China has become deeply integrated into the world economy, but the country’s swift ascent in recent decades was never a forgone conclusion. Reformers after Mao’s death in 1976 agreed to move China towards marketization, but they struggled over the right approach. PERI researcher Isabella Weber’s new book How China Escaped Shock Therapy uncovers the fierce reform debate that shaped China’s path, offering a novel perspective on the origins of China’s distinctive economic model. Weber provides an unprecedented look at the economic policies that supported the country’s rise without leading to wholesale assimilation to global neoliberalism.