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Shelley Rigger is one of the most incisive analysts of Taiwanese politics in the field. Her first two books are, in my opinion, among the finest on democratization in Taiwan and are still highly relevant more than a decade after being published. But those of you hoping (as I was) for a sequel to the rigorous Politics in Taiwan: Voting for Democracy (Routledge, 1999) or the riveting From Opposition to Power: Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (Rienner, 2001), will be disappointed with this new book. Yet, although there is little by way of novel information for Taiwan politics specialists, there is much to admire (and to recommend) in this history/sociology/politics primer.
Rigger, as always, shows her observant eye and wisdom hewn by three decades researching Taiwan. The trademark anecdotes and tales from the field, seamlessly integrated into an ebullient text, will resonate with colleagues and charm students. One sympathizes with the way in which Rigger's obvious affection for Taiwan is tempered by frustration and occasional bewilderment about its politics. Many readers will recognize Rigger's sympathetic portrayal of the...