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Book Picks: Asian and Oceanian History, Culture, and Society What you've done becomes the judge of what you're going to do -- especially in other people's minds. When you're traveling, you are what you are right then and there. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.
The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train through Asia In 1975, when this book was written, it was a breath of fresh air for people afflicted with the travel bug. Very few books were written at the time that weaved such a finely threaded portrait of life on the road. In the years since, war and strife have erased two of Theroux ?s destinations, Afghanistan and Iran, off the map for all but the most foolhearty travelers. Plus, several travel books have been written, including several by Theroux himself, that are in many ways as good, if not better, than this book. Nonetheless, The Great Railway Bazaar remains a compelling look at Asian life and a worthwhile read.
Iyer is my favorite contemporary travel author. He manages to peer quickly into the heart of his new surroundings without condescension or fatuous praise. He also writes in an engaging, approachable, yet highly literate manner. Nowhere is Iyer?s skill as readily apparent as Video Nights in Kathmandu, a collection of his stories that show that while Western and Eastern culture have become inextricable linked and they have never managed to understand each other very well. A must have addition to any travel library.
From Heaven?s Lake is one of those rare books that remains fresh in my mind even though I read the book nearly fifteen years ago. Why? Two reasons: 1) Seth offers a unique voice. Most books about China (note: this book does talk about Seth's return to his native India after living in the USA as well) are written either by Westerners or Chinese. 2) From Heaven?s Lake paints powerful word images of the incredible and colorful people and places he visits. Seth?s description of the truck drivers he meets while hitchhiking through China will remain indelibly on my brain forever. Danzinger?s Travel Danzinger, like thousands of pilgrims before him, sets off on the ultimate trip on the hippie trail from Istanbul to Hong Kong overland. If so many people made this journey, why do we care about Danzinger?s exploits? The answer: he made this journey in the 1980s. When the hippies made this pilgrimage in the 1960s the worse danger they faced was a bad acid trip. However, by the 1980s, sadly the trail was fraught with real dangers like mad warlords in Afghanistan and crazy Islamic militants in Iran. Nonetheless, Danzinger survived the trip and tells us with gusto and rich prose about the fascinating, usually friendly, people and places that he encountered along the way.
All the Right Places is one of the few books that I read over a decade ago and still remember clearly. The reason: Newsham is one of the few travel writers who is not afraid to bare his soul in this book. He is an imperfect person with flaws and very human emotions who is nonetheless very likable and approachable. He is not some superhuman climbing mountain or some spiritual guru who learns the mysteries of life through travel. Instead, he is divorcee who takes a trip to Asia to heal the pain in his soul and returns to find that his life is still messy though it has been somehow, almost inexplicably, enriched by the people and places that populated his travels. Japan and China
In the 1980s, many Americans subscribed to the idea that Asia would soon take over our supremacy and that the West needed to integrate more Confucian values into our society to ensure our survival against Asia?s might. In light of Japan?s decade long depression and the growing dominance of the USA after the fall of the Berlin Wall, most American pundits have abandoned this idea. Yet, Confucius Next Door argues persuasively that Americans should study and learn from the East, particularly Japan. His argument is so logically presented and cogent that I wish Confucius Lives Next Door could be required reading for all Americans. I agree with Reid, wholeheartedly, that we ignore the lessons of Confucianism at our own peril. Japan
Though dated, Seward presents a thorough, insightful, and compassionate look at US?Japan relations. Read this book (or other books by Seward) to understand the Japanese mindset. Just keep in mind that a lot has changed in Japan since 1983.
The Lady and the Monk is one of my favorite travel books. Iyer has accomplished something that very few authors have ? a love story (both to a woman, Satchiko, and a country) written from an entirely male perspective. I have recommended this book to many people. Every male who has read this book, at my suggestion, has had the same reaction: They fell almost immediately in love with Satchiko and Japan. Somehow, men instinctively understand that Japan, especially as embodied through Satchiko, is a feminine country and that?s way they, like Iyer, fall in love. Women who read this book do not understand that it is a love story but they enjoy Iyer?s lush detailed portraits of Japanese life. Either way, everyone agrees the book is worthwhile reading.
