5 comments about China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power.

1. This is a well-written account by a man who has the background to understand what he sees. Most books on China either deal with the effect of governmental oppression on average citizens, or else on the civilization's long and glorious history / economic powerhouse aspects. Gifford's central point is the unprecedented movement of the Chinese off the land and into the cities.
   
   This is a good book, worth reading, but I wouldn't call it a classic.



2. China Road:A Journey into the future of a rising power.
   Rob Gifford,NPR Correspondent
   ISBN 978-1-4000-6467-0
   Random House 2007,Hdbk, 299 pages
   
   Gifford's interesting book reads like he's talking to friends about his 3,000 backpack trip on Highway 312 (Old Silk Road) from Shanghai to Kazakhstan. On the way, he meets hundreds of ordinary Chinese and minority people. He listens to their life stories. He adds to his news-reporting knowledge many views about if China will become a fully developed country and world power.
   In his last chapter Gifford summarizes the pros and cons of what he learned. He seems convinced that China's political history will not change, which will eventually limit progress.
   He also analyzed views on whether China will take over Taiwan. One reason he thinks the two countries may join...thousands of Taiwanese businessmen already work in and own factories and businesses on the mainland. That could make uniting with China an inevitable and natural process.
   If you read only one book about China, I recommend China Road for a good sense of that nation's historical pulse, present problems, astounding growth and possible future.
   
   © Geni J. White



3. So nice! The stories were not about the Bad and the Good or tons of dry history. Just stories about the people and what they are up to. I couldn't put the book down! I just wanted to know what was around the next corner.



4. Having an adopted daughter from China I have a more than passing interest in the changes taking place there. We returned 10 years later, and we were BLOWN away by the amount of change that's happened since we first went.
   I knew this book was going to be good as soon as I read his first chapter on the Bund in Shanghi. He captured the scene there like I always wish I could describe it. You get a real feel for what it's like. That set up the rest of what was a very interesting book. This guy has a real feel for the people and pulse of China, and I thought was pretty fair on all of it, good and bad. It also jives with my much more limited feel for China.
   I'm still chuckling over the Amway rep and many other stories he had. This will be one that I keep thinking about, and at some point will re-read again. Good balance of history and human interest. If only all the books you got where such winners as this.



5. I'm a fan of travelogues and since I'm trying to get a little more clued in about modern China, this book seemed like a good pick. After spending seven years as a correspondent for NPR, author Gifford packed his bags in 2004 to move back to England and struck out for one last Chinese adventure. Over the course of two weeks, he made his way along "Route 312", which winds a roughly northwest 3,000-mile route from Shanghai to the border with Kazakhstan. Gifford preaces hiss journey with the hope that it will help him answer the question he gets all the time about China: will it become the next global superpower, or will it crumble into chaos? With that in mind, he's off (along with an NPR production crew) on a motley assortment of buses and trucks, meeting all manner of people, from angry poor farmers to slick rich businessmen, and everyone in between (including some zealous Amway reps!). The most memorable of his casual encounters is probably the traveling government abortionist who matter-of-factly explains the need for forced abortions to Gifford.
   
   His travels touch on pretty much everything someone reasonably conversant with modern China might already be familiar with: rural civil unrest, AIDS epidemics, the sex-trade industry, the shortage of woman in some areas, the pervasiveness of official corruption, ecological catastrophes in the making, the rise of religion, the political repression and cultural conversion of ethnic minorities, and of course the booming economic development and the confusing winds of change that follows in its wake. It's all good stuff, ably reported, however it struck me as somewhat superficial in a sense. These are all stories anyone reasonably attuned to international news and trends has probably heard on NPR, read in the Washington Post or the Economist, or seen on Frontline. The one area he doesn't touch upon, and probably should have, is the Chinese military and its vast role in China's politics and economics. Another quibble I have with the book is Gifford's blithe willingness to trot out all manner of "official" Chinese statistics throughout the book, despite general acknowledgement in much of the world that official Chinese data is hardly a reliable representation of the truth.
   
   In conclusion, Gifford returns to the broader picture of What It All Means, and fails miserably at providing a satisfying answer. Having introduced his trip with the uneccesarily binary "will China rise or fall?" motif, he now reluctantly returns to the question, ultimately sidestepping it. This all smacks of an editor's attempt to impose a larger framework on the book, and Gifford is so obviously uncomfortable in this role that it becomes embarrassing to read on as he flails around in the role of analyst, quoting the opinions of several China scholars and pundits at length rather than providing his own analysis. One can't help but wish that someone with such depth and breadth of experience in China could have arrived at a more insightful conclusion. Still, the book has great value as an easy to read and often fun introduction to modern China for those who are interested but don't know much.

5 comments about Beijing and Shanghai (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. I brought this travel guide with me to Beijing and Shanghai and in general thought it was useful and well-written. Unfortunately, the tiny serifed typeface was just too small for me to read easily. Not a problem for many people, but it sure was for me. I thought most of the information was accurate and helpful. I did not like the way they organized the book by mixing Beijing and Shanghai--I went to Beijing and wanted all that information and then I went to Shanghai and wanted all that info. I had to watch the color coding and page information to be sure I didn't wander into the wrong city (not in real life, only in the pages of the guide). It was a little heavier than I expected and I would be willing to sacrifice some of the high quality pictures and paper in order to make it lighter. Even considering the things I didn't like about the book, I would still buy it since the info was solid.



2. A real guide for a first time visit. Loved its contents, pictures, maps, suggestions and graphs of the major places of interest.



3. My husband and I bought this book right before we took a 3day tour to Beijing. It was a good help in a few areas to prepare us in our trip. I would suggest this book to anyone who plans on making the trip to this area of the world.



4. I have all Eyewitness Books on Travel & am hooked because of the photos. Most travel books have great info but nothing replaces arriving & seeing what you have identified from the comfort of your own home. As a person with one eye (due to cancer - too much chemo) this is very important to me. Faster than online....This one is exceptional & therefore I took the time to do a review for my next Asian trip. Hopefully it will help someone have a fantastic trip.



