{"title":"Linda Jaivin","description":"\u003cp\u003eLinda Jaivin's work spans a vibrant range of genres, weaving together sharp historical insights with imaginative storytelling. From thought-provoking explorations like \u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of China\u003c\/em\u003e to the playful edge of titles such as \u003cem\u003eEat Me\u003c\/em\u003e, her writing invites readers into worlds where history, culture, and personal narrative intersect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether delving into the complexities of romance, the nuances of health, or the vivid terrain of general fiction, Jaivin's voice remains distinctive and compelling. Her books challenge and entertain, offering a unique perspective that resonates across diverse subjects and styles.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-shortest-history-of-china","title":"The Shortest History of China","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChina’s past is key to understanding the modern world. In \u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of China\u003c\/em\u003e, Linda Jaivin masterfully distils thousands of years of Chinese history into an absorbing, concise narrative. Spanning dynasties, revolutions, and the rise of the People’s Republic, this book offers readers a panoramic view of a civilisation teeming with complexity, diversity, and transformative power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom kung-fu to tofu, tea to trade routes, sages to silk, China’s influence on global cuisine, commerce, military strategy, aesthetics, and philosophy is immeasurable. For millennia, the annals of Chinese history have overflowed with compelling tales of heroes who were also villains, prosperous eras punctuated by violent rebellions, cultural vibrancy opposing censorious impulses, and a succession of rebels, loyalists, dissidents, and wits. Notably, the narratives of Chinese women, from the earliest warriors to twentieth-century suffragettes, have often been overshadowed, but Jaivin ensures their stories are brought to light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMoreover, the spectres of corruption and disunity, which have undermined numerous powerful dynasties, continue to haunt the People's Republic of China today. Modern China is perceived variously as an economic powerhouse, an icon of urbanisation, a propaganda state, or an aggressive superpower with aspirations of global dominance. Linda Jaivin skillfully condenses a vast historical expanse into a readable account, presenting essential knowledge from China’s ancient philosophical origins to its intricate political system, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the foreseeable global role of the PRC.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders will journey through pivotal epochs in Chinese history, from the unification under the Qin, marked by tyranny and ambition, to the sophisticated epochs of the Han and Tang dynasties; from the tumultuous era of the Three Kingdoms to the cultural achievements and decay of the Ming; from the Manchu Qing dynasty's struggles towards modernity to the Republic’s high aspirations and subsequent betrayals; and through the cataclysmic invasions leading up to the divisive civil war that shaped modern China. The Mao years of continuous revolution lay the groundwork for the Reform Era's economic boom and the complex challenges of the contemporary era under Xi Jinping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCritics have praised \u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of China\u003c\/em\u003e for its brisk, engaging style and profound erudition:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“An electrifying and erudite ride through Chinese history - Linda Jaivin has written an illuminating history book that is also a real page-turner.”\u003c\/em\u003e – Alice Pung, author of \u003cem\u003eUnpolished Gem\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHer Father's Daughter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Read this in a fever-fuelled blitz, look up and I promise you China - and indeed, the world - will make more sense.”\u003c\/em\u003e – Benjamin Law, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Family Law\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGaysia\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“War, revolution, rise and fall, emperors, tyrants - China is more than a nation and bigger than a myth. It demands a great storyteller, and in Linda Jaivin, it has one.”\u003c\/em\u003e – Stan Grant\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLinda Jaivin's storytelling prowess ensures that \u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of China\u003c\/em\u003e is not just a history book, but an enthralling journey that will transform readers' perspectives on China and the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45695969951980,"sku":"9781760641122","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781760641122.jpg?v=1725642229"},{"product_id":"eat-me-by-linda-jaivin-9781784702748","title":"Eat Me","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Steamily erotic'\u003c\/em\u003e - Marie Claire\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEat Me\u003c\/em\u003e explores the lives of four intriguing women: Julia, a photographer; Chantal, who edits a fashion magazine; Helen, an academic; and Philippa, a novelist. The best of friends, they gather at trendy cafes and restaurants to observe the passing talent and exchange stories of their wilder sexual encounters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut what is fiction and what is fact in these wild erotic exploits? Can we truly believe the tales these women are telling?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46549499019500,"sku":"9781784702748","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11642313482823.jpg?v=1749904163"},{"product_id":"eat-me-text-classics-by-linda-jaivin-9781922079817","title":"Eat Me: Text Classics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1995, \u003ci\u003eEat Me\u003c\/i\u003e became an instant international bestseller and caused a scandal in the US.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJulia is a photographer, Chantal edits a fashion magazine, Helen is a feminist academic, and Philippa is a writer. These four friends haunt the cafes of inner-city Sydney, eyeing the passing talent and swapping outlandish tales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSexy, intelligent, predatory, they are women of their time—but can we believe their wild and wicked descriptions of their erotic exploits?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLinda Jaivin's sizzling debut plays havoc with our ideas of truth, sex, and power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46549499609324,"sku":"9781922079817","price":17.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9209293482872.jpg?v=1749904225"},{"product_id":"bombard-the-headquarters-by-linda-jaivin-9781760645601","title":"Bombard the Headquarters!","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA riveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1966, with the words 'Bombard the Headquarters!' Mao Zedong unleashed the full, violent force of a movement that he called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. By the time he died ten years later, millions had perished, China's cultural heritage was in ruins, its economic state was perilous, its institutions of government were damaged, and its society was bitterly divided.