Carter spent two years researching and writing the book, followed by about two more years trying to get it published and having it be continuously rejected. Eventually, the book was accepted by Camphor Press, a small expat-run indie publisher In Taiwan. Unfortunately, being published by an un-American publisher disqualifies the book from awards such as the Pulitzer, however he doesn’t mind too much.

“As long as it’s being read and talked about in Muscatine, then honestly I’m quite satisfied,” said Carter. From what he’s heard, the book so far has received some very positive feedback. However, the chapters focused on Muscatine have been considered a bit controversial, discussing the socioeconomic conditions of Iowa in 2010, which had pushed Evans into leaving for China. Evans also alleged that he caught cancer as a child thanks to toxic waste purportedly buried under the former Washington Elementary School. “I didn’t sugarcoat anything, and some folks might take offense to that.”

In his own words, Carter views his book as “timely and topical” in relation to China’s increasing business presence in Muscatine and how interlocked the two are becoming. “Ever since Chinese president Xi Jinping’s second visit to Muscatine in 2012, the city has become a symbolic cultural heritage site for Sino-American relations.”