5. It was my first time in China and I went to both cities. The book was very informative, complete, well illustrated, and easy to read. Everybody in my group kept asking me to read it. I got to see other people's books and they did not come close. I strongly recommend this book.

5 comments about Day Of The Dragon-King (Magic Tree House 14, paper).

1. I hate the way the Dragen King wanted to burn all the books in China. But I am glad that Jack and Annie saved one. They escaped eveything.



2. When Jack and Annie found out that they were going to China, they went straight to the treehouse. They met Morgan there, and she told them that they had to save a library in China. The dragon king was going to burn all the books, because he didn't like them. Jack and Annie saw a huge map of the castle where the emporer lived and they used it to help them find the library. In the end, Jack and Annie saved the library and were heroes again.
   
   I liked this book because of the Terra Cotta soldiers (we have one of these at home !), the Chinese hats that Jack and Annie wore, and the dragon kings clothes. And I think I'm a good judge of Chinese things, since I was born in China !



3. this book Its great because anyone liked cartoon this book would like him



4. My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!



5. My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

5 comments about Lonely Planet China.

1. I spent a month in China with this guide book. The city maps were not great, but they were the best maps I found in any guide book. When I got back from my trip, someone gave me a hilarious new novel that takes place in China -"Sweet and Sour July"- about a group of tourists making their way from Hong Kong to Beijing and seeing everything in between. I highly recommend both of these books if you are planning a trip to China.



2. I used this book during my second trip to China in summer 2007. We did not take any organized tours. We used it in Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan province and we took its advice and avoided Shenzhen.
   
   That out of the way, I found the book eminently useful. There is enough Chinese script in it to show a taxi driver where you want to go by pointing to the characters. Every place name has a set of Chinese characters you can point to. The maps are particularly useful (of course), but I thought they could have edited out some of the color pictures for more maps. Can't get enough maps in a travel book.
   
   I did not really read this book until we actually landed in Beijing. From there it was pretty much a thing I could immediately pick up, figure out and use to get moving. The descriptions of things are acurrate.
   
   I'm not sure why some reviewers are complaining that the descriptions are too short or simple. China is a massive country of 1.6 billion people over a huge land with dozens upon dozens of cities -- more detail would double the book's weight.
   
   If you have to go to China (which I wouldn't really recommend) then you cannot go wrong with this book. It's a starting place, and a savvy travelor will find one of the millions of internet cafes available to look up more things in depth, or just ask questions of other travellers or hotel workers, shop clerks, waiters, etc. Anyone who wants more information than this book offers should just book an organized tour for their entire trip and have their hand held the entire time. Or better yet, take a cruise. Otherwise, this book will get you started and the rest is easy to figure out. It's very easy to travel around China. My first trip I didn't even use a book or a Chinese-Engilsh dictionary or even the internet.



3. I was born in China and lived there for more than 20 years. Since I moved to the States, I have traveled in China frequently on business and for family reasons.
   
   I am planning a trip to China with the rest of my family who traveled in China only once in 2006. To help them organized for the trip, I was looking for a guide book. I browsed this book in a local book store. I was shocked to see that it contains so much value-judging commentaries about Chinese history, customs, government policies, etc. Unfortunately the authors seem to understand little about Chinese history, culture, politics, economy and business. Some of their commentaries are blatantly racist. In describing Chinese moving around in their own country (whether Tibet or Xinjiang), on their own free will, the book's use of "hordes" and "flood" is derogatory, if not plainly racist.
   
   I do not intend to buy this book to brain wash my kids: They are going to China with an open mind and will be there to see with their own eyes and to judge on their own. Thank you very much.
   
   I also found quite a few misleading information about some popular sites. Other readers have already commented on some of them.
   
   So thanks to the authors for spending so much time on the commentaries and not enough time on providing accurate information for tourists, I am not buying this lonely planet.



4. An exceptional travel guide. Do not count on the prices being accurate but the big picture is spot on.
   
   There are two problems with the Lonely Planet guide: it is too heavy for a traveler; it is on the banned books list in China (but my copy was not taken in my last two trips).
   
   Death by Lonely Planet refers to guiding thousands of tourists to a once untouched spot. The Lonely Planet guide is a blessing and a curse.



5. We are independent travelers who usually travel with Lonely Planet. China is changing so fast it is hard to keep any guide up to date, but the travel and site information here was generally accurate and very helpful. I was disapointed in some of the restaurant recomendations.

5 comments about River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (P.S.).

1. Excerpts from this book first appeared in "The New Yorker". Their charm prompted me to buy the entire book (in hardback, yet!), and I was not disappointed. Hessler writes fluidly and charmingly about his experience in China, teaching English as a foreign language to Chinese students. An altogether beguiling book.
   
   In similar vein, I highly recommend Mark Salzman's "Iron and Silk", a more idiosyncratic, but equally charming memoir.
   
   Also Brad Leithauser's novel "Equal Distance", fictional, and set in Japan, rather than China, but equally evocative in its own way.



2. I read very few books, but I just could not put this one down...I have studied Chinese - Mandarin for two years and I will be moving to China in May of this year for work...so with all of that in mind, I was anxious to learn more about the culture of China and to experience how an American was accepted into a smaller town in China. The humor and detail that he puts into his writing makes it very enjoyable to read...I would recommend this book to anyone interested in everyday life in China and how the history of the country plays into this.



