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thebookbin's review against another edition
Only white people like this book.
The gorgeous environment and friendly people cannot overcome Colin Thubron’s racism, somehow feeling superior even though he cannot speak any of the languages or survive on his own in this climate.
I just DNF’d The Amur River by Colin Thubron because he’s a racist prick. It’s so disappointing because I’m very interested in the Mongolian steppe and I was so looking forward to reading more about it. Instead this is a diary of a self-important white man who describes everyone but himself as stupid or incompetent. He doesn’t even try to hide his racism: everyone Asian “looks like a child” or “has a childish face.” At one point he meets the last monk whose temple was destroyed by the USSR and all the monks viciously executed, and Colin’s own recount of the conversation with this traumatized monk is horrifically callous. He describes the monk—who laughs nervously (keep in mind Thubron only speaks English, so everyone else is working to accommodate him) and he says “it was this giggle that made me erroneously convinced he was stupid." THAT IS A DIRECT QUOTE
Words cannot express how much I hate Colin Thubron and my intense interest in the area of his exploration doesn’t even come close to making me read this book. If you want to read about a self important white man there are plenty to choose from who actually have a modicum of relevancy. This book will be the reason I make the trip to the steppe myself just so I can write about it in all it's glory and shove it in Colin Thubron's racist boomer face.
-50000 racist ass stars
The gorgeous environment and friendly people cannot overcome Colin Thubron’s racism, somehow feeling superior even though he cannot speak any of the languages or survive on his own in this climate.
I just DNF’d The Amur River by Colin Thubron because he’s a racist prick. It’s so disappointing because I’m very interested in the Mongolian steppe and I was so looking forward to reading more about it. Instead this is a diary of a self-important white man who describes everyone but himself as stupid or incompetent. He doesn’t even try to hide his racism: everyone Asian “looks like a child” or “has a childish face.” At one point he meets the last monk whose temple was destroyed by the USSR and all the monks viciously executed, and Colin’s own recount of the conversation with this traumatized monk is horrifically callous. He describes the monk—who laughs nervously (keep in mind Thubron only speaks English, so everyone else is working to accommodate him) and he says “it was this giggle that made me erroneously convinced he was stupid." THAT IS A DIRECT QUOTE
Words cannot express how much I hate Colin Thubron and my intense interest in the area of his exploration doesn’t even come close to making me read this book. If you want to read about a self important white man there are plenty to choose from who actually have a modicum of relevancy. This book will be the reason I make the trip to the steppe myself just so I can write about it in all it's glory and shove it in Colin Thubron's racist boomer face.
-50000 racist ass stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
This book is so racist. I am questioning the integrity of any agency that has awarded this man a prize.
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