* The Man from Beijing: A Novel of the Tiananmen Massacre (2009)
* Into the Great Abyss: A Memoir of the Soviet Gulag (2011)
* The Heart of the Sea: A Novel of the Essex Disaster (2015)
* In the Land of the Long White Cloud: A Memoir of New Zealand (2020)
Short Stories
* "The Last Days of the Romanovs" (2009)
* "The Lady from Shanghai" (2011)
* "The Great Gatsby Meets the Titanic" (2013)
* "The Man Who Saved the Empire State Building" (2015)
Articles
* "The Tiananmen Massacre: A Personal Account" (2009)
* "The Soviet Gulag: A Survivor's Story" (2011)
* "The Heart of the Sea: A Tale of Survival" (2015)
* "In the Land of the Long White Cloud: A Memoir of New Zealand" (2020)