Blowing Zen is the touching account of Brooks? journey to find his own spiritual calling through the art of Japanese flute playing. It is also a lovely account of his journey from being a novice to an accomplished flute player in modern Japan. Along the way, Brooks jumps into a series of vignettes ?such as busking (playing music on the street for money) around Japan with his flute ?that give us a compelling, entertaining, and insightful portrait of life in contemporary Japan. The Chrysanthemum and the Bat: Baseball Samurai Style While very dated (1976), The Chrysanthemum and the Bat is a fun, informative jaunt inside the Japanese version of that All American pastime, baseball. Whiting deftly describes how the Japanese culture and its values have transformed the game into something different, yet in its own way equally logically and beautiful, than it is in America. Like El Beisbol or Playing Around Fidel, Chrysanthemum and the Bat provides its readers a fascinating inside look at another culture through the lens of baseball. China Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Tradition, and Spiritual Wisdom Watching the Tree attempts to inter-mix tidbits about Chinese traditions, society, and the daily artifacts of Chinese life with the story of the author?s life. As a book about Chinese life, Watching the Tree is fascinating, revealing, and intriguing. As an autobiography, the book is a bit hard to read. If you have read, Adeline Yen Mah?s autobiography, Falling Leaves, the autobiographical parts of Watching the Tree are both needlessly repetitive and frustrating. That said, despite the faulty autobiography, the cultural insights make this book worthwhile.
The River at the Center of the World is an imminently readable account of Winchester?s journey along the entire (including the headlands) Yangtze just prior to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Winchester provides a well researched historical, geological, and cultural account of all aspect of life on the Yangtze. No other travel writer manages to combine both a boyish fascination with the world and a sophisticated scholarly voice. Read his background of the Three Gorges Dam. I doubt you?ll find a better explanation of both the benefits and the costs of this highly controversial project. Highly recommended!
Theroux is at his best in this book. Riding the Iron Rooster shows his gift at meeting intriguing people and using these voices to reveal the nature of a country. Reading this book really gives you a bird eye view of the crazy, confusing, and yet ultimately alluring land of modern China. Keep in mind, however, that since China is probably the most rapidly changing country on Earth a lot of the information in this book ? written in 1988 ? is completely out of date.
Falling Leaves is a powerful memoir of Adeline Yen Mah?s struggle to gain family acceptance written against the dramatic history of twentieth century China. Yen Mah wrote this book to help resolve the sadness she felt in being denied her family?s inheritance. Reading Falling Leaves is vaguely reminiscent of The Streetcar Named Desire. You feel like a first hand observer witnessing the havoc wracked by a truly dysfunctional family. At times, you want to scream ?Grow up, act like adults? yet you can?t help but be mesmerized as the action unfolds. To make it even more poignant, you feel as the whole stage set ? contemporary China ? is dysfunctional and you wonder how the seemingly rationale players ? especially Yen Mah?s aunt and grandmother ? keep any sanity while their whole world crumbles around them. A must read! Across China The title of this book is a bit misleading. Somehow, I did not realize that, while the book covers Jenkins? rail trip around a lot of China, the main thrust of the book was about his expedition as part of a mountain climbing expedition in Tibet. While the third of the book about his travels around China (outside of Tibet) has some compelling and readable anecdotes, there are many better books on this topic (including Riding the Red Rooster). Across China excels, though, when it talks about Tibet. It gives the reader an indelible impression of Tibetan culture and people circa 1986. Across China is also one of the best books I?ve read on the mountain climbing experience. By the end of the book, you really understand mountain climbing?s allure and its travails.
River Town is a gripping account of Hessler?s two year stint teaching English in a fairly small and remote town on the Yangtze. Lyrically written and heartfelt, you really empathize with the plight of Hessler?s students. You also develop a strong affinity for Hessler. He puts his heart into bringing English to life for his students and you get the feeling that he made an impact on his students? lives. A must read. No other presents such a compelling and fascinating view of contemporary Chinese life. Beyond the Narrow Gate: The Journey of Four Chinese Women from the Middle Kingdom to Middle America Beyond the Narrow Gate frames the lives of four Chinese Women against the radical political, economic, and cultural changes that grip their lives ?# first in Nanking, then in Taipei, Taiwan and finally in Hartford, Connecticut and Palos Verdes Estates, California. Woven throughout this well written and compelling account are insightful and intriguing comments about American, Chinese, and Chinese?American life. Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays Holm is a compassionate teacher and writer. His love for the Chinese students he encounters during his own year teaching in Xi?an is palpable on every page. So is the frustration, and at times outright contempt, that he feels for the bureaucratic system that confines both his students and him simultaneously. Written in 1986, the China Holm portrays is radically different today. However, the inert frustration with Chinese life probably hasn?t changed much. The Man Who Stayed Behind Rittenberg?s account of his life as a American Communist in China through Maoist and Post?Mao China is gripping, sad, and at the same time ultimately uplifting. Rittenberg?s confused emotions leap from every page. On one hand, he was probably one of the most dedicated Communists in China. He marched with Mao and supported the regime?s ideals with every fiber of his being. On the other, his faith in Communist was constantly put to test by his illogical imprisonments deep in the bowels of Mao?s torture chambers. The Man Who Stayed Behind is one of the best of the genre of books about the trials and tribulations of life as a prisoner in Mao?s China.