3. For anyone who's been tempted to respond to one of those ads to "teach English abroad," River Town offers an insightful window into the world of expat instructors--in this case to Chinese students. Peace Corp volunteer Peter Hessler trades his life as a Princeton grad, Oxford M.A., and disillusioned potential Ph.D. candidate, for a new life as "He Wei," an English language and literature teacher at Fuling Teachers' College in Sichuan province. For two years, between 1996 and 1998, Hessler lived and taught in Fuling, a city of 200,000, where locals could not recall having seen an American ever before and remembered seeing only one other foreigner since 1949. The vignettes Hessler creates from his encounters with a fascinating cast of characters were so evocative and enjoyable that I forced myself to read only two chapters a day in an effort to savor each moment with this tome.
   
   Living in China presents challenges for all expats, but during his first year, Hessler felt the additional pressure of being held under a microscope by both his students and the town folk, to whom he seemed such a novelty. As a result, the author devises some interesting and effective strategies for both coping with the strains of his life in Fuling and for absorbing as many cultural nuances as possible. Through the sketches he presents, Hessler tries to answer the questions "what experiences lead up to one's ability to cope and succeed in a foreign environment," and "at what point do the benefits start to outweigh the challenges?"
   
   One of the author's key strategies for both fitting in and for learning about local culture was to become fluent in Mandarin as quickly as possible. He also tried to pick up as much local dialect as possible. Mastering the language helped to ingratiate "He Wei"with his students, colleagues, and the town folk, but also unlocked the mysteries of Sichuan. As Ernest Hemingway lingered in bars, Hessler hung out in tea houses, soaking up local culture. He experienced some challenges from locals who either did not appreciate his presence or wanted to take advantage of him, but he never gave up trying to be accepted. Eventually, persistence paid off, and he developed a rapport with the local people and won the trust of many students.
   
   One of the strategies that led to his success was Hessler's ability to laugh at himself and find humor in almost any situation--essential as an expat. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is Hessler's ability to look determinedly at the bright side. Hessler's observations on the differences between Americans and Chinese culture are also a highlight. Some of the most interesting parts of the book are when he presents student reactions to writing assignments and their adaptations and dramatizations of English literary texts. As a result, the book provides fascinating insights on many topics, such as history, money, jobs, family values, youth culture, education, and the economy. It is clear that this teacher learned as much from his students as they learned from him--or possibly more.
   
   Even if you have no desire to teach or live in China, you will likely enjoy hearing about Hessler's "river town." This teacher deserves an A for the effort he made to truly experience and learn about the average Chinese life and for documenting his sharp observations in such entertaining detail.



4. Others have already provided in-depth reasons as to why they rated this book five stars, but these are mine:
   
   1. Hessler's work reads like a suspenseful novel; I couldn't put it down for several days and learned a good deal.
   2. Hessler never comes off as remotely condescending toward the people of Fuling, which is unfortunately more than I can say about most authors of travelogues.
   3. Hessler includes excerpts from his students' essays, letters, and newspapers that communicate more about Chinese culture than could any formal history book.
   
   I am currently reading another of Hessler's books, Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present and recommend it to anyone who enjoys River Town or any historic nonfiction.



5. If you're a fan of visual travel writing, in the style of Peter Mathiessen (The Snow Leopard), you'll probably enjoy this book very much, although the ground it covers is semi-urban China, rather than the wilds of Nepal. Hessler has an exceptional eye for detail and a strong ability to bring the reader into the sensory experience of China.

2 comments about Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China.

1. Despite the glossy cover, this cookbook has been over 20 years in the making. It dates back to the authors' travels in tibet in the 80s, and then when plans for the book were made by their book agent, of further research trips in the 00s. Having visited China during the same timeframe dating to the 80s, I can attest to the wonderment of discovering the "other" China, of meeting caucasian chinese citizens from turkic tribes who speak perfect mandarin, of tasting perfect kebobs and roasts from mongolian and muslims cooks, of the religious mysticism of tibet. and it is this exotic "other" china on which this book is based on.
   
   Since authentic cookbooks of even relatively well known minorities such as tibetans are hard to come by in english (and I suspect in chinese as well), it is a real treat to discover the cuisines of the uighurs and the mongols, and the dai and the hani, albeit for the most part reverse-engineered by the authors. Interspersed between the recipes are the authors' travel anecdotes of varying quality.
   
   Indeed, it is their traveller's perspective passing through and re-engineering the dishes that admittedly exposes my own bias and ultimately my reservations about the book. With the bar for cookbooks set ever higher, the gold standard is for ethnic cookbooks to be written by cultural residents in the locales where the food is from, whether native or adopted, these people have had presumably years of experience making the food, as well as, the language skills and acumen(to get published!) in order to communicate this to us in the western mass market.
   
   i certainly await the day when an enterprising young tuvan or uighur can share her grandmother's recipes with us (perhaps most likely in a blog rather than a glossy cookbook) but until that day comes, this book will remain a treasure.
   
   i've had the pleasure of attending a forum hosted by james oseland, inviting jeff and naomi to discuss their new book. but i paid for my copy and do not have any financial disclosures to declare.



2. As Beijing Olympic Games approaches, people in China has been extremely busy and so have been those who are against China for one reason or another. Recently, we've witnessed the Lhasa riot, the overwhelmingly biased coverage by the Western media using fabricated footages, the often violent disruptions of the Olympic touch relay across major Western cities, and now, there is this "cook book".
   
   First of all, the timing of this book is interesting. According to the authors, it was their long time editor who had commanded them to do this book. Equally revealing of a shared deep-rooted hatred and colonial bias against China is how the editor, and the authors call Tibet among themselves, instead of Tibet region of China, they refer it as par of the Central Asia, it shows that deep down, they really hate to see Tibet is part of China now, instead of part of India or the British Empire. And has anybody else noticed their collective eagerness to rush this "cook book" out before the Games? Coincidence or part of a pathetic, ill-intentioned collective effort orchestrated by some mysterious institution?
   
   Once understand where those people came from, it's not hard to learn the hidden meaning behind the buzzword used in the sub title and throughout the book: the other China. China is consisted of 56 major ethic groups, while Han is the largest. The author claims that non-Han Chinese citizens "are not considered by the government to be Chinese" is totally false and seriously misleading! I wonder would the authors dare to highlight this false statement to the Chinese authority next time they apply for a visa to go to China (to make more money off her)?
   
