1. ISBN13: 9780061804090
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Review :

Incredibly informative book

For anyone interested in China and the changes that are occurring there, this book is incredible. Written by a young (thirty-five-ish) American, who has lived in China as a journalist for about 14 years as I count it, the insights are fascinating. You get to see the changes through the eyes of an American, yet one who is fluent in Chinese, which is a tremendous advantage, and who has a droll sense of humor as well.

It's three stories: First his exploration of the wild west of China, following the Great Wall, second his life in his country home in a little village north of Beijing, and his relationship with a family in the village, and his description of the changes which occurred during five or six years, with development, and thirdly, his following another large town in the south as the highway arrived, development zones sprang up, etc. It's tremendously interesting. He talks with people everywhere. In the development zone for instance, he talks with the entrepreneurs setting up a factory, with the employees, with members of a little traveling show which comes to entertain them, etc etc. You get to actually meet everyone.

As I'm writing this, all the reviewer ratings are five star. It's not often you'll see a book with all five star ratings. This one deserves it.

Rating :

A road trip through the racing heart of China

The first section of New Yorker writer Hessler's engrossing three-part portrait of China's headlong rush to the future is peppered with questions from the Chinese driving test:

"223. If you come to a road that has been flooded, you should
a) accelerate so the motor doesn't flood.
b) stop, examine the water to make sure it's shallow, and drive across slowly.
c) Find a pedestrian and make him cross ahead of you."

Hessler came to China in 1996 with the Peace Corp and stayed for 10 years. He got his license in 2001, as roads and drivers were proliferating, and planned a cross-country trip. Development was intense in coastal regions but the north and west were still remote, many roads unlabeled.

"352. If another motorist stops you to ask directions, you should
a) not tell him.
b) reply patiently and accurately.
c) tell him the wrong way."

He decided to follow the Great Wall, which is actually a series of fortifications built of various materials in various states of ruin. It was harvest time and the farmers laid their produce on the edges of the road for sorting and drying and threw grain into the middle for threshing.

"Initially I found it hard to drive over food. On the first day of my journey, I screeched to a halt before every pile, rolling down the window. `Is it OK for me to go through?' The farmers shouted back impatiently `Go, go, go!' And so I went - millet, sorghum, and wheat cracking beneath me. By the second day I no longer asked; by the third day I learned to accelerate at the sight of grain."

He meets amateur historians and government tree planters, picks up hitchhiking young people coming from factory towns to visit family, and camps in the desert to avoid officialdom (Hessler's favorite Chinese motto is "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.")

His prose meanders organically, exploring the China of the past and the present, from the Ming dynasty and the route of Genghis Khan to the roller-coaster excitement of road-testing the newest Chinese car.

He also proves his credentials here as a fearless adventurer. Few things can be more dangerous than driving in China, where driving lessons are laugh-out-loud bizarre, seat belts and turn signals are superfluous and traffic fatalities are twice as high as in the US, with one fifth the number of vehicles.

In Book II Hessler homes in on the traditional village, renting a house in mountainous, rural Sancha about two hours drive from Beijing (maps orient the reader at the start of each section - would there were pictures too!). There is only one child in the village (the young have migrated to the cities) and Hessler becomes friendly with Wei Jia's parents, Wei Ziqi and Cao Chunmei.

Handicapped by his lack of education (typical in the country), Wei Ziqi tried factory work, but returned to his village to farm. Smart and ambitious, he had tried and failed at leech farming and was now turning to tourism, which was following the better roads and increased prosperity.

Hessler limns the family's fortunes as Wei Ziqi builds a restaurant, and takes up the two essentials for doing business - smoking and drinking. As the friendship grows Hessler drives Wei Jia to boarding school kindergarten and witnesses Cao Chunmei's growing unhappiness and isolation. China remains a man's world and there's no place where that's more evident than the countryside.

Through his connection to the family, Hessler explores village gossip and politics, and takes part in the walnut harvest. In a harrowing section (which was a New Yorker article) Hessler encounters the Chinese medical system first-hand when Wei Jia becomes suddenly ill and it's Hessler, with his car and U.S. connections, who tracks down treatment.

