Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China
 | P.S.Harper Perennial, 2007, Paperback Customer Rating: 26 reviews Recommend |
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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.
Title: Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China (P.S.)
Sales Rank: 6917 in Books
Author: Peter Hessler
Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2007-05-01, Paperback, 528 pages, ISBN: 0060826592
Package Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches, 0.75 pounds
- A Different Side of China
- This is an entertaining and informative view of China, past and present, offered by Peter Hessler, a Westerner who taught English there during the latter part of the 20th century, then returned several years later to work as a journalist. In the process, Hessler made friends with a wide range of Chinese, from his students to the owner of a restaurant in a low-rent Beijing neighborhood, to an itinerant… More reviews
- An Amazing Book
- Totally different from his wonderful River Town book, but just as interesting. Peter Hessler, not quite seamlessly, pulls together a bunch of subjects. We hear more about what happened to his students; we learn about his wheeling and dealing Uigher friend who eventually gets to America and remains an optimist despite his trials and tribulations. We learn about the… More reviews
- Oracle Bones
- We do not get very much in Chinese history as we grow up, and I think everyone needs to be more informed about the people of China, its history, and what is going on now. This book is well written, entertaining, and informative. Though not the only source to use, it provides a good beginning to get some insight into the Chinese point of view and become… More reviews
- Cannot Recommend This Book Highly Enough
- This is an excellent book that should be read by anyone curious about present-day China and the economic juggernaut that they have become. The author looks at their situation not from the macro side (the big picture - China's economy is thus and thus, growing from this to that in X amount of time, etc.) but rather he looks at it from the micro… More reviews
- An Honest View of Today's China
- I really loved Peter Hessler's Rivertown and found Oracle Bones just as enjoyable. The author's style of writing is original and surprising, at unexpected points of his books. I studied in Taiwan in the mid-70's and found Peter Hessler's descriptions of the Chinese to be very similar to my own experiences. I get the feeling that there are others who are finding his writing just… More reviews