Any student of Chinese history after awhile tires of accounts of life in Mao?s China. The stories, while almost universally gripping, begin to sadly fade into one. While the Colors of Mountain is also about Mao?s China, it stands out for a lot of reasons. Colors of the Mountain is a deeply personal account of the author?s travails to survive the irrational, violent changes that plague Mao?s China while retaining his highly original, likable, and intelligent personality. Ultimately, Colors of the Mountain is uplifting. You can?t help but cheer when Da Chen?s friendship with an elderly Baptist Chinese women ultimately opens the door on a whole new life after Mao ? that of one of China?s first real post?Mao English scholars. All?in?all, Colors of the Mountain succeeds where other Mao era books fail because of its uplifting and optimistic spirit.
Wild Swans is the best book about the trials of one family under the repression of Maoist China anywhere. No other book does such a good job of framing the lives of an extraordinary Chinese family against the backdrop of the political changes that wracked this beleaguered nation. Even though I read this book ten years ago, its painful and compelling story continues to stick in my skin even today.
A Million Truths is one of the best overview of a country?s history, culture, and society ever written by a journalist. Jakobsen artfully mixes insightful analyses of contemporary Chinese political and social issues with highly personal and moving accounts of the effects of China?s rapid changes on the people she encountered during her stay as an English teacher in an off-the-beaten path town in Northern China. Read this book if you want to understand the complexity, tragedy, and joys of life in China today. Just, keep in mind, that even though the book is not very old ? 1998 ? a lot has changed his Jakobsen wrote the book. The Concubine?s Children: The Story of a Chinese Family Living on Two Sides of the Globe The Concubine?s Children is a moving history of a Chinese?:Canadian family and a daughter?s quest to unlock the secrets of her family?s past. It is both a powerful story of a family caught up in the maelstrom of Chinese history and a deeply personal account of a family struggle to dig up the past to help them frame a better life today. All in all, this is one of the best stories of immigrant struggles and success in North America anywhere. Son of the Revolution On one level, Son of the Revolution is yet another in a seemingly endless ocean of books about a family?s struggle to survive the insanity of Maoist China. On a deeper level, however, it is both a powerful and ultimately satisfying story of a son?s efforts to understand the tragic and bittersweet history of his parents and a sweet love story of the romance between the authors set in Post-Maoist China.
This book succeeds were many other stories of Maoist China fail. Through effective storytelling, Zhu Xiao Di manages to make reader not only feel the pain of his and his father struggles but also to care about the protagonists deeply. By the end of book, you genuinely share Zhu Xiao Di?s joy at seeing a statue dedicated to his larger than life father in China and understand why this monument means so much to the author. The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Modern China While I share my people?s dislike for the title of this popular book series, I also appreciate the author?s efforts to make complex topics assessable to the general public. The Guide to Modern China is one of the better books in this series. It simply and factually explains both the roots of modern China and the important recent changes that are shaking the foundation of this ancient society. Read this book to gain a basic understanding of modern Chinese politics and economics. Read A Million Truths if you want a more complex and intimate account of the changes that have gripped this incredible country in the last thirty years.
Iron and Silk stays with you long after you?ve finished reading the book. It is a compelling story of a young China scholar?s adventures teaching English in China in early 1980?s. Seldom has an author so well conveyed the mixed emotions that living in another country elicit. On one hand, it is clear that Salzman?s passion for gong fu helps him unravel and ultimately appreciate China. On the other, his contempt and amazement at the confining and ultimately repressive Chinese bureaucracy oozes from every page. The Chinese Morris presents an encyclopedic yet highly readable portrait of Chinese politics, economics, and societies told through the voices of the Chinese people. Morris?s view, like most journalists, is highly critical. Yet, it is also thought provoking. You can?t help but wonder by the end of the book if the soothsayers? predictions that China will be one of the world?s most powerful countries is not a lot of malarkey. You also can?t help but think that the prospect of China entering the world?s stage is truly horrifying. Hong Kong
Jan Morris is one of the best, if not the best, contemporary travel writers. Her in?depth analysis, research, and insight help readers to come grip with another place and time?s inner spirit. Hong Kong is the best book written by Jan Morris. While a lot has changed since this book was written in the early 1980s, you will not find a better way to understand the history and society of contemporary Hong Kong than this book. A must read book for any travel library.