   The authors are heart-broken by the "many social changes" happened in China in the past 20 years. What's so terrible? Twenty years ago, the whole country was poor and so was the Tibet area. When a country is booming, people from relatively developed areas will migrate to less developed areas to make personal wealth, just like what Americans did in the migration west. If the authors really want to blame somebody, blame capitalism, not Chinese government, unless they secretly want the whole country still frozen in poverty so various cultural thieves can continue to get rich from there.
   
   In conclusion, as a "cook book", this is valueless! Just like no matter how many video types you shot about Mike Tyson's games, you are still not qualified to publish a textbook about boxing. Rather, this is a propaganda commanded by outside power to "tie-in" with the Olympic Games, so they can bark at the country and people whom so generously allowed them to poke around while getting handsome rewards from the Western capitalism system. The question for the rest of us is: should we pay to reward them as well?

5 comments about Thailand (Country Guide).

1. For my first trip to Thailand 10 years ago, I purchased just about every guide book available. Only one book has stood the test of time - Lonely Planet Thailand. Over the years, I have picked up new editions as they have become available. From personal experience, I would argue that the quality of my trips has increased along with the quality each subsequent edition. As tourism, culture and economics in Thailand evolves, so too does Lonely Planet Thailand, keeping pace with changing social trends, places of interest, as well as places to avoid. All this, of course, in addition to the vast body of information critical to planning where to stay, what to eat and what to do while in-country. More than a strong recommendation, this book is a must-have for any traveller to Thailand.



2. Very useful for new tourists. Book is organized by location and subdivided by events, sights, restaurants, hotels and more. It has a detailed map and lots of pictures too. It gives a good honest summary about different locations, what's worth your time, and what to be careful about as well. Very useful- highly recommended.



3. 
   This very recently updated guide is the best I've seen. If you only want to rely on one guidebook, this is it.



4. I have bought many guidebooks over the years and would say that lonely planet has the best. No, it is not one of those guidebooks filled with pretty, glossy photos but a clear, concise guidebook with pertinent information designed for all travelers whether you are a budget traveler or a jetsetter. Very user friendly, always updated. If you are only going to use one travel guide, cut to the chase and pick up lonely planet.



5. Lots of information. The websites are in general up to date. There is a lot to see in Thailand so this book covers a lot of the popular areas.

5 comments about Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China (P.S.).

1. Honestly, good for people with experience in China or not, but I think it resonated with me in particular because I have experienced much of what he describes. It also provides interesting background and history on the language and politics. His mastery is the ability to observe and conceptualize his environment without passing judgment. This is one of the major difference between Oracle Bones and China Road by Rob Gifford (China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power). Oracle Bones is also much deeper.



2. Throughout the 90s I traveled to China a lot, as part of several research projects through my university. Though I have been hampered by not speaking the language (I started Chinese lessons three different times), I had wonderful hosts who introduced me to a wide range of things going on. I spent 6 weeks in 1993 teaching at Peking University, and was there when the disappointing news about the Olympics were announced. I was there in 1999 when we bombed the Chinese embassy.
   
   Reading Hessler's book took me back to all these times, but gave me also so much more. He has done a fabulous job of exploring many different scenes and characters in the China of the 90s. I did not get the chance to spend time in the countryside, so I really enjoyed those parts of the book. Also, his ongoing stories of former students or of the Uighur Polat give great insight into the flow of events in this period. Going back to the 50s and 60s, with the stories of people's experiences in the cataclysmic events of the Mao era of China's recent history remind me of the similar stories I heard from my friends who had also lived through these periods.
   
   I love the continuous story of the Oracle Bones themselves, and all the people, past and present, who were tied up in the stories of their discovery, interpretation, and preservation. And the late section of the book on the written language, and the attempts at change, was particularly interesting.
   
   I am now motivated to go read Hessler's earlier book, River Town. He is clearly an author with a sensitive eye to what's been going on. I hope he as more books in mind.



3. It's refreshing to find a book on China by a journalist with some knowledge of and, even better, an interest in really learning about sinological matters. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, Western journalists have written their books on China: at first largely from the perspective of being the rare Westerner in a newly opened up China, and then over time with increasing emphasis on his or her observations of China's political and economic situation--invariably in the context of the reporter's personal experiences in China.
   
   ORACLE BONES, too, is personal, not that we get to know Peter Hessler very well (though a "Postscript" titled "Meet Peter Hessler" presents a short autobiographical sketch), but in the sense that we experience China through his "I"s. Unlike many earlier books by journalists, though, there isn't much focus on leadership politics here; instead the warp of the fabric of this book is perspectives on Chinese (and Uighur) culture and history.
   
   If that is the warp, the weft principally follows the story of Chen Mengjia, a renowned scholar of "oracle bones" (scapulae and tortoise shells inscribed with writing and used in divination practices a few thousand years ago). Chen Mengjia was branded a rightist in the late 1950s, and he subsequently committed suicide at the onset of the Cultural Revolution. In the course of Hessler's journeys--not all related to Chen's story--the writer learns pieces of Chen's story (only a little of which is consistent) and a whole lot more about 20th century Chinese and Western sinological history. It's refreshing to find Hessler's views so well informed; you'll find nothing here, for instance, about the so-called Chinese "ideograph" that sullies so many books that refer to the Chinese writing system.
   
   Hessler, now a Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker magazine, was once a Peace Corps volunteer English teacher in China, an experience that he describes in his earlier book, RIVER TOWN. He devotes a good part of this book weaving in descriptions of his encounters with his former students and of their post-education lives. Hessler also discusses the life of a Uighur that he befriends in China, and who subsequently travels to the U.S. and successfully seeks asylum. In these stories, Hessler doesn't flinch from the terrible realities of Communist China, and they are often brutal; at the same time, though, the U.S. (specifically, Washington, D.C.) doesn't get off easily in the depiction of the everyday difficulties that confront Hessler's Uighur friend, including racism and robbery.
   
