Award-winning journalist John Beck’s new book, Those Who Should Be Seized Should Be Seized: China’s Relentless Persecution of Uyghurs and Other Ethnic Minorities, offers a powerful, firsthand account of the Chinese government’s systematic repression targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. Published by Melville House on May 27, 2025, the book draws on years of reporting across China, East Turkistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and the United States.
Beck traces the intertwined stories of four individuals: a Kazakh writer, a Uyghur nurse who survived a re-education camp, a human rights advocate who helped secure their release, and an exile monitored by Chinese authorities abroad. Through their experiences, he exposes the scale of repression that reflects China’s ongoing genocidal policies against the Uyghurs.
Combining narrative storytelling with original source material such as official directives and speeches, Beck documents not only the policies implemented in East Turkistan but also the Chinese government’s efforts to control and intimidate those who have fled. The book explores themes of identity, surveillance, and the enduring power of literature and resistance in the face of authoritarianism.
Beck’s years living in Istanbul, where he engaged closely with the Uyghur diaspora, form the foundation of much of his reporting. His work for Harper’s, National Geographic, and other outlets underpins this deeply researched and emotionally resonant account.
Those Who Should Be Seized Should Be Seized has received strong critical praise. Publishers Weekly describes it as “a vivid panorama of chilling brutality mixed with Kafkaesque absurdism.” The Wall Street Journal calls it “a tale of suspense” that captures both the suffering and the resilience of its subjects. The Telegraph lauds it as “a reckoning” and a tribute to those who refuse to be silenced.
Urgent, haunting, and meticulously reported, Beck’s book is a vital contribution to the growing body of literature documenting the Chinese state’s ongoing campaign against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples.
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