5 comments about Bones of the Master: A Journey to Secret Mongolia.

1. I have not read a novel that captured me so much for many years.
   It is beautifully, simply and perfectly written. all the right things are said and the unsaid is equally present.
   a perfect balance between the story and the telling of it.
   Congratulations George Crane and Tsung Tsai!
   This story would make a captivating movie under the right director.
   
   
   I too wonder why this is not a best seller!
   I predict this book will become a classic and one day soon it WILL be a bestseller.



2. This book is about a man's eternal quest to retrace his past and rekindle the fires which forged his identity. I enjoyed reading this book due to its aesthetic qualities. Crane writes in a very simple way, however the ideas that the book covers are no way near simple. It starts off with human suffering, in the middle it depicts the struggle against life and its worst case scenarios and finally it brings us to a point where Tsung Tsai comes to terms with all that which he has been put through.
   
   The book covers a lot of events during pre-communist china; what people where put through and it really draws a lot of vivid images with respect to that.
   
   Crane is exceptional at setting the context of events, his portrayal of the physical environment through his perspective (as he goes with the Monk) and also from the perspective of Tsai gives two different and yet valid views on the same subject.
   
   This, although very subtle really draws a rich picture in which the story is set. Its a good book.



3. It is because of the humaness of the author that I found this book particularly fascinating. He is at once a seeker and a self confessed liar. Who of us isn't? I am so dreary of all of these books by those who have all of the answers. Crane, like the rest of us, doesn't even profess to know the questions. How refreshing. For all of us with the spirit of wanderlust and the desire to know things we can't even express, Crane is our very capable guide. May the god of his choice bless him.



4. It's difficult to say something original after 58 reviews! A book that get's so many is probably worth it.
   Let's start from the title "Bones of the Master", relics? A Christian would call them that. The corporal spoils of a saint are relics. To our modern christian mind the adoration of relics has something of medieval flavour and the translation of body rests seems really out of our time. To a Buddist monk this practice has perfect sense and so it seems to us when we are immersed in his cultural world. However, while we read we find out that the goal is not the fact in itself but the Way, the actions, the intentions, the experiences and so it dawns on our mind how religions are very similar. This is the principal reflection I made putting down this book, after a passionate and absorbing read.
   Since to remember I must cathegorize I firmly settled this book in the cathegory of "disciple and master" and I went back to my adolescent enthusiasm with Castaneda and Don Juan. I also brought back to mind the only book on buddist monks I read years ago: The third eye by Lobsang Rampa. A rapid internet search revealed that maybe Don Juan never existed and Lobsang Rampa was an english plumber. Reading the amazon reviews I found out that readers before me had experienced the same emotions. To believe or not to believe, does Tsung Tsai exist or not?
   But really these considerations are outside the pure emotion and pleasure of reading the book. It's a wonderful and absorbing tale, it teaches us something about Zen, about Chinese history, about Inner Mongolia, it makes us want to know more. I personally took down all the books on Buddism from my father's and my brothers libraries and have them stacked on my night table.
   The appeal these kind of books have for westeners probably depends on the fact that one has the impression of being able to understand a different civilization. But deep insight escapes because our differences in backround are enormous. George Crane underlines this point with great determination and much humor, showing us how reciprocal acceptance must be the rule in our multiethnical reality. Another point of interest is the emphasis on translation, and especially the translation of poetry which is the first interaction between master and disciple. To understand a different culture we have to be able to translate it into our own language. Translation as an exercise in comprehension.
   Another notation on language. The titles of the chapters are a poem of their own and very Zenish indeed. The broken english spoken by Tsung Tsai is beatifully rendered. How to forget: "Hurry-worry no good"?
   A truely enchanting book !



5. Not just a good travel story, but truly a great joint adventure between two poets who meet by "chance" as neighbors outside of Woodstock, NY.
   
   George Crane the Poet falls under the mentoring spell of Tsung Tsai, poet and Ch'an monk, who is intrepidly determined to return to his Master's burial spot in Northern China. The adventure starts heating up as the two poets circumvent the Chinese authorities to finally climb Wolf Mountain and find the cave where the bones of the Master are buried.
   
   Crane's storytelling powers are Big League - this is an extraordinary, multi-level narration. Tsung Tsai is depicted as he really is: with his broken English ("Hurry-worry no good"); the sufferings he endured fleeing from Mao's Red Guard; and the supreme faith that sustains him and his pilgrimage back to his past.
   
