To predict China’s future, it is not enough to know its past. Rather, we must understand how China perceives its own past, which frames the mindset of its leaders and the demands of its populace. That is why our top pick for September is a new book focusing on how China’s perception of its role in World War II has changed from wronged victim to defiant hero. This mirrors a broader change in China (reflected in its more nationalistic elements) where the “century of humiliation” narrative is steadily giving way to a confidence in the nation’s status as not rising but risen. And to lend chiaroscuro to that rise, our monthly “shortlist” includes books that draw out the darker side of China’s trajectory to economic and geopolitical strength. From “coercive environmentalism” to the human cost of your iPhone, camps in Xinjiang to innovation predicated on foreign technology transfer and theft, 2020’s bumper crop of China books continues — if your shelf can take the s