91����

Shelley Rigger, the Brown Professor of Political Science and an expert on Taiwanese politics, got a big surprise on Monday. 

A message from a friend in Boston informed Rigger that her most recent book, Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse, was featured briefly on the Sunday night broadcast of the very popular�and wildly profane�HBO show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

The show, in its eighth season, has built a reputation for tackling serious subject matter in surprising depth�while weaving in Oliver�s over-the-top delivery and ribald humor. The most recent episode concluded with a 22-minute segment about Taiwan and its fractious relationship with China.

. (Content warning: Language. Crude Humor.)

�If John Oliver�s report is the only thing Americans learn about Taiwan, I�m okay with that,� Rigger said. �The report is excellent, and his conclusion�Taiwan belongs to its own people; they should decide their own future�works for me.