Hessler's American sensibilities often illuminate the cultural contrasts. When the Weis grow rich enough to have a TV and Wei Jia comes home from school, the formerly tough and wiry boy grows soft in front of the TV eating junk food all day. Hessler frets about this, but to Cao Chunmei there's no point in having a TV if you don't watch it and few pleasures greater than watching a child eat.

The final section explores the burgeoning factory towns popping up along new expressways, each with a specialization - buttons, playing cards, umbrellas. "Datang produces one-third of the socks on earth."

Hessler chooses Lishui for his focus, a town that is about to have an expressway exit, and already has an Economic Development Zone. He gets in on the ground floor, approaching a city-dressed man outside a half-built factory and follows the fortunes of the place from factory design, which takes an hour and a half, to production (bra-strap loops), rocky times, success and reorganization.

Again, individuals provide the narrative impetus. The owners let Hessler hang around for good times and bad. Job interviews are a rough and tumble affair. The best incentives are lots of overtime and no vacations, since there's really nothing else to do.

Hessler finds another fascinating group to follow when, on the basis of outsize personality and persistence, a teenager gets jobs for her whole resourceful family, who also run a side business providing goods to workers.

There's tension in the beginning when the expensive machinery doesn't work, tension when the orders don't come in like they should, tension when their most crucial worker wants to visit his pregnant wife (code, maybe, for abandoning the sinking factory).

Contrasts and contradictions abound. The group dynamic is so strong one complaint can spark a sea of grumbling, but self-help books urge workers to lie and think solely of themselves. A precious baby's 50th-day celebration takes place in a cigarette-smoke filled restaurant amid spatters of hot oil.

Hessler engages the reader with his own affection and fascination for an ancient culture in overdrive. Endlessly curious, fluent in the language, willing to go anywhere, and talk to anyone, his graceful prose carries us along, into the mountains, the dusty deserts, the mud-walled village huts and concrete factories, but most of all into the lives of the people he meets.

Rating :

How rapidly-changing China is changing the world from an American's Perspective

1st I have to say I am a huge fan of Peter Hessler, I have all of his three books and I have read the 1st two for a number of times, especially the 1st one River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.).

I had pre-ordered this new book well before it was released, the long wait was excruciating but well worth it. Unlike the 1st book "river town", which is more about a young American who was new to China and trying to adapt himself by gradually learning its culture and language. This new book is more focused on how fast-changing China is changing its own people and at the same time having an huge impact on the rest of the world. I won't spend too much time talking about what the book is about, you gotta read it by yourself.

Shortly after the book was released, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a seminar where Peter Hessler had a Q&A session with a professor at UCI. After the talk, I waited in line and got my new book signed by him. I was thrilled.

Rating :

Thoroughly enjoyable! Wonderfully informative! Hessler does it again!

How lucky we are to learn about China in a book so well written. Peter Hessler, an American who lived in China and speaks Chinese, gives lots of facts from his personal experience and his interviews with various Chinese people, all in a most enjoyable way. I can't wait for his next book.

Rating :

Country Driving

I am enjoying the book. If you have lived in China, you will have a better understanding of the book.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9780060855024
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Review :

This book really puts you there! An outstanding read.

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 :

Fascinating read

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 :

Outstanding Diary regarding Communist China

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.

Rating :

A glimpse of Chinese daily life.

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 :

A Poignant Account

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 :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9780060826598
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Editorial Review :

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes.

Customer Review :

Great perspective on the current lifestyles in China

Hessler has used his Chinese language skills and local friendships to talk with a cross section of common people of China. That's a perspective that most of us who want to visit China and understand the lifestyle of the people who live there cannot achieve. His writing style is very entertaining and readable. He skillfully weaves the vast history of the regions into current events with minimal judgement. I found the book to be a very valuable introduction to Chinese culture.

Rating :

Glimpse today's China in an immensely readable format.

I have traveled to China over a dozen times in the past few years, all as a tourist and friend of some Chinese. I have trouble expressing to those unfamiliar with modern life in China what the country is all about and how times have changed since the Red Guard and Cultural Revolution. The happiness, earnestness and capitalism pervasive in China are concepts foreign to most Americans' ears as a result of TV and newspaper commentators continuing to rant about "Red China" and "Communist-controlled China."