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe shadow of these terrible years lies heavily over the twenty-first-century nation. The history of this period is so toxic that China's rulers have gone to great lengths to bury it—while a few brave men and women risk their freedom to uncover the truth. For as both they and the Party know, to grasp the history of the Cultural Revolution is to understand much about China today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBombard the Headquarters!\u003c\/em\u003e is not just Mao's story. It's the unforgettable stories of countless individuals, mass manias, sacred mangos, and spectacular falls from grace. At once rigorous and readable, brief yet teeming with colourful detail, this is a marvel of historical storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Deftly narrated in precise, pellucid prose, Jaivin wears her meticulous research lightly to provide a lively and essential reading on the maddeningly complex politics of the Cultural Revolution. With insightful commentary and vivid sketches of some of its operatic protagonists, this brilliant short history is a great start for anyone who wants to understand a central decade in the Maoist epoch whose catastrophic legacy endures to this day. A tour de force.' - Jianying Zha, author of \u003cem\u003eTide Players\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A beautifully concise account that makes sense of a hugely complex event in modern Chinese history. Linda Jaivin puts her formidable, deep experience both of Chinese history and language to excellent use, conveying in 100 pages what most would struggle to achieve in a thousand.' - Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'To upend an entire society, to pitch a country into a decade of chaos — Linda Jaivin expertly and concisely dissects the origins and the gruesome trajectory of China's Cultural Revolution. Mao's ego, the Party's compliance, and the ideological mass hysteria that left perhaps 1-2 million ordinary Chinese citizens dead and drove many of its intellectuals and brightest talents to kill themselves rather than suffer torture and suffering.' - Paul French, author of \u003cem\u003eMidnight in Peking\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Excellent... a powerful account of a truly extraordinary period in recent Chinese history, surefooted and perceptive, enlivened by a wealth of vignettes and anecdotes which bring to life the dramatic and frequently horrific events that have played a seminal role in forming Chinese society as it exists today.' - Philip Short, author of \u003cem\u003eMao: A Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46653803364588,"sku":"9781760645601","price":29.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23842953482814.jpg?v=1752458391"},{"product_id":"miles-walker-youre-dead-by-linda-jaivin-9781875847563","title":"Miles Walker, You're Dead","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy name is Miles Walker. Remember it. I'm keen on immortality. I've got to be. I'm twenty-three years old. I'm the best painter of my generation. And I've got four hours to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the eve of the millennium, Miles Walker has problems. His flatmate Thurston, a moody medievalist, thinks it would be a good career move for Miles to die young. Miles' best friend, the pre-conceptual artist ZakDot, agrees – and the chainsaw-wielding Maddie seems only too happy to help.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThen along comes Destiny, the enigmatically beautiful politician who hates art but likes Miles. Now the others really want to kill him. By the time bare buttocks are squeaking over the blackheart sassafras of the prime ministerial dining table, it looks like Miles' fate is sealed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMiles Walker, You're Dead\u003c\/em\u003e by Linda Jaivin takes you on a thrilling journey through art, ambition, and the desire for immortality in a world teetering on the edge of a new millennium.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46670967996652,"sku":"9781875847563","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24345183482855.jpg?v=1752794716"},{"product_id":"rock-n-roll-babes-from-outer-space-by-linda-jaivin-9781875847334","title":"Rock 'n' Roll Babes from Outer Space","description":"No Marketing Blurb","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46671295348972,"sku":"9781875847334","price":27.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24342893482855.jpg?v=1752810857"},{"product_id":"confessions-of-an-s-m-virgin-by-linda-jaivin-9781875847464","title":"Confessions of an S \u0026 M Virgin","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLinda Jaivin gets a spanking as she interviews the manager of an S\u0026amp;M club. She steps into a kickboxing ring, and wears a penis for a week to find out how it feels to be a man. 'When I'm writing non-fiction,' she says, 'I tend to get into character.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this hilarious and outrageous book, Jaivin describes the effects of PMT and tells the terrifying story of her friend the axe murderer. She reveals why she loves younger men and why sex makes her laugh. She takes us backstage at a Beijing rock concert, explores the secretive world of Chinese gays and lesbians, and gives an astonishing account of what happened the night the tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eConfessions of an S \u0026amp; M Virgin\u003c\/em\u003e, Jaivin will tie you to your chair and make you laugh and cry and laugh again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362540568812,"sku":"9781875847464","price":31.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24344193482855.jpg?v=1772890348"},{"product_id":"the-shortest-history-of-madrid-by-linda-jaivin-9781760645540","title":"The Shortest History of Madrid","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMadrid's\u003c\/em\u003e story is one of the most unlikely of any European capital.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe only European capital founded as a Muslim settlement, Madrid has a story as diverse as its population today. From the grandeur of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties to the chaos and trauma of civil war and dictatorship, Madrid has survived it all with defiant spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt has been home to some of Spain's – and the world's – most brilliant writers, thinkers and artists, from Cervantes and Goya to Hemingway and Almodóvar. It has been the setting for outrageous political scandals, mass movements and wild literary rivalries. And it continues to be a city that refuses to be defined by anything but its own irrepressible energy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImpressively compact for such a vast subject, Linda Jaivin's brief history of Madrid captures the depth and flavour of one of the world's most remarkable cities.\u003c\/em\u003e – Luke Stegemann\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFilled with vivid descriptions and entertaining asides, Linda Jaivin's prose dances gracefully over centuries of Madrid's history with ease, making this an entertaining and informative read.\u003c\/em\u003e – Felicity Hughes, The Making of Madrid blog\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47976802353388,"sku":"9781760645540","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781760645540-the-shortest-history-of-madrid.jpg?v=1784699759"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/linda-jaivin.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}