林：权力的悖论（1878-1928）》
斯蒂芬・科特金 Stephen Kotkin／香港中文大学出版社
斯蒂芬・科特金的《斯大林：权力的悖论》是一部气魄宏大的历史传记。它并不只是描述斯大林如何从边缘人物走向权力中心，更把他的生命放回二十世纪初俄国革命、帝国崩解、战争与意识形态激变的巨大背景之中。科特金运用大量解密档案与史料，重建斯大林前半生及其所处的历史世界。
这本书的重点，不只是“斯大林是什么样的人”，而是权力如何在革命、组织、信仰与暴力之间逐步成形。斯大林既是时代的产物，也是改变时代的人。他的崛起让我们看见，极权政治并非凭空出现，而是在制度、人格、偶然与历史机遇交错中被塑造出来。对于理解二十世纪、苏联史与现代政治暴力，这是一部难以绕过的作品。
《台湾使用指南》
施益坚 Stephan Thome／玉山社
《台湾使用指南》表面上是一本文明而亲切的导览书，但它真正关心的，远不只是景点、美食与风土人情。德国作家施益坚长期居住台湾，他以外来者也是参与者的视角，书写台湾的历史、民主转型、政治处境与身份认同，让“指南”成为理解台湾社会的入门之书。
这本书特别有意思的地方，在于它回应了许多台湾读者常有的疑问：外国人如何看台湾？世界是否真正理解台湾？施益坚没有把台湾浪漫化，而是在日常观察与历史梳理之间，呈现这座岛屿如何在威权记忆、民主实践与中国压力之间形成今日的样貌。它既适合外国读者认识台湾，也让台湾读者重新观看自己的家乡。
《岂不怀归：三和青年调查》
田丰、林凯玄／海豚出版社
《岂不怀归》是一部关于深圳三和青年群体的田野调查。书中记录那些被称为“三和大神”的年轻农民工：他们在城市边缘打零工、睡街头、沉迷网吧，以“做一天、玩三天”的方式维持最低限度的生活。这个群体曾被媒体猎奇化、标签化，但作者试图回到现场，理解他们如何一步步从正常劳动秩序中滑落。
本书最重要的价值，在于它把“丧文化”背后的社会结构重新揭示出来。三和青年不是简单的懒惰或失败者，而是城市化、教育差距、劳动市场与家庭背景共同作用下的结果。他们“留城无望，回村无意”，处在现代化进程的裂缝之中。这是一部具有社会学深度与人道关怀的作品，也提醒我们，时代高速前进时，那些被抛下的人如何被看见。
【English Top 10】
Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult
Jonathan Cheng / Knopf
Jonathan Cheng offers a striking history of North Korea through the rise of the Kim dynasty and its unexpected ties to Christianity. Rather than treating North Korea’s personality cult as merely a product of communist propaganda, Cheng traces its deeper religious vocabulary and emotional structure, beginning with Pyongyang’s history as a major center of Protestant missionary activity.
The book moves from nineteenth-century American missionaries to the formation of Kimilsungism, showing how political power can absorb religious forms and transform them into a system of devotion, sacrifice, myth, and fear. By revisiting archival materials, family histories, and official North Korean narratives, Cheng reveals a country built on layers of fiction and belief. It is a landmark account not only of North Korea, but of how modern authoritarian regimes create sacred politics around leaders.
Black Box: The Memoir That Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement
Shiori Ito / The Feminist Press at CUNY
Shiori Ito’s Black Box is both a memoir and a document of social change. In recounting her struggle for justice after sexual assault, Ito exposes the institutional barriers, legal silences, and cultural humiliations faced by victims in Japan. The phrase “black box” becomes more than a description of one case; it names an entire system designed to make violence invisible and accountability nearly impossible.
Written with restraint, clarity, and quiet fury, the book follows Ito’s decision to speak publicly under her own name and to challenge a legal and media environment that often turns against survivors. It became a foundational text for Japan’s #MeToo movement and helped spark broader debate about sexual violence, gender inequality, and institutional reform. More than a personal testimony, Black Box is a record of how one woman’s refusal to disappear became part of a larger struggle for justice.
Chinese Folktales for Language Learners
Vivian Ling and Peng Wang / Tuttle Publishing
This bilingual collection introduces fifteen classic Chinese folk stories in both Chinese and English, making it especially useful for language learners, teachers, and readers interested in Chinese culture. The stories move across myth, morality, love, justice, family, and social order, offering a broad window into the values and imagination that have shaped Chinese storytelling across generations.
Each tale is presented with parallel texts, vocabulary support, cultural notes, discussion questions, and audio resources, allowing readers to approach the material both as literature and as language practice. From the origin of the Lunar New Year to legendary figures such as Judge Bao, the book shows how folktales preserve collective memory while still speaking to universal human concerns. It is accessible, educational, and especially suited for bilingual reading communities like JF Books.
Notes of a Crocodile
Qiu Miaojin / NYRB Classics
Qiu Miaojin’s Notes of a Crocodile is a cult classic of contemporary Chinese-language literature and queer writing. Set in late-1980s Taipei, shortly after the lifting of martial law, the novel follows a group of young queer misfits as they navigate desire, friendship, alienation, and the search for language in a society still constrained by convention.