There are no modern analysts of China given airtime to balance the perceptions about China. We hear the Chinese steal our jobs by keeping the country's currency artificially low, they execute political prisoners, and they control the minds and thoughts of their people through press and internet censorship.

This is as if China is some all powerful force to destroy American industry while the people are child-like puppets believing everything their government tells them day in and day out. These rants give no credit to the Chinese people for having intelligent and discerning minds.

Of everything I have read on China as it exists today, Peter Hessler best points out the truths and contradictions, the energy and the frustrations. If you cannot go to China and spend time with the people throughout the country, Hessler's journeys take you there and lets you listen to the people. If you are over 50 like I, the future of China is a turn of history interesting to study and observe. For those under 50 years old, understanding the Chinese will be an essential element of being focused on the future.

I know of no better communication to bring the modern Chinese people to life for Americans 8,000 miles away. From the farm-field peasants living in what we regard as poverty to the Shanghai business and political communities riddled with corruption, Hessler's stories show that China is much more similar to American society than we ever could have imagined a decade or two ago.

Rating :

Past and Present Intertwine

I loved how this book combined real stories, peeking in and out over time, including the author's own; scholarly digging into the past, both recent and distant; detective work and the resulting revelations; and a wry, underlying sense of humor. My favorite parts were experiences with two of his former students, one as an observer in a young man's classroom of eighth graders studying English and the other as he toured a wildlife area and tried to convince another former student, a female, to feed the last duck to the crocodiles. I won't tell you who won.

Rating :

Great Glimpse into China

This book was recommended to me before I studied abroad in China from the US. Although a little dull at points, it provides a great way to get a first look into the Chinese culture and mindset from an American perspective. It also provides an interesting and enlightening viewpoint of China's history intertwined with the author's own unique story.

Rating :

Insights to China -

Peter Hessler originally came to China as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1996, and taught English. Since then he has remained, serving as a free-lance correspondent and writing three books, of which "Oracle Bones" is one. During this time Peter learned to speak and read Chinese, married a Chinese woman, and experienced life visiting and befriending locals. Much of the book is taken up with descriptions of 'oracle bones' (turtle undersides, oxen shoulder blades) dating from about 2,000 B.C. and largely found near Anyang. They were heated to high temperatures - the resulting crack patterns supposedly foretold the outcome of important ventures. The Chinese also wrote short scripts on the bones with a bronze pin. Why Hessler devoted so much of the book to this topic is a mystery to me.

Hessler's narrative begins just after the May, 1999 accidental NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing there Chinese. Intense protests rose across China, lasting about two weeks, and at least surreptitiously encouraged by the government. When not writing about oracle bones, Hessler is usually writing about the lives of a number of his former English students. In the process it becomes clear that fraud is extensive in China - animal food, education, job salaries, fake goods and documents, etc. Similarly, we also are reminded of America's distasteful crime and violence, using guns.

Hessler took a trip to Dandong, on China's border with North Korea to get a sense of what North Korea was like. From across the river it was clear that there were no lights in North Korea at night, armed soldiers patrolled the river's edge, and the areas factories seemed abandoned.

'Special Economic Zones' (SEZ) were established by Deng because China's leaders didn't want to test radical change (eg. selling state-owned enterprises, giving tax breaks) in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where mistakes would be politically disastrous. Deng saw attracting Hong Kong and Taiwan investment into these zones as also being a way to bring them closer to the mainland; Chinese opponents saw the SEZ as a means to exploit Chinese labor.

Intellectuals had been purged and re-educated during Mao's time because they were seen as having a tendency to follow Capitalism. The Chinese suicide rate for women is about 5X the world average, with a large proportion coming from rural areas and having some education. Hessler muses that perhaps the glimpse of a better life depressed them -

The education curriculum in China is standardized and regulated, with standard exams at the end of middle and high school. Teachers try to get test questions in advance, and teach to the test.

