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A review by adunten
Strange Stones: Dispatches from East and West by Peter Hessler
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.