Transworld to publish activist Nathan Law's debut on freedom

Transworld has acquired the first book by the Hong Kong activist Nathan Law.  

Transworld editorial director Alex Christofi bought world rights directly from the author. Freedom: How We Lose It, And How We Fight Back will be published in November 2021. 

A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Law was named among the Observer's  Faces of 2020, as well as Time  magazine's People of the Year. In 2016 he became the youngest ever legislator in Hong Kong's history when he was elected to parliament at the age of 23, after becoming widely known during the Umbrella Revolution of 2014. A year after his election, he was arrested for his part in the student protests.  

Following Beijing’s enactment of a new security law in July 2020, which has seen many of his fellow pro-democracy activists imprisoned, Law has been living in the UK, where he recently met with Home Secretary Priti Patel to discuss the plight of Hong Kong citizens. 

Transworld said: “The book will draw on Law’s life experiences, from arriving in Hong Kong as a child to using his voice in parliament and on the streets, to ask whether any of us can be free until all of us are. In this short manifesto, he will explore the meaning of freedom, the ways that it can be taken away from us and, crucially, what can be done to uphold and protect democracy around the world.” 

Christofi said: “One of our greatest freedoms is to be able to speak out about our own beliefs, and I am full of admiration for Nathan’s passion and integrity. I am delighted to be publishing Nathan on this important topic.” 

Law said: “By relating the fall of Hong Kong through my experience of activism, imprisonment and exile, and drawing on examples of similar struggles all over the world, I intend to illustrate how vital yet fragile freedom really is. The price of freedom is that we must constantly guard against injustice. It is like oxygen: we don’t notice it until we cannot breathe. Don’t take it for granted, and act now.”