Closing, Tessler notes that people in the U.S. and China are both nationalistic.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9780756660925
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Editorial Review :

These two fascinating cities reflect different aspects of China - Beijing is the traditional capital, the seat of political power and home to the ancient monuments of Imperial China; Shanghai is both a financial powerhouse and a city at the cutting edge of fashion with an interesting modern history. This DK Eyewitness Travel Guide provides in-depth coverage of these cities, including Beijing's Great Wall and Forbidden City, Shanghai's Bund and the French Concession, as well as the water towns of Suzhou and Hangzhou, graced with serene and timeless gardens and lakes. Explore China's cultural heritage through richly illustrated features - on everything from Beijing Opera to Confucianism, Chinese Gardens and the Cultural Revolution. Illustrated food features highlight the differing regional cuisines, and resident China experts have provided detailed listings of the best places to stay and eat. Specially devised walking tours take you easily to the heart of these bustling, enigmatic and ultimately bewitching cities.

Customer Review :

Beijing

Purchased at Amazon: This book was of excellent quality and very useful in my visit to Beijing and Shanghai. The street and subway maps were very helpful as was the hotel ratings.

Rating :

Highly Recommended

I really enjoyed this book and used it extensively last September when I visited Beijing and Shanghai on business, each for a couple days. Very useful for getting one's bearings logistically and understanding the deep culture and extensive history of each city, especially Beijing. Visually rich and well presented - offering a preview of the grandness of the sites it describes. A bit on the large side for a travel guide, but I just managed to fit it in my back pocket.

Rating :

Outstanding Guide

I recently took a trip to China which included Beijing and Shanghai. I found the guide to be outstanding. A number of the people on the tour also had this guide, and I heard several comments on how good it was.

Rating :

good for people going on packaged tours

Like all DK books, this one is very glossy and colorful. If you're going on a packaged tour of these cities, this is a fine book to have. It has nice photos and maps of the major tourist attractions, as well as some historical information and suggested walking tours. On the other hand, if you're going to be visiting these cities for an extended period, you will probably exhaust the information in this slim book pretty quickly.

If you're a backpacker or independent tourist, this book will have limited value to you as there are only a handful of hotel and restaurant suggestions. The DK books are published much less frequently than other guidebooks, so I suppose extensive listings (like you find in annually updated guidebooks) would be obsolete a couple of years later.

This book does have a 2009 publication date and the Beijing subway map does include the new routes that were added for the 2008 Olympics.

Rating :

better books out there

I waited for the new version to be released and found it very lacking. It was too high level to provide any real value. I ended up leaving the book at the hotel and used my friend's Lonely Planet. I did hear great reviews about 10 Top Places to See (or something like that) by Eye Witness.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. ISBN13: 9780446696937
2. Condition: NEW
3. Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Review :

"unputdownable"

On the cover (of the trade paperback edition) is a quote from O Magazine calling Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven "unputdownable." That's absolutely true. I stayed up far too late reading this book because I had to know what happened with Gilman's traveling partner, Claire. I knew I wouldn't be able to go to sleep anyway since the question would be bugging me. One of my favorite parts is when they decide to escape even though Claire's passport has been taken. Gilman's descriptions of the race to the airplane and then the process of getting a temporary passport are great.

Rating :

Great story-telling

Great story-telling and an amazing book. Hope to read more of Ms. Susan Gilman's writing.

Rating :

Couldn't Put it Down

Like I have said before, I have been on a huge memoir kick lately. This book appealed to me because it takes place in China and there's traveling as well. I have become a HUGE fan of the Travel channel lately so I've been reading a lot of books that have to do with travel as it's something I can't do right now except in books. This book really captured my attention and I could not put it down while I was reading.

There were times of the book when I wanted to scream at both Claire and Susan. I know this book takes place in the 80s when not much was known about mental illness as it we do now. Therefore I could understand why Susan thought Claire was just being annoying at first. However, when things started getting worse, instead of thinking about getting help, Susan still thought that Claire was just acting up and acting like a spoiled brat. I guess I really shouldn't be annoyed with Claire because it's obvious that she went through a mental breakdown. I honestly think that she should have never even left for the trip in the first place. It was obvious that her whole life she had been pampered and sheltered and never exposed to the real world before. Going to China and seeing what life was really like was a complete shock and she just couldn't handle it. I was tad disappointed that we don't know what happens to Claire at the end of the story. I can accept the explanation given but all the same it's still a letdown. Also of note, the author says in the beginning of the book that she had changed and hidden the identity of Claire so much, she was almost unrecognizable.