   Hessler's style gives the appearance of effortlessness when you just know how much work must have gone into the book. His keen observations often express subtle truths, such as when he comments, "There is always something sad about furniture in a museum" (p. 384) and his empathy conveys genuineness, e.g., when he confronts a scholar with a personal criticism of Chen Mengjia that the now old man felt forced to write when he was a youth (p. 390). You want to continue hanging out with Hessler and see what more he learns. It's a disappointment then when, even at some 450-plus pages, the book quietly ends.



4. Hessler uses his own experiences, combined with detailed experiences gathered from native friends throughout the important regions of China to describe their lifestyle and situations in regards to growing up and making their own lives in "The New China." As Hessler describes the current status of economic regions and interpersonal relationships, he also weaves in ancient and recent history creating a resource for understanding why the Chinese react and function as they do.
   
   A compelling read. I speak Chinese, my wife doesn't, and we have both found Hessler's books intriguing and understandable. "River Town" is also excellent. Hessler allows you to remember how it feels to be in that situation--even if you never have been.



5. 
   Never does Hessler mention the raising importance of China on the world stage. By avoiding the subject he toys with a tension that is best only alluded to: we as westerners are aware of China on the horizon; his job as a journalist is simply to offer well vetted evidence. All of this sets a stage for an understated humor.
   The idiosyncrasies of particular regions in China (as in any country), are illustrated by slang. For example, one Sichuanese student named Willy, who sought his fortune in Wenzhou, writes to Hessler of his "backward and yashua [toothbrush] hometown--Sichuan". Throughout the story is the word "jiade". Meaning pirated, jiade becomes a catch-phrase and an inside joke that we're in on.
   A method employed throughout the book is that of a parallel narrative: Artifacts A through Z. These are loosely interconnected chapters that pepper the book's 458 pages. They function as historical vignettes; Hessler here has an opportunity to contrast his travel documentary within the context of ancient Chinese history. In Artifact A, we are introduced to the Oracle Bones of the book's title. Oracle Bones are the oldest surviving Chinese writing. Named in Chinese "jiaguwen", they were ideas carved onto tortoise shells and cow scapulas. Cryptic passages such as "The king goes to the hunting field; the whole day he will not encounter great wind" or "We ritually report the king's sick eyes to Grandfather Ding" were, depending how they broke apart, read as an oracle. "The irony of Chinese archeology" Hessler points out, "is that the earliest known writings attempt to tell the future. . . . From the Shang, the voice of the turtle speaks." Throughout the different Artifact chapters the author demonstrates his diverse and growing knowledge of archeological sites, past dynasties, and oracle bone era written characters compared to their classical and contemporary counterparts.
   The plot shifts toward a more investigative thriller. Mr. Hessler follows a thread of a story for The New Yorker: did historian Chen Mengjia commit suicide and, if so, why? Mengjia had travelled to the Unites States in the 1930s. There he documented ancient Chinese bronze artworks that had wound up in private hands. The Artifact chapters also begin to follow this theme. Part of the intrigue in this subplot lies in the how so many of the older generation in China were persecuted and threatened under Mao. Mengjia's book was published later by the communists. Only they had a different idea for the title: Our Country's Shang and Zhou Bronzes Looted by American Imperialists. As the author unravels what happened, he must, upon interviewing elder intellectuals, word his questions carefully so as not to offend. This story dovetails nicely into Chairman Mao's misguided-- and later aborted-- attempt to simplify the written Chinese character. We find ourselves uncovering a linguistic mystery.
   In a story like this, being a journalist is a perfect job to keep things interesting. Whether we're in a border town across the river from North Korea for a National Geographic piece, or in a threatened hutong neighborhood in Beijing (where he finds an apartment-- and the next story) he moves the tale along. We witness the sad fate of Falun Gong members as China "cleans up" for a State Visit in Beijing. Later, the attacks of September 11th allow us a peek into the expatriate world as a news starved Hessler buys jiade videos to see more of what happened in New York. All along we are aware of the tremendous rate of growth in the country. The locals say, "we live in chai nar" (meaning "demolish where?").
   Reading Oracle Bones is a learning experience. The placement of the Artifact chapters is an enjoyable way to break up the story, and there are many facts woven into the book by way of this lexicon. Having myself lived outside the States for several years, I could identify with some of the difficulties Peter runs into. As the Olympic games approach, and with China in the news, I have been checking the bylines of my New Yorker magazines for Mr. Hessler's name, to learn what he has been up to. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

5 comments about Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season.

1. The story is captivating and well-told, but the text needs a serious round of copy-editing.
   
   You may recall books like "Into Thin Air," which recounted the 1996 disaster on Mount Everest. From those accounts, we know the weather was a central factor in the horrific events that played out. In 2006, the body count was just as bad, but the weather was fine. With the weather not part of the death equation, why did so many people die on Mount Everest in 2006?
   
   Dark Summit holds many clues, because it provides a detailed narrative of about the various tragedies of 2006 and what led up to them. Given what went on, it's surprising that the body count wasn't even higher.
   
   In the ten years that followed the 1996 disaster, the two national governments (Nepal and China) that control access to Everest failed to institute such basic safety measures as limiting access to qualified personnel. In the industrial safety arena, a "qualified person" is one who meets certain minimum competence standards for the task at hand. This concept is conspicuously absent from the management of access to Everest.
   
   Another basic safety measure would be the formation of permanent rescue teams, which would be present and on standby during the climbing season. Nobody has set up a fund for this, though the sheer number of people shelling out money to climb Everest would easily make that possible.
   
