Job & Edu

River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.)

From Harper Perennial

Author : Peter Hessler
Binding : Paperback
DeweyDecimalNumber : 910
EAN : 9780060855024
ISBN : 0060855029
Label : Harper Perennial
Manufacturer : Harper Perennial
NumberOfPages : 432
ProductTypeName : ABIS_BOOK
PublicationDate : 2006-05-01
Publisher : Harper Perennial
ReleaseDate : 2006-04-25
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Customer Reviews

Rating:
Summary: This book really puts you there! An outstanding read.
Comment: This book is a delightful (and well written) travelogue by a Peace Corps volunteer who describes his two year experience living in Fuling, China. By the end, you are treated to a vivid picture of what his experiences were like; the challenges that a foreigner in China has with the language, with the culture, and with the politics. The author also does an excellent job of placing you in the setting, whether it's in the environment of the school in which he teaches, in the noisy city of Fuling itself (full of people and personalities), or in the surrounding countryside into which he ventures. The best thing about this book is that you really get a feel for what the author went through and you feel as if his eyes are your eyes, the journey he takes is your journey, the acquaintences he makes along the way are yours as well. You can't help but learn something from this book. I highly recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating read
Comment: Great book. The author documents his two years spent in China as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in a rural, remote teachers' college. The story offers an intriguing peak into the life of a young man living such a fascinating adventure--learning the language, learning to fit in to a culture so dramatically different from his own, and interacting with numerous local people. At the same time, the story is a fascinating review of Chinese history of the 20th century and how this history has impacted on the people, culture, economy, and future of the area. The various student characters are unforgettable in their personalities and how they grow and change under the influence of one from so foreign and different a culture. Many anecdotes that are laugh out loud funny. Many moments which are heartfelt and sad. I would highly recommend this book for those who enjoy travel, other cultures, teaching, literature, and history.
Rating:
Summary: A glimpse of Chinese daily life.
Comment: This was an easy read and provided some interesting insights into Chinese daily life and culture. Peter Hessler describes his experiences teaching English at a Chinese college and traveling in China in an engaging and thoughtful manner.
Rating:
Summary: A Poignant Account
Comment: A well-written memoir, an eye-opener to those who had never been to China and an appetizing read for me who had first-hand experience of what it's like to live and work there. This, I could read and reread every few years, satiating my desire for Zhong Guo's landscape, culture and food. Peter Hessler is a wonderful writer who can easily transport the reader to China's River Town.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Diary regarding Communist China
Comment: The author just tells it like it is. His honest description on how the common folk live in this Town that had seen virtually no one from outside China for centuries is informative and interesting. There are attributes about the Chinese that you will like and there are attributes that you will not like, but his account is always on target. You will feel like you know these people for all their strengths and faults.