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Three Tigers, One Mountain
- A Journey Through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea, and Japan
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Asia
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Publisher's Summary
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other.
In his latest entertaining and thought-provoking narrative travelogue, Michael Booth sets out to discover how deep, really, the enmity is between these three "tiger" nations and what prevents them from making peace. Currently, China's economic power continues to grow, Japan is becoming more militaristic, and Korea struggles to reconcile its Westernized South with the dictatorial Communist North.
Booth, long fascinated with the region, travels by car, ferry, train, and foot, experiencing the people and culture of these nations up close. No matter where he goes, the burden of history and the memory of past atrocities continue to overshadow present relationships. Ultimately, Booth seeks a way forward for these closely intertwined, neighboring nations.
An enlightening, entertaining and sometimes sobering journey through China, Japan, and Korea, Three Tigers, One Mountain is an intimate and in-depth look at some of the world's most powerful and important countries.
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What listeners say about Three Tigers, One Mountain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-13-20
Not much new here if you are already familiar
More or less this book seems like an excuse for the author's publisher to fund a trip around Asia. Part basic history, part observational travel, The author points out some of the basic historical conflicts between these nations, cites basic demographic data, and travels. (Spoiler alert- he likes Japan which he is already familiar, and doesn't seem to enjoy Korea or China) Not much here if you are already familiar with these historical issues or have traveled to Asia yourself. However, I did very much enjoy the narrator!
6 people found this helpful
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- Bradley
- 10-11-20
Good book some minor inaccuracies
Intresting history done in a way that is pretty unique. The author did make some minor mistakes with regards to the Korean peninsula, but overall I liked it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Y. Ban
- 01-27-22
Reads pro japan
It seems clear to me that author has a soft spot for Japan and Japanese typical of most older white people. I appreciate the author trying to tackle the sensitive issue but I feel like the book could have been better if it had a more objective view.
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- Tim Gauntlett
- 10-21-20
Hugely informative
I struggled to understand how someone so knowledgeable about the topic could get almost every Korean word or name so badly wrong but then I saw that it was not read by the author. Taking a step back, the author has a brilliantly engaging style and the narrator's British accent ensures that every point is portrayed with conviction. Well worth listening to.
1 person found this helpful
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- ClimateLawyer
- 08-06-21
Insightful, informed and entertaining
A wonderfully well-researched and well-written exploration of three Asian cultures. Humane and witty: like the very best journalism. Excellent as an audio book for long car journeys as well as for a book at bedtime. Also a joy to listen to a narrator who has taken the trouble to learn the correct pronunciation of foreign place names (sadly not always the case on Audible).
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- Callum Booth
- 05-26-21
Great
Very accessible and engaging writing style and the narration is done with conviction. Balances entertaining writing style with informative and interesting facts and history. Highly recommend.
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- Ewa Arciszewska
- 02-06-21
absolutely amazing book
this is one of the book you would wish to come back again after awhile