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charsiew21's review against another edition
4.5
Anything Peter Hessler writes about China is required reading, imo.
jwsg's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent collection of essays. Although if you’d already read Hessler’s Country Driving, you’ll find quite a number of repeats from the book. Still, there enough new gems in this collection like Wild Flavour (on Hessler's experience sampling rat, the local speciality in Luogang, Guangdong), The Dirty Game (on Rajeev Goyal, a Peace Corps alum who lobbies for the Peace Corps), The Uranium Widows (on southwestern Colorado that had a history of uranium mining until Americans turned against nuclear power after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident, and the reactions when a company called Energy Fuels proposes to build a new uranium mill in the area) and Dr Don (a profile on pharmacist Don Concord who lives in Nucla, southwestern Colorado, who keeps the town alive in more ways than one, serving as bowling league president, certifies the bowling lanes each year, has a pyrotechnics display license for the 4th of July fireworks, performs state inspections on small clinic medicine dispensaries, and is also certified to compound hormone therapy treatments for transgendered patients).
Favourite observation (from The Dirty Game):
"it seemed that the failure of the Peace Corps is that former volunteers rarely play the same outsider role back home, at least politically....The United States is very good at shaking up the rest of the world, but it's all but impervious to anything that moves in the opposite direction"
Favourite observation (from The Dirty Game):
"it seemed that the failure of the Peace Corps is that former volunteers rarely play the same outsider role back home, at least politically....The United States is very good at shaking up the rest of the world, but it's all but impervious to anything that moves in the opposite direction"
carrie_hubert's review against another edition
5.0
I loved all three of Hessler's previous books, but this one might be my favorite. It is made up of various short stories or essays, some of which were from previous books, The New Yorker, or previously unpublished. Unlike his previous writing, not all the pieces were from China, but I think the contrast made it even more interesting. Perfect if you only have time to read a chapter or two per sitting, since each is a new story.
emilyhan0906's review against another edition
4.0
Conflicted feelings about this essay collection: many pieces are clearly meant for an audience that know little about China, necessarily sacrificing depth and nuance. In those pieces, China is nothing more than just what the title suggests, a strange stone. Especially the more newsworthy essays were significantly less interesting than pieces by local Chinese journalists from the same time period.
Having said that, the pieces on ordinary people that Hessler had time to get to know better were really fun to read. There, Hessler’s empathy and storytelling ability shine through. My favorite has to be the essay about one of his students from Fuling who became a migrant worker in Shenzhen. The one about Don the pharmacist and one about Three Gorges migrant family also clearly showed how good a writer and journalist he is.
Having said that, the pieces on ordinary people that Hessler had time to get to know better were really fun to read. There, Hessler’s empathy and storytelling ability shine through. My favorite has to be the essay about one of his students from Fuling who became a migrant worker in Shenzhen. The one about Don the pharmacist and one about Three Gorges migrant family also clearly showed how good a writer and journalist he is.
mariocomputer's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as his previous books, but there are still some really good pieces in it. If you're already a Peter Hessler fan, you'll like it. Otherwise, read his other books first.
davybaby's review against another edition
4.0
I had the good fortune of reading Hessler's River Town during a trip to China in college, and it's colored my hunting down his work since then.
Strange Stones is a collection of essays from Hessler's years of travel- some about China, some about his experiences after returning to the United States. In both cases, he writes with a clear affection for the places, a respect for the people, and yet an honest presentation of the absurdity of both. The characters are larger than life in some cases, but also full and real.
Reading the essays about various places and people in the same collection brings them together in a wonderful way. We're not so different, we earthlings. Worthy of respect, but a bit bonkers in many cases.
Strange Stones is a collection of essays from Hessler's years of travel- some about China, some about his experiences after returning to the United States. In both cases, he writes with a clear affection for the places, a respect for the people, and yet an honest presentation of the absurdity of both. The characters are larger than life in some cases, but also full and real.
Reading the essays about various places and people in the same collection brings them together in a wonderful way. We're not so different, we earthlings. Worthy of respect, but a bit bonkers in many cases.
towardinfinitybooks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This was excellent and I highly recommend it. Honestly, Hessler has to be one of the best narrative nonfiction writers I've ever read. He is a great storyteller, and he conveys his observations about both larger-than-life personalities and ordinary individuals in a thoughtful and intelligent manner.
My favorite pieces are:
"Walking the Wall" - about the Great Wall of China, yes, but also its mythology and the wall enthusiasts, in particular, David Spindler
"The Dirty Game" - about the U.S. Peace Corps and one of its most die-hard fundraisers, Rajeev Goyal
"Boomtown Girl" - about one of Hessler's former English students, who finds work and builds her life in Shenzhen, a special economic zone in China
"All Due Respect" - about Japanese organized crime and the yakuza
"Quartet" - about driving and driving schools in China
"Home and Away" - about Yao Ming and Chinese athletes
"Go West" - Hessler and his wife move from China to small-town Colorado
My favorite pieces are:
"Walking the Wall" - about the Great Wall of China, yes, but also its mythology and the wall enthusiasts, in particular, David Spindler
"The Dirty Game" - about the U.S. Peace Corps and one of its most die-hard fundraisers, Rajeev Goyal
"Boomtown Girl" - about one of Hessler's former English students, who finds work and builds her life in Shenzhen, a special economic zone in China
"All Due Respect" - about Japanese organized crime and the yakuza
"Quartet" - about driving and driving schools in China
"Home and Away" - about Yao Ming and Chinese athletes
"Go West" - Hessler and his wife move from China to small-town Colorado
adunten's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting and engaging little book of essays that's primarily about an American immigrant's life in China. Hessler spent ten years living in China, and covers life as a Peace Corps volunteer, what it's like to live in a small alley in old town Beijing, Chinese driving habits, the impact of more liberal economic policies on the common people, what having the Beijing Olympics was like for ordinary Chinese in the area... and also throws in a few essays about his other life in rural southwestern Colorado after returning to the USA.
Every essay is interesting, and one or two are uproariously funny, but because it doesn't have a single strong narrative thread, reading it straight through like I did may not be the best approach. Try reading a single chapter at a time, and prepare for a total change of topic and supporting characters at each new chapter.
Every essay is interesting, and one or two are uproariously funny, but because it doesn't have a single strong narrative thread, reading it straight through like I did may not be the best approach. Try reading a single chapter at a time, and prepare for a total change of topic and supporting characters at each new chapter.
liam_2023's review against another edition
3.0
3 and 1/2 stars
Hessler's writing is great, and I found many of the essays very interesting and well done, but they were a bit hit and miss. Also, even though the only other book I've read from Hessler was River Town, there were some repetitive elements from it. Also, the essays didn't have any cohesive theme and were sometimes jarringly different. I say all of this, but really it was very enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading more from the author.
Hessler's writing is great, and I found many of the essays very interesting and well done, but they were a bit hit and miss. Also, even though the only other book I've read from Hessler was River Town, there were some repetitive elements from it. Also, the essays didn't have any cohesive theme and were sometimes jarringly different. I say all of this, but really it was very enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading more from the author.