City on Fire

City on Fire chronicles the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests through the direct observations of author Antony Dapiran, an Australian who lived in Hong Kong for two decades. The book captures the intensity of street-level confrontations while examining the complex political and social forces at work in the territory. The narrative follows key events including the initial protests, the siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the 2019 local elections. Dapiran combines his firsthand experiences at protest sites with detailed analysis of how demonstrations evolved over time, incorporating historical context about Hong Kong's relationship with mainland China. From tear gas deployment to protest tactics, the book documents the methods used by both protesters and authorities during the conflict. The account maintains focus on the central issue of Hong Kong's autonomy and identity while tracking the escalating tensions between citizens and government forces. The book serves as both a historical record and a meditation on the future of civil resistance in Hong Kong, examining what happens when a population fights to preserve its way of life against increasing external control. Through its street-level perspective, the work captures a pivotal moment in Hong Kong's ongoing struggle for self-determination.

Readers describe the book as a detailed account of Hong Kong's 2019 protests, with firsthand observations and historical context. Readers appreciated: - Balanced perspective between protesters and authorities - Clear explanations of complex political dynamics - Vivid descriptions of street-level events - Photos and maps that help visualize locations - Cultural references that connect events to Hong Kong identity Common criticisms: - Too much focus on protest tactics vs human stories - Dense political background sections slow the pace - Limited coverage of mainland Chinese perspectives - Some readers found the chronological structure repetitive Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (243 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (108 ratings) Sample review quotes: "Reads like you're there on the ground" - Goodreads reviewer "Strong on facts but needed more personal narratives" - Amazon reviewer "Best primer on understanding modern Hong Kong" - LibraryThing reviewer "Sometimes gets bogged down in minutiae" - Kirkus reviewer

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🔸 Author Antony Dapiran is not only a writer but also a Hong Kong-based lawyer who has lived in the city for over 20 years, giving him unique insight into both the legal and cultural aspects of the protests. 🔸 The book's title "City on Fire" references a protest slogan that became viral in 2019: "If we burn, you burn with us" - originally from The Hunger Games series. 🔸 The 2019-2020 Hong Kong protests were the largest in the city's history, with an estimated 2 million people (out of a population of 7.5 million) participating in a single march. 🔸 The siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, covered extensively in the book, lasted 13 days and resulted in over 1,100 arrests, marking one of the most intense confrontations of the protest movement. 🔸 This was Dapiran's second book about Hong Kong protests - his first, "City of Protest" (2017), covered the history of protest movements in Hong Kong from the 1960s through the 2014 Umbrella Movement.