   Nor do we find any formal contingency plans or evacuation plans. It seems that everyone involved is, every year, surprised that people show up. And they appear to be surprised further still that danger exists on Everest--gee, what a concept. Apparently, the increasing number of corpses littering the mountain doesn't translate into the idea that it's dangerous to be on the mountain.
   
   Because of this failure to connect these really huge dots, the death toll in 2006 was on par with that of 1996. Same drill, different year.
   
   Construction safety managers like to say, "Safety is no accident." The thought behind this pithy saying is that safety occurs because you plan for it and follow your plan. Safety doesn't happen by accident. It happens because you follow a proper safety plan.
   
   On Everest, however, we see that the overall safety plan for 2006 wasn't even accidental--there wasn't one. Nor did all of the Everest "climbers" make their safety their personal responsibility. It seems clear (in hindsight) that most of the expedition companies put summiting first and worried about safety second. The high body count, then, is no surprise at all.
   
   A couple of expedition companies, such as Himex, put safety first and make a point of getting clients back alive. That's part of their DNA. Their philosophy is a bit more complex than the idea that real mountaineering is purely about summiting at any cost. Those very companies have been pilloried for not doing enough to "save" people whose own actions (or lack thereof) put them in their predicaments to begin with. The "logic" is that those who have planned are supposed to bail out those who gambled.
   
   Climbers are a particularly safe bunch (I know because I are one!). A climber follows certain rituals and procedures, period. For example, climbers check each other's harnesses before each ascent, even if they have already done so a dozen times that day. Except for a few risk-seeking superstars, a real climber asks, "What are the dangers and how do I protect myself?" A real climber is looking forward to climbing many more times in the future rather than dying on this one climb. The climbing culture involves layers of safety practices. The quickest way for a climber to be ostracized by other climbers is to act cavalier about safety.
   
   In many climbing settings, access is contingent upon following safety protocols. Violate these, and you are permanently banned. As we can tell from the bodies strewn on Everest, that isn't the case everywhere.
   
   Everest is increasingly populated with climber wannabes who have no business being there. They are climbing way beyond their ability level, both figuratively and literally. In doing so, they endanger not just themselves but others. They tend to compromise the expeditions of people who would otherwise have been able to summit and descend safely. And, as we are seeing, many of these wannabes go up but don't come down.
   
   A few Everest-related Websites tell stories about the various tragedies, near misses, and other consequences of the hubris that is now standard for Mount Everest expeditions (not all, but most). Unfortunately, many pundits blame a few specific people who, when you look at the actual facts, and circumstances, are not at fault. They weren't the ones who showed up unqualified, unprepared, under-equipped, and out of shape.
   
   Those sites, then, aren't helping prevent future calamities. But, they have the power to do so. They can post articles that point out the system problems, and they can provide a means for people to collaborate on on implementing the solutions. It seems a shame that they don't use that opportunity.
   
   Solutions to the major deficiencies are reasonable and achievable. For example, why haven't the larger expedition companies formed an Everest Association that has rules for participation? And that provides full-time rescue teams? If there's one thing you can say about governments, it's that they like to suck up money. So such an association could kick a percentage of its membership fees to the two national governments that control access to Everest. Those two governments could then make association membership a mandatory condition for access. Heil doesn't prescribe this in his book, and given both his in-depth knowledge and and high credibility that seems like a wasted opportunity.
   
   Unlike most commentators, Heil avoids finger-pointing as he brings us his account of the 2006 fiasco. He focuses on accurately portraying the events. What emerges is a dark tale of the dark summit, with details that allow the reader to have a clear picture of what transpired. Unlike some others who have told the story, Heil does very solid reporting. Reading his account, I could not help but feel the tagline under the title means just what it says--the true story.
   
   And what a story it is. When you look at some of the people who were there, it's small wonder that this particular season was so tragic. Some examples include:
   
   *A double amputee.
   *A guy whose bones had been screwed together following a motorcycle accident.
   *An out of shape guy with a condition that renders him blind at high altitude.
   *A guide with only one previous 8,000 meter ascent (and that one didn't go well).
   
   During climbing season, Everest is so crowded that people pile up dangerously at points all along the climbing routes. Unqualified "climbers" are struggling, due to a lack of expertise, a lack of preparation, a lack of fitness, a lack of experience, or some combination thereof.
   
   Increasingly (as Heil shows), the population on Everest represents a slice of upper middle class dreamers and thrill-seekers rather than real climbers. When these dilettantes get in trouble, they can't just snap their fingers for assistance. Which is why so many of them suffer profound disfigurement or even die. Whose fault is that? Who should assist them?
   
   Heil brings up some interesting questions, regarding responsibility for others on Everest. Here's one to ponder. Suppose you spent several years to prepare to summit Everest. You've climbed several 8,000 meter peaks, thus earning your stripes. Now you've trained especially hard for the past several months and spent $50,000 in expedition fees for this one climb. It's your fourth attempt.
   
   Another person, who has only negligible mountaineering experience, shows up with little preparation and even less equipment. This person paid a no-name expedition company $7500 for a no-frills package and that means pretty much no support.
   
   You have a one-day window to summit before a storm hits, and you know you can make it. But as you start out on your final day, you encounter Mr. No Frills. He's catatonic and can't move. Do you stop to help him down?
   
   The short answer is no. Not because you will blow $50,000 that this person probably can't pay back, but because you are barely surviving at that altitude yourself. At 29,000 feet, your body is eating itself up and you have the most dangerous part--the descent--ahead of you. Your coordination, strength, and mental focus are all way below par. Nobody carries a dead body or a non-moving person down from the higher altitudes, because they can't. Which is why the dead are just left there.
   
   So you can choose to do what you came to do, or you can choose to give it up for a rescue effort that has almost no hope of succeeding. You know that the attempt could cost you your fingers, even if you manage to survive. The other person, who shouldn't be there, will probably die anyhow.
   