The book’s form is as radical as its subject: diaries, fragments, satire, confessions, aphorisms, and surreal episodes are woven together into a narrative that feels intimate and unstable, both wounded and sharp. Through the narrator Lazi and her circle of friends, Qiu captures the emotional intensity of youth and the pain of living outside prescribed identities. Notes of a Crocodile is not only a coming-of-age novel, but a work of social defiance, self-invention, and literary brilliance.
Statism with Chinese Characteristics
Yasheng Huang / Cambridge University Press
In Statism with Chinese Characteristics, Yasheng Huang challenges one of the most common explanations of China’s rise: that strong state control and authoritarian governance were the primary engines of growth. Instead, Huang argues that the most dynamic periods of China’s development depended on rural entrepreneurship, private initiative, political openness, and gradual liberalization, especially in the early reform era.
The book is valuable because it revisits China’s economic history through detailed data and institutional analysis, while also connecting past reforms to present reversals. Huang shows how political tightening reshaped economic outcomes and how the return of statist thinking has constrained innovation and private enterprise. This is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the deeper relationship between politics and economics in China, and why the country’s earlier momentum has become increasingly difficult to sustain.
Hooked: A Novel of Obsession
Asako Yuzuki / Ecco
From the author of Butter, Hooked is a sharp psychological novel about loneliness, female friendship, and the hunger to be seen. The story follows Eriko, whose life appears orderly and successful from the outside, but whose inner world is marked by deep isolation and emotional hunger. Her fascination with Shoko, a lifestyle blogger who seems to embody warmth and domestic ease, gradually turns into fixation.
Asako Yuzuki writes with precision about the quiet pressures placed on modern women: to be competent, pleasing, self-contained, desirable, and emotionally regulated. The novel is not simply about obsession as pathology, but about the ordinary loneliness that makes obsession possible. Through Eriko and Shoko’s unstable connection, Hooked explores how admiration, envy, intimacy, and resentment can blur into one another, and how the desire to be understood may become destructive when it has nowhere else to go.
Everyday Movement
Gigi L. Leung / Riverhead Books
Set during Hong Kong’s protest movement, Everyday Movement follows young people trying to continue ordinary life while history presses in from every direction. The novel captures a city where tear gas, police violence, family dinners, office routines, friendships, romance, and exhaustion coexist. Political crisis is not presented as something separate from daily life; it enters the body, the home, the workplace, and the smallest gestures of care.
Gigi L. Leung’s novel is especially powerful because it resists turning protest into abstraction. Instead, it shows how democracy’s collapse is experienced through mood, memory, routine, and fractured relationships. The characters are not only activists or symbols; they are people trying to live, love, argue, rest, and keep going under conditions of fear. It is a deeply human novel about resistance, intimacy, and the everyday burden of political uncertainty.
The Dictator’s Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith / PublicAffairs
The Dictator’s Handbook offers a blunt and influential framework for understanding political power: leaders do what keeps them in office. Rather than dividing governments into simple categories of good democracies and bad dictatorships, the authors focus on coalitions — the group of essential supporters a leader must satisfy in order to survive. The size and nature of that coalition, they argue, explains much of political behavior.
The book is provocative because it treats politics less as a contest of ideals than as a system of incentives. It explains why autocrats distribute wealth to small groups of loyalists, why corruption can be politically rational, and why democratic leaders must provide broader public goods. Clear, accessible, and often unsettling, it gives readers a useful lens for understanding authoritarian survival, institutional weakness, and the practical mechanics of power.
Red Star Over the Pacific, Third Edition
Toshi Yoshihara and James R. Holmes / Naval Institute Press
This updated edition of Red Star Over the Pacific examines China’s growing maritime power and its challenge to U.S. strategy in Asia. The authors analyze how Chinese naval thinking draws from both Western sea-power theory and Chinese strategic traditions, and how these ideas have shaped Beijing’s ambitions, doctrine, and operational capabilities.
The third edition pays close attention to the missile threat, maritime strategy, emerging technologies, and the changing balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. It is not only a book about naval modernization, but about how China understands the sea as a field of political and strategic competition. For readers interested in U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, regional security, or military strategy, this is a concise but substantial guide to one of the central geopolitical questions of our time.
Clear My Name: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ukraine
C. J. Anderson-Wu / Serenity International
Clear My Name is a poetry collection that moves across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Ukraine, linking questions of identity, memory, war, and resistance. Through lyrical and sometimes experimental forms, C. J. Anderson-Wu writes about places marked by conflict and political pressure, but also by the insistence of ordinary people to speak, remember, and claim their names.
The title itself suggests a struggle against erasure. To “clear” one’s name is to reclaim truth from distortion, and to insist that personal and collective histories cannot simply be rewritten by power. These poems move between the intimate and the political, showing how belonging becomes fragile under the pressure of violence, occupation, and historical forgetting. It is a compact but resonant collection about voice, dignity, and the right to be remembered.