Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival

At the time of the book's publishing, Horton worked as a journalist reporting on Taiwan for The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Atlantic.^[1] Horton had described Taiwan's diplomatic status as a "geopolitical absurdity", given the country's evolved democracy and institutions but lack of recognition by the majority of United Nations member states.^[1]

In July 2025, Gregor Stuart Hunter writing for Nikkei Asia wrote that Ghost Nation is an "attempt to unpick this Gordian knot of international relations", referring to the "intellectual doublethink" that is required to describe Taiwan.^[6]

In January 2026, Nathan Buchan in the Taipei Times wrote that Ghost Nation was "utterly crucial for understanding both Taiwan's domestic politics and global importance today."^[7]

Tom Miller characterized the book as being written "entirely with a pro-independence view".^[8]

The Deccan Herald wrote that "The title Ghost Nation captures the central tension: Taiwan possesses all the attributes of nationhood — its own history, culture, politics and society — yet it is rendered spectral by international hesitation and Beijing's insistence on rewriting its past."^[9]