Laurence Chan
Denver, Colorado, United States

Book review: Nobel and Lasker Laureates of Chinese Descent: In Literature and Science, by Todd S Ing, Keith K Lau, Joseph M Chan, Hon-Lok Tang, Angela T Hadsell, and Laurence K Chan (Authors and Editors)

This book celebrates notable scholars of Chinese descent with a special focus on the Wolf Prize, and four Lasker and eleven Nobel laureates spanning a wide range of disciplines in both literature and science. We visit the struggles of pioneers Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang as the first Chinese Nobel prize recipients for characterizing fundamental laws in elementary-particle physics. Their pioneering works have paved the way for many to follow. We chronicle the careers of more recent recipients, including Mo Yan and his celebration of peasant life in China through the lens of hallucinatory realism. We delve into the lives of these Laureates, witness the obstacles that they overcame, and testify to their lasting contributions to humankind. In recounting the intellectual struggles and triumphs of these pioneers of Chinese heritage, we hope to inspire the next generation of scholars in literature and science worldwide in the hope that they too might become laureates one day.