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