   By understanding the challenges facing people on Everest, you better understand those whose behavior might otherwise seem as cold and unfeeling as the mountain itself. Heil tells the story as it happened, giving the reader a sense of actually being there. He provides plenty of detail about what happens to the human body and the mind at the higher elevations, so that you get a sense of just how incapacitating it is to be there. Everest is not a test of climbing skill so much as it is a test of endurance at the outer limits of possibility.
   
   I found the book engrossing and highly informative. The author didn't take any cheap shots at anyone or push his personal agenda. Nor did he sensationalize--given what really went on, he didn't need to. The reality was sensational enough. Heil provided rich detail and told the story in a way that kept me turning the pages.
   
   Dark Summit could have been an excellent book, but it misses the mark due to mechanical errors in the text. I close this review with an explanation of my opening remark about the need for copyediting. I encountered mistakes like:
   
   *"Sharp" used in place of "sherpa" (capitalized as shown).
   *"marshall artists" instead of "martial artists"
   *A large number of misspellings.
   *Some parallel sentence structure, which is confusing.
   *Some composition errors that rendered a few sentences incomprehensible.
   *Miscellaneous scraps of text appearing completely out of place (copy and paste errors?).
   
   Heil worked as a magazine editor. In the enthusiast magazine industry, the title "editor" doesn't mean "one who edits." It means "subject matter expert who writes articles that someone else must edit." That editing work should have been done on this manuscript before publishing it. Heil comes across as a great verbal story teller and a solid researcher with high standards of editorial integrity. But a good copyeditor should have cleaned up this text to prevent the mental gymnastics that interrupted the flow of this intriguing story.



2. In 2006, eleven climbers died trying to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. The most famous fatality was David Sharp who was left near the top still alive while forty other people continued their ascent. One week later, Lincoln Hall was left to die at the same spot that Sharp died; he survived that night without shelter leading to speculation re Sharp.
   
   Nick Heil investigates the true story of what went wrong on the Everest climb in the deadliest year since 1996. He makes the case that some ruthless commercial operators are making increasing access available but at the cost of dramatic increase in risk. Readers will be hooked by Mr. Heil's passion for mountain climbing while horrified by the avarice of some to take advantage of the obsession of many advocates to claim they reached the top of the world. The author points out rescue is usually impossible and can endanger others; while he also defends operator Brice who was accused of abandoning Sharp to die on the mountain's Death Zone. However, Mr. Heil also rips less conscientious operators like the guide who failed to assist a confused Thomas Weber, who other climbers felt could be rescued. This is chilling yet fascinating as Mr. Heil provides a lucid account of the deaths on the DARK SUMMIT.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. I pre-ordered this book immediately after watching The Discovery Channel documentary: "Everest Beyond the Limit". It is an excellent companion to the documentary giving very insightful information on the tragedy of 1996. I really re-evaluated how I felt about Russell Brice and the sherpas through this book. It is always fascinating to read about this world on Everest that most of us cannot ever visit. I almost felt like I was reading about a story from another planet! If you love Everest but cannot ever climb it, buy this book to visit this amazing place...it is a wonderful read and a perfect addition to my ever growing mountaineering library.



4. For the reader fascinated by Mt. Everest, this book provides a very interesting status report on the current commercial climbing scene there. It seems each year that the present permit system continues it is a set-up for tragedies such as what happened to British climber David Sharp plus incredible survival stories like that of Australian Lincoln Hall. As anyone knows who has been there, Everest has a magical allure but at the same time the margin for error or inadequate preparation is slim. The account of 2006 on the Northeast ridge makes for riveting reading. At the same time, the account points out a glaring need for change such as a quota system and some serious climbing prerequisites. Philosophically does one really want to stand in line on a route where progress is slowed and risks increased by some "climbers" who probably shouldn't be on the mountain in the first place. On Everest, the stakes are too high.



5. If you watched the documentary, you will enjoy reading a more behind the scenes look at what was going on during the filming. That is the pro of this book. Unfortunately, it is filled with many more cons.
   
   The writing is not fluid, becomes quite boring at times, needs copy editing (as many others have already pointed out with firm examples) and, most bothersome to me, doesn't really hold true to its book summary. The book itself jumps around tremendously from one Everest season to another rather than staying with the one it summarizes. While this is done for background on how the mountain became "controversial" it lends itself more to a dissertation on the seasons of Everest rather than the issue most people will buy the book for - namely the death of David Sharp.
   
   In addition, it is written almost as propaganda in support of Brice (the guide in charge of expedition that was filmed). I am a fan of Brice, feel he has done amazing things on Everest for many many teams rather than just his own. His actions this particular season needed no justification and while this is said in the book, the author spends considerable time trying to convince his readers of the same. I found it irritating that he kept trying to defend Brice (who, again, needed no defending) rather than just telling the story.
   
   Final verdict: if you enjoyed the television show, you will enjoy reading more about the season events on Everest. If you are a reader of adventure books or Everest chronicles, you'll likely find this book exactly what it is - a quick, thrown together analysis by someone grabbing on to the very commercialism of Everest he complains of.

5 comments about Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.

1. In spite of many reviews of this book which suggest that Mr. Krakauer's account of this Everest expedition is self-serving and overly critical of Anatoli Boukreev, I found it to be a moving and unbiased narrative of an event which has obviously devastated the author and left him wracked with guilt.
   
   Into Thin Air is a riveting and exceptional account of the 1996 Everest disaster that left many brave people -- tourists and guides -- dead. If the author, Jon Krakauer, did not try and identify the factors which led to this tragic end, we as readers would be sorely disappointed with the book. Clearly, we want to know what happened and what went wrong. Krakauer tries to describe the events as he remembers them, and he has called upon many of his companions in this nightmare to share their memories as well.
   