As I said, the book takes place in the 80s before even Tienanmen Square or the Beijing Olympics. A lot has changed in China since then so I think it would be interesting to see Gilman take another trip back to the country and discuss the differences. The book doesn't make China seem like a backwater dangerous country because you have to remember that the country is being seen by two college students who are young and vulnerable. If you are expecting a travelogue type book, you're not going to find it in this book. It's a memoir and not a travel guide. Don't expect to read about sweeping adventures across China or tight focus on Susan's travels. It's more about her experiences in the country, both the physical and psychological adventures than it is a tour guide.

Personally I think this book would make a wonderful movie. Gilman does a really good job at making her story come alive and I really felt like I was there with her and feeling her emotions. This book was a page turner and I never once got bored while reading. Gilman hints that if she feels the urge, she would write a book about the rest of the travels she took while on that trip. I really hope she does because it would definitely be a book I would love to read. The book was a joy to read and I had a lot of fun traveling along with Susan. If you have wanted to discover China or a looking for a really good memoir, this book is perfect for you. HIGHLY recommended.



Rating :

Not for everyone but I liked it

My travel experience is not as extreme as Gilman's. I traveled with a group of people in Western Europe for 8 months in the mid-70s, when I was fresh out of college. One of my travel companions was "difficult." It was a life-changing experience and I will always be grateful that I did it.

I totally identify with the sense of trepidation and isolation of being in a new place, needing to depend on others to get what you need, with the additional stress of a communication barrier. Making it through is such a triumph. The memories last forever, and they change you on such a gut level.

I read a lot of memoirs, and usually my major criterion is the voice of the author, i.e., would I like this person if I met him/her. Obviously some of the other reviewers were turned off by Susan Jane Gilman. Maybe because I identified with some of the underlying emotions and experiences, it basically neutralized my feelings about the people on this book. Susan did seem a little whiny in the early days of the trip, but ultimately this book ended up being more about plot for me. Mostly it is about finding a way to get through a horrible experience - and she did, and she ultimately triumphed over what happened, with help from others, and to me this is a great book.

The writing is fine. In this situation I think it is more important to tell the story and not get wrapped up in how well-written it is. (Of course, if it were poorly written, then the quality of the writing would be a major issue.)

One thing I always find about traveling is that, whenever a situation seems desperate, something or someone comes to your rescue. Luckily for Susan and Claire, they did have their saviors. I loved-loved-loved the ending, which I did NOT see coming, and I just want to say to Susan Jane Gilman, good for you.

Rating :

A Journey You Won't Forget!

Back before the internet, cellphones, and 24 hour CNN made the world a much smaller place, two young women embarked on a grand world tour starting with post-Mao China. Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman is the author's memorable tale of an unforgettable adventure.

In 1986, when Gilman and her friend "Claire Van Houten" toured the People's Republic of China little was known of the region in the western world. With little to sustain them apart from enthusiasm, the pair embark on a journey of a lifetime. As Gilman declares, "deciding to travel the world together didn't strike either of us as unreasonable. We were at that age when we still believed that genius arrived in blots of lightening and shrieks of `Eureka!" We still believed in love at first sight, not just with people, but with ideas - that in a single instant, you could just know."

Unfortunately, the pair's sense of adventure is tested by physical and emotional adversity. And the dream turns into a nightmare. Still the pair soldier on. And at the end of the tunnel, Gilman confesses "I would not be living my life the way I am today if it wasn't for her. Claire Van Houten unleashed something in me; she set me off on a path far beyond anything I ever imagined for myself or believed I was capable of doing. In this way, back in China in 1986, she saved my life, too."

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven ranks as one of the best books I have read this year! I literally could not put it down and had to keep reading until the conclusion. I enjoyed this book on several levels: the relationship between Gilman and Van Houten; the pair's interactions with their fellow backpackers and the local Chinese (including communist operatives); and the depictions of a newly post-Mao China.

Page after riveting page, Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is a story that will make you laugh and cry and sorry when the journey is over!



Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (February 8, 2010), 320 pages.
Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.

Rating :

More reviews...