The Son of Taiwan

The Son of Taiwan: The Life of Chen Shui-bian and His Dreams for Taiwan is the reissue of a 2000 autobiography (translated by David J. Toman from the original Chinese). Part memoir and part political manifesto, Chen tells the story of how the son of a poor tenant farmer overcame his impoverished upbringing to become a lawyer and pivotal member of the democracy movement, and how he went from political prisoner to legislator and mayor of Taipei (1994–1998). The memoir sees Chen in reflective mood, having unexpectedly just lost his mayoral re-election race, as he lays out his political philosophy and hopes for Taiwan. Chen would soon go on to win Taiwan’s 2000 presidential election, ending the KMT’s fifty-five-year stranglehold on the presidency.