By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
September 19, 2007, page 2 (884 words)
Mohammad Cohen’s novel ‘Hong Kong On Air’ has been described as “the great American Hong Kong handover novel.”
Which is rather ironic when you consider the fact that Cohen wasn’t even present at the ceremony and, indeed, had not watch it televised either until after his book had been published.
Yet, for all that, it’s a book that manages to encapsulate everything that was Hong Kong during that crucial time. And immediately afterwards, in the case of the Asian economic crisis.
Asked the reasons behind putting pen to paper, Cohen responds with, “I think anybody whose worked in television for long enough thinks about ten times a day, ‘oh my God, I’ve got to write a book.’”
He added that Hong Kong during that period was “an extraordinarily exciting time, so there were plenty of things to write about.”
The third reason was a little closer to home, the need to point out the misunderstood nature of the media and how, in some ways, “it’s all a vehicle to show people what really goes on at a television station and why things you see are the way they are.”
In fact, Cohen has so much to say, a follow-up could be in the works. Read the rest of this entry »