   He does not point fingers, and this is an important point for me. An event of this magnitude was too complicated to have a single cause, and no one person or action could be solely responsible. I realize that the relatives (and fans) of Hall, Fischer, and Boukreev don't want to hear about mistakes they might have made, and yet I always found Krakauer to be fair in his observations. Hall's death is tragic, and I cried while reading about it. But still, Hall did not follow his own guidelines that day, and Krakauer explores the reasons he might have acted against his better judgment.
   
   And yes, Boukreev was a hero who single-handedly saved several people -- but his actions earlier in the day had their small part in the impending disaster. Some other reviewers carry on as if Krakauer has identified Boukreev's decision to climb without oxygen as the sole cause of the disaster. He never says that. It's just one detail in a web of causalities.
   
   Krakauer does not spare himself. He makes it clear that he was in a state of collapse in his tent, asleep, while Boukreev was heroically staging a rescue attempt. And he is very, very clear about the role he played in the death of Andy Harris. I think Mr. Krakauer will take that guilt with him to the grave.
   
   This is a moving, well-written, and (in my opinion) realistic and unbiased account. I found it to be unforgettable.



2. I read Into Thin Air in school. After hearing from many other students, I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book. After getting into the story, I changed my mind.
   The story starts off somewhat slow, as they are not on the mountain yet, but picks up after the 7th chapter. It is one of those books that you want to read straight through. It always leaves you on the edge, wanting to read more. This book is about the true but sad story of climbers from everest expeditions. They summited at a bad time and got caught in a horrible storm, leaving many climbers behind. I don't know if this book is completely accurate, as it has been challenged many times but no one knows what happened that year for sure.



3. When I was very young, I believed my purpose in life was to climb Mount Everest. I was fascinated by the idea of hiking through the snow and eventually reaching the highest piece of land on earth. Walking to school, I would imagine myself climbing the mountain. Every road I crossed was a vast crevasse, thousands of feet deep. But, like most childhood dreams, I eventually grew out of it. So, Recently when I saw a book captioned: "The Mount Everest Disaster," the old ashes were rekindled and I naturally had to read it.
   
   Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's recollection of the "Mount Everest Disaster," as the cover phrases it. He gives background information of every climber on his team as well as general facts about Mount Everest and climbing itself. Krakauer's style is excellent, and afterwards it feels as if you were there on the mountain beside him.
   
   The book was a little slow at the beginning, unfortunately. Maybe it was the fact that none of the names meant anything to me, or the fact that everything is described in great detail, sometimes seeming very long and drawn out. Eventually I got used to it, and it ultimately was necessary for understanding all of the character's actions later on. One great aspect of the book is that Krakauer names who died right off the bat. Not only did that make me immediately interested, but it also became nerve wracking later in the book, knowing which characters were destined to never return home.
   
   Krakauer is a born storyteller. Most storytellers do just that. They tell stories. But unlike most storytellers, Krakauer had his own story to tell. It was a life-changing story at that. Many authors could have barely made up such a great tale out of thin air, but this actually happened. That is the most haunting fact of the story, it is true.
   
   Regardless if you like climbing, hiking, or snow, this is a great book. Even if reading isn't enjoyable, this book is. In short, this is the best book I have read in a very long time.



4. As with his other ode to ego versus nature, "Into the Wild", Mr. Krakauer makes it clear with "Into Thin Air" that nature is best seen as a test bed for the elite and ego inflamed to examine their will and inner mettle or, um, die. As a result "Into Thin Air" leaves the old school of respectable and fearful examination of man living WITH nature (see the books of Ernest Seton among many others as an example) into a new school of nature writing dedicated to exploring the various ways a man or woman must overcome nature or perish in the attempt. Which, let's face it, is just plain silly. There is very little to recommend in this viewpoint, it is narcissistic and sophomoric and ultimately degrading to both nature and man; so goes the book, and for that matter, so goes the Nepal Everest base camp, which has become, at my last visit, an open dump/sewer.
   
   If you really must read about the dangers of Mt. Everest, you are much, much better off reading "Mountain without Mercy" by B. Coburn, T. Cahill and D. Breashers. Better yet, pick up the book In Highest Nepal; Our Life Among the Sherpas by Norman Hardie. Norman doesn't conquer Mt. Everest or even care to, in fact he never even attempts the summit. Instead he lives among the Sherpa and discovers the various means they've discovered to live with the most extreme that nature has to offer. Which, in my view, is what nature writing should be about.



5. Krakauer doubtlessly is a great story-teller who can keep you engrossed in every detail he delivers at each turn of the story. My only complaint is that he sprinkles difficult vocabulary not only without any added effect, but clunkily, making certain words stand out from the rest of his prose. Take, for example, the following sentence:
   
   "Now, four days later, Nukita warned us that a similarly PREDACIOUS swarm of print and television reporters lay in wait for us..." (280, emphasis added)
   
   Um... why not just "predatory"? Is it just me, or is the word "predacious" as common a word as "predatory"?
   
   Or take another sentence:
   
   "But such moments were tempered by the long PENUMBRA cast by Everest..." (282, emphasis added)
   
   Again, why not infinitely more understandable and easy-to-imagine "SHADOW"? Why "PENUMBRA"? Why go so poetic and abstract all of a sudden? I was literally thrown off balance when I came across the word in midsentence because it's so out of place. Besides, it hazards leaving the reader wondering what the word means rather than sympathizing with the author's plight. My complaint is based on the fairly commonsensical belief that when a word is not adding anything - whether it be impact, image, style, etc. - it should be ruthlessly cut and/or replaced with another. PENUMBRA seems to fall pat into this sort of instance. Unfortunately, I didn't keep detailed note of every instance in which the author slipped in flashy words tragically to the detriment of his own otherwise lucid prose, I can't say for certain how often he did it, but as far as i remember, there were numerous similar occasions where I thought the word he chose was definitely working against his writing.
   
   But my quibbling ends here and I only have kudos for the book. It's an awesome adventure story about people with astounding willpower under the worst and extremest of environmental conditions imaginable. Highly recommended.