Had I read this book immediately after arriving in China, I probably would have given it 3 stars or possibly even 4. Maarten Troost's humorous observations, snarky jokes, semi-informed opinions, and sarcastic ranting exactly match what any reasonably educated foreigner thinks if he or she spends a month or two here. Thus, had I picked up his book in the fall of 2009, I would have probably been doubled over in laughter on a regular basis, saying things like "It's so true!"

However, I'm no longer that 1-month veteran content at reading 400 pages of jokes about bad air, strange food, and overpopulation. Unfortunately, that's basically what this book is: 400 pages of snarky comments about the fact that China is very polluted and very crowded. And while I admit that those two fundamental truths remain compelling, perhaps they are not so compelling to warrant repeating quite so often in one text. Throughout the book he also tries to sprinkle in as many comedicaly incisive social (and travel) comments as he can, but from my vantage point of two years, much of what he has to say comes off as trite, oversimplified, somewhat mean-spirited, and occasionally even a little clueless.

I admit that Troost includes some (fairly obvious) political observations, the occasional pro-China anecdote about the kindness of strangers, and more than a little awe at China's overall accomplishments and natural beauty; but the foundation of the book remains one seemingly endless complaint about the crowds and the air quality, and for that reason alone it's worth taking a pass. You can do much better if you want a travel-through-China type book written by an authoritative source that can eloquently tell you everything you need to know (see: China Road, by Rob Gifford).