false 94053 6 In 1996, 26-year-old Peter Hessler arrived in Fuling, a town on China's Yangtze River, to begin a two-year Peace Corps stint as a teacher at the local college. Along with fellow teacher Adam Meier, the two are the first foreigners to be in this part of the Sichuan province for 50 years. Expecting a calm couple of years, Hessler at first does not realize the social, cultural, and personal implications of being thrust into a such radically different society. In <I>River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze</I>, Hessler tells of his experience with the citizens of Fuling, the political and historical climate, and the feel of the city itself.<p> "Few passengers disembark at Fuling ... and so Fuling appears like a break in a dream--the quiet river, the cabins full of travelers drifting off to sleep, the lights of the city rising from the blackness of the Yangtze," says Hessler. A poor city by Chinese standards, the students at the college are mainly from small villages and are considered very lucky to be continuing their education. As an English teacher, Hessler is delighted with his students' fresh reactions to classic literature. One student says of Hamlet, "I don't admire him and I dislike him. I think he is too sensitive and conservative and selfish." Hessler marvels, <blockquote>You couldn't have said something like that at Oxford. You couldn't simply say: I don't like Hamlet because I think he's a lousy person. Everything had to be more clever than that ... you had to dismantle it ... not just the play itself but everything that had ever been written about it.</blockquote> Over the course of two years, Hessler and Meier learn more they ever guessed about the lives, dreams, and expectations of the Fuling people.<p> Hessler's writing is lovely. His observations are evocative, insightful, and often poignant--and just as often, funny. It's a pleasure to read of his (mis)adventures. Hessler returned to the U.S. with a new perspective on modern China and its people. After reading <I>River Town</I>, you'll have one, too. <I>--Dana Van Nest</I> 1441686 2001 River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.) total:1130|5:362|4:522|3:191|2:47|1:8| 1130 4573 1582 260 1 7 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Apr 14 14:28:20 -0700 2007 Sat Apr 14 14:29:18 -0700 2007 anyway, i used to write a monthly literature review box or our volunteer newsletter, and o...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 28 07:31:47 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 07:32:15 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Oct 14 14:15:44 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 28 04:53:34 -0700 2007 Sun Oct 14 13:43:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Mon Sep 10 07:38:56 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 10 08:01:30 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 03 15:19:39 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 24 08:14:54 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 22 12:57:54 -0700 2008 Thu May 22 12:58:55 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 14:15:10 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 10 20:42:16 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 19:32:38 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 01:56:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 14 11:14:17 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 11:20:36 -0700 2009
I enjoyed this book because it transported me to another place that I didn't know much about....more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Oct 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 15:44:24 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 08:14:30 -0700 2009 1 Peter Hessler wrote this book after living and teaching for 2 years in Fuling. I was amazed at his ability to involve himself i...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 02:01:07 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 02:36:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 30 06:26:46 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 06:45:11 -0700 2009
He pleads guil...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 10 14:51:44 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 23:08:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 19 18:26:13 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 18:30:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Tue Sep 15 11:22:43 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 11:23:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 07 18:26:35 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 08 08:03:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 29 17:55:46 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 17:55:46 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 18 18:57:28 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 10 08:27:41 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Sep 21 00:50:07 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 30 18:35:10 -0800 2008 1
That one week trip was a great one in several ways, and starting this book towards the end of it, reading it on the plane, and then finishing it up s...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 19 10:36:26 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 20:17:38 -0700 2008 more...]]>