It’s publication day here in New York, and I’m happy to report that the first reviews of KOREAN MESSIAH are starting to roll in. Bruce Cumings, in the New York Times, describes the book as “highly original, deeply researched and cogently observed.” He continues: “I have been a scholar of Korea for decades, but I learned so much from this book…This is a brilliant history of North Korea.” He has some critiques for me, too, which you can read, but I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ve never met or been in contact with Bruce, but as one of the most prominent scholars of Korea over the past half-century, he was one of the two scholars I had in the back of my mind, wondering: “What are they going to think of this?” (The other was Brian Myers.) Well, now I know. I’ve posted a link to the full review down below.
Full Review: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/books/review/korean-messiah-jonathan-cheng.html
Bruce Cumings’ Publications:
- The Origins of the Korean War (1981, 1990)
- Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History (1997)
- Parallax Visions: Making Sense of American–East Asian Relations (1999)
- North Korea: Another Country (2004)
- Inventing the Axis of Evil (2005)
- Dominion from Sea to Sea: Pacific Ascendancy and American Power (2009)
- The Korean War: A History (2010)