Sesser manages in only a few pages to paint a sympathetic and insightful portrait of the nations of modern day Southeast Asia. Read this book before embarking on a visit to this enigmatic yet infinitely alluring corner of the world. It is one of those rare books that combine a compact, impersonal analysis of Southeast Asia?s economy and political realities with an almost poetic description of the region?s complex smells, tastes, and flavors. Vietnam
One of the best travel books of the last decade, Catfish and Mandala is perfect in almost every way. It combines a heartfelt, powerful epic story of an immigrant trying to piece together his life by returning home with extremely lyrical, almost poetic, descriptions of life in modern Vietnam. Pham infuses his story with great humor, joy, poignancy, and power. All?in?all, a great book! Thailand and Myanmar
The Borderlines reads like a modern, non fiction version of a classic 1940s film noire story. The characters are larger than life, shady characters engaged in nefarious undertakings. The protagonist, Nicholl himself, is a worldly, skilled detective who is constantly misled by a world that deliberately challenges his mettle. Nicholl?s moll, Katai, is a Thai version of the savvy, brash, and ultimately sweet women who populate classic 1940 films. Yet, it is not the 40s, it is the late 80s. It is not fiction, it is all true. This makes it all the more fun to read. You can?t help but hang on Nicholl?s every word to find out what predicament he?ll undergo next. Like his earlier book, the Fruit Palace (about Colombia), The Borderlines is a riveting book. The Trouser People: A Story of Burma in the Shadow of the Empire Burma is one of the most enigmatic places on Earth. Many tribes in its boundaries continue to live like they did hundreds of years ago. The government actively tries to bar all western influence, at the same time that the people cling more on British imperialist traditions than anywhere else on Earth. The Trouser People capture the this sense of enigma better than other book. By the end of the book, you may not respect everything about this crazy country, but, you'll certainly want to pack up your bags to see it for yourself. Singapore Notes from an Even Smaller Island This Singaporean book is a bit one sided but worthwhile reading nonetheless. Humphreys, a British teacher and journalist in Singapore, has done an admirable job of explaining the more positive aspects of Singapore to a foreign audience. Sure, Singapore seems a bit autocratic, yet it is hard to challenge Humphreys? assumption that Singapore is a highly functional, and generally, pleasant place. If you want a balanced view of Singapore read In the Lands of Charm and Cruelty by Stan Sesser. Malaysia In Malaysia Though a bit dated, this book does an excellent job of explaining the culture, society, and life of this fascinating, little known, yet incredibly diverse nation. Having spent three years in Malaysia, Walls and Martin present a balanced yet ultimately sympathetic view of the country. India The City of Joy Most residents of industrialized, Western countries avoid traveling to places like India because they don?t want to confront poverty. Yet, the City of Joy demonstrates that the poor have a lot of beauty in their lives and don?t deserve either our fear or pity. In moving prose, LaPierre shows that slum dwellers have complex emotions and raw intelligence. He also teaches that the poor have lessons to teach us, if we?ll only listen. Father India: How Encounters with an Ancient Culture Transformed the Modern West A compelling look at how famous Westerners ? including Carl Jung and Martin Luther King ? have changed their perspective and ideologies based on travels and encounters with India. Paine lucidly discusses the origin and the reality of India?s mystique in the Western psyche.
Have you ever wanted to chuck it all and go to India to live in an ashram or a temple? If so, read this book to discover everything you need to know to plan your journey. If not, read this book anyway. It is a wonderfully entertaining and informative look at India?s spiritual side. If you?re not careful, you?ll want to pack your bags and join Cushman and Jones on their journey. Bhutan
When I first read this book two years ago in one setting, I immediately fell under its spell. Zeppa?s infuses every page with love, wonder, and magic. She pulls at your heartstrings and makes you fall in love with Bhutan without being cloying or overly romantic. She also makes you cheer for her forbidden love to one of her student, Tschwang. Buy this book! I am sure that it will captivate your soul, just like it did for me. AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA Australia
Papua New Guinea Island in the Clouds: Travels in the Highlands of New Guinea Oceania Paul Theroux Some critics claim that Paul Theroux, though a skilled researcher and writer, never seems to like any place he visits. While I don't agree with this assessment, I must admit I often wondered while reading this book, if Theroux really enjoys traveling anymore. The Happy Isles of Oceania is not a very kind portrait of the people of Polynesia, yet it is still a worthwhile read. Nowhere else can you get such a succinct portrait of the history, culture, and life of these beautiful, but somewhat tragic, islands.
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