Heaven Does Not Block All Roads

A hundred-year history of modern Taiwan's challenges and triumphs, through the inspiring life of one man who saw it all.

'Using archives and interviews married with sparkling prose, Keim tells a compelling story of historical significance.'

'Keim tells a riveting, well-paced story, deftly interweaving vivid details ... The result is cinematic.'

‘The tides of history still rip through the Taiwan Strait. In crystalline prose, Keim traces their impact on the nigh incredible life of an impetuous Taiwanese nationalist. Safe haven or pirate kingdom, gulag or Asian Tiger, the island’s story has never been better told.’

‘A Japanese soldier, a Chinese rebel, and a Formosan prisoner of conscience; commended by the president, celebrated in death metal and worshipped as a god, this is a gripping story of a man who contains multitudes, like Taiwan itself.’

‘An extraordinary story of Taiwanese resistance, written with the vitality and beauty of a novel.’

‘A vivid account of the dramatic story of Taiwan over the last century through the life of one person. Anna Beth Keim’s unique approach makes Taiwan’s path to today more knowable and easier to relate to—and above all, very human.’

‘The extraordinary story of Huang Chin-tao is beautifully told by Anna Beth Keim. Fighting for his homeland from Nantun to Tokyo, Hainan to Green Island, Huang never lost hope and ultimately became a reluctant hero for democratic Taiwan.’

‘This is the history of today’s Taiwan through the life of the indomitable Huang Chin-tao: soldier, freedom fighter, prisoner and democracy activist. A first-class introduction to Taiwan and its people, beautifully written and narrated.’

Anna Beth Keim is a freelance writer and translator, who has been reporting on Taiwan since 2015. Her work has appeared in ChinaFile , Foreign Policy , YaleGlobal and The Foreign Service Journal . This is her first book.