Bio
Born in Madison, Wisc., Ben Read spent a year of his childhood in the Dutch village of Overasselt and another in socialist Beijing, undergoing indoctrination at public schools in all three localities. He later rounded out his education in Ithaca, New York; Berkeley, Calif.; and Cambridge, Mass. Ben has worked and studied in mainland China for a total of nearly six years and Taiwan for six months, and speaks Mandarin fluently. Having taught at China's Foreign Affairs University, Harvard, Georgetown, and the University of Iowa, he joined the Politics faculty at UC Santa Cruz in the summer of 2008. Known as Uncle Ben to Max, Tess, and Lauren, he enjoys hiking, running, and cycling, and is an instrument-rated private pilot.
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