By Satyajit Das, derivatives expert and the author of Extreme Money: The Masters of the Universe and the Cult of Risk (2011)

Jonathan Fenby (2012) Tiger Head, Snake Tails: China Today, How It Got There and Where It is Heading

Robert Frank (2011) Who Repod My Jet: the manic millionaires, and why theyll lead us to the next boom and bust

John Coates (2012) The Hour Between Dog and Wolf: Risk Taking, Gut Feelings and the Biology of Boom and Bust

Personal relating to an individual or what serves the interest of that individual. Personality distinctive assemblage of qualities which defines an individual, frequently in modern life conflated with celebrity. These three books deal with the personal and personality in the financial world.

In an increasingly crowded list of books purporting to explain China, Jonathan Fenbys Tiger Head, Snake Tails is a standout, providing very personal insights into the Middle Kingdom rarely found elsewhere.

Mr. Fenby is in an excellent position to write about the subject, having been the Editor of the South China Morning Post in HK for many years. His resistance to the newspaper following an overt pro-China line as demanded by the owner may have been a factor in his contract not being renewed. He continues to be closely involved with China, heading a team at the research service Trusted Sources. His direct knowledge and immediate experience provides the substance that defines the work.

Most books on China are polemical tracts, rooted in Sino-philia or Sino-phobia, sometimes both simultaneously. Sino-philia believes in the Chinese model. For example, The Economist asserts that: [Chinese leaders make] rational decisions that balance the needs of all citizens over the long term. Francis Fukuyama and Nancy Birdsell believe that China can avoid the delays of a messy democratic process because the bureaucracy at its upper levels is capable of managing and coordinating sophisticated policies.

Sino-phobes fear that China is hell-bent on conquering the world, capturing its resources and enslaving its peoples. They hold China accountable for everything, including the unsolved death of Marilyn Monroe and the mysterious forces behind the assassination of an American president in Dallas.

The discussion and binary opinions are driven by the fact that economically and politically China is being called upon to play a central role in the world. The debate is focused on what the world requires rather than what China sees as its own interests and a realistic assessment of its abilities. Treading a nuanced path, Tiger Head, Snake Tails develops the thesis of an emerging country, seeking to deal with complex problems of economic development, social structure, political system and the unshakeable legacy of its history.

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Satyajit Das: Personal versus Personalities