Each week, SunLit—the Sun’s literary section—features recommendations from staff at bookstores across Colorado. This week, the staff at Out West Books in Grand Junction recommends three titles that explore the history and changing roles in Chinese society.
Other Rivers: A Chinese Education
By Peter Hessler
penguin
$32
July 2024
Buy
From the publisher: An intimate and revealing eyewitness account of two generations of students in the heart of China, describing a country in the midst of tumultuous change through the prism of its educational system. More than 20 years after teaching English to China’s first boom generation at a small college in Sichuan province, Peter Hessler returned to Sichuan to teach the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local government elementary school, where they were the only Westerners among a student body of about two thousand. Both a window into China and a distant mirror of America and its own educational system, “Other Rivers” is a classic, a book of enormous value and compelling human interest.
From Marya Johnston, Owner: I read Peter Hessler’s River Town, about his years as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher, a good five years before I lived in that area of China myself. So I read about some of the things that might be a culture shock for some people. That’s what reading does: it prepares you for the world.
Hessler’s new book compares the time he spent as a teacher in River Town (in 1996 in Fuling, near Chongqing), to student teachers at Sichuan University in Chengdu in 2019. Back then, in the early days of the reform, students were mainly from peasant families and were the first college graduates. Later, most students came from cities (in 2011 China’s population was mostly urban) and from families that had been lifted out of poverty.
I loved the first-hand experiences in this book, which were different even from my time there. Added bonus: National Book Award finalist Hessler lives in Ridgeway.
A death at the Lucky Holiday Hotel
By Pin Ho and Wenguang Huang
Public Affairs
39-44.85 USD
April 2013
Buy
From the publisher: The scandalous story of Bo Xilai family corruption – the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, Bo’s secret mistress, the secret maneuvers of Bo’s supporters, the rushed trial and conviction of Gu Kailai, Bo’s wife – was only the first rumble of a seismic power struggle that continues to shake the foundations of China’s all-powerful Communist Party. When it’s over, the machinations in Beijing and across the country that began with Bo’s ouster could derail China’s economic development and shake the world’s political and economic order.
From Marya Johnston, Owner: A few days ago my daughter texted me and asked me if I knew this book. (Yes, I had read it!) She had just heard about it on a murder podcast. I was living in China at the time of this incident (2011) and it was so interesting to follow all the shady drama (via VPN, of course). Our time in China from 2008 to 2013 was a time my husband and I often compared to the “Wild West.” Everyone knew government officials were corrupt, everyone knew the police were ineffective and probably bribeable, but it was exciting to be there during the time of Wen Jiabao’s great reform, as it was a time of great change in Sichuan and China.
When we arrived, most people rode bicycles and there were few English speakers. When we left, few people rode bicycles and every six-year-old could speak a few words of English. Bo Xilai was a product of that era. His rise to power in the Politburo, China’s ruling council, and to party secretary in Chongqing was the result of nepotism, backroom deals, blackmail and bribery.
When his police chief showed up at the American consulate in Chengdu claiming that Bo and his wife were conspiring to murder an English businessman, it seemed that within minutes everyone in Chengdu knew. We were in an uproar. I always felt that this incident marked a major turning point in Chinese politics. So much so that when Xi Jinping took the reins in 2012, he made corruption in the government one of his top priorities…. Probably as a result of this sordid affair. This book reveals all the tea about all the machinations of the Chinese government. You don’t have to be interested in China or Chinese politics to enjoy the filth that is served up so well. A great read.
Lady Tan’s Women’s Circle
By Amy Tan
Writer
18,99 €
June 2024
Buy
From the publisher: According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian – born into an elite family but plagued by death, separations and loneliness – is raised by her grandparents to be a useful woman. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the four examinations – seeing, hearing, touching and asking – something a man can never do with a female patient.
From Marya Johnston, Owner: Although this book is based on the real life of Tan Yunxian, a female doctor in 15th century China (yes, I said 15th century!), at its core it is a story about women. How they support each other, how they can undermine each other, how they maintain lasting, deep friendships.
You’ll be gripped from the start as Yunxian witnesses her mother die as a result of foot binding. Lisa See is absolutely and convincingly able to describe the horrors and pain of foot binding, which has been practiced in China for a millennium. Yunxian, who grows up with her doctor grandparents, befriends the midwife’s daughter, Meiling, and this class difference between the two is evident throughout the book.
Although Yuxian is privileged, an arranged marriage and bound feet make her a caged bird. Meiling, on the other hand, is a much freer woman. This still raises the question today: are women who “have” really better off? This is a great read!
THIS WEEK’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS COME FROM:
Out West Books
533 Main Street, Grand Junction
outwestbooks.co
As part of the Literature Section – SunLit – we feature our staff’s recommendations from bookstores across the state. Read more.
