*2022 TLA Golden Book Award

The real judicial case of “Hooligan Wang Xin-fu” recalls a buried and forgotten chapter in the history of modern Taiwan. Behind this doubt-riddled death penalty case lies not only the life story of Wang but also the history of harsh military discipline and forced labor meted out for civil and political offences throughout Taiwan’s many years under martial law. Chuan-fen Chang dispels the noise to write a story that both tells the story of one man’s struggle against a callously unfair system and gives a better understanding of the period and social context, showing us the absurd cruelty woven throughout Taiwan’s martial law period.