   This is a story about friendship and mentorship; these two characters are far above allowing a master/disciple relationship to occur. However, their interactions do have faint echos of the Don Juan/Castaneda apprenticeship. Crane tries hard to get "It", and that furthers the dynamic of this spiritual adventure.
   
   There are 2 seekers here: the monk-poet on a spiritual quest to recapture his past; and the New York Jewish poet in quest of adventure and a muse.
   
   This book is strong and good because it is a synthesis of many aspects of life: adventure, history, poetry, religion, and cross-cultural studies.
   This writing works because of the relationship these two men develop, sustained by their love of poetry.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5 comments about Chinese in 10 Minutes a Day® (10 Minutes a Day Series).

1. This is a good introductory book to Mandarin, but by itself it is incomplete. Correct pronunciation of basic sounds is critical to a non-native speaker before jumping too far into the language. Still, I'm a visual hands-on learner and I appreciate the visual association of words with objects as opposed to systems that employ only spoken lessons. What works best for me is a combination of the two. Consequently, an accompanying tape or CD would enhance this book greatly.



2. This was a good book to start a basic vocab and concept of what would later be studied in the Chinese language. I use this book very frequently to start learning a new language and, the only thing that would be missing would be an audio guide to the book. Pronunciation in Chinese is very essential to the word and understanding of the language.



3. The title really speaks for itself. I was desperate to learn Chinese quickly for travel, was up late, read the reviews, flipped out and bought it. Another romance language if you know one in 10 minutes a day maybe, Chinese if you speak English from a book without audio-not so much....
   
   Let's review the logistics. They don't read English so you can't point to it. You don't read Chinese so you're looking at pictures (not when driving to work). So after dinner you paste romanized Chinese words around the house. Time's up. The next day you memorize a few words that may have a different meaning from the one you intend because you don't have audio phonetics and its a tonal language. Gotta go. The next day, you forget evrything because you only spent 10 minutes and you can't relate it to English. You do the math.
   
   The approach reminds me of the Monty Python skit, where Hungarian tries to buy cigarettes using a phrasebook that inspires him to say "my hovercraft is full of eels" .
   
   And as to the reviews, we don't laugh at Clark Griswold for saying "look at how greatful the French are when we make the slightest effort to speak the language...." because other countries are more grateful when we try to butcher their language. We laugh because he buys "French on the airplane" and believes it works. On the way to China, you're tired, you drink, its crowded, you don't read Chinese, unlike French, they can't read this book, you take out "Chinese in 10 minutes a day" on a 17 hour flight, oops that's my day. Exaggeration, but not by much.
   You would either have to grow old or land in Hong Kong!



4. not enough said about this book, it takes you from basics to conversation.



5. I use this book to learn Chinese along with 10 others. When I get bored from using other Chinese book, I will come back to this one. It's simple to use for both adults and young children.

No comments about The Travels of Marco Polo - Complete.

1 comments about Lonely Planet Bangkok Encounter.

1. Not very usefull. Lots of out dated info that has been re hashed over and over. Save you money
   
   Maps are useless, hard to read and limited info

5 comments about Mei Mei?Little Sister: Portraits from a Chinese Orphanage.

1. I purchased this book for my wife as we have adopted a baby girl from China. While these photos are from a different orphanage, the impact is the same. We did not get to see all the children at our daughter's orphanage, and they don't allow photos of the kids anyway. I recommend this book for any adoptive parents of children from China, or those looking into it. I will warn you, you will want to go back for more.



2. As an adoptive parent of a beautiful Chinese girl, I became extremely upset when I viewed these pictures. But by the grace of God, my daughter could have been featured in this book. That thought and the pictures of these children absolutely broke my heart. The pictures are beautiful but left me with a sense of helplessness because you can't save them all....although you want to. I returned the book because it was just too upsetting. I was torn between giving the book 5 stars because of the impact it has, but gave it 3 so someone might read this review and think twice about viewing it. It was not worth it for me.



3. We are in the process of adopting a baby from China, and this book just made my heart break. The images are so beautiful, and the children are so precious! In my mind, they seem to be simply be waiting... We can't wait to give one of them a home.



4. This book touches my soul every time I open it. I have adopted two girls from China and I see their reflections on every page.



5. We enjoyed the pictures of the girls. Glad that it was done in black and white. There are so many faces and expressions in the book - but its very hard to tell what they are truely thinking. We too have a "little sister" who's still in an orphanage in China. It would be a good book for those daughters that have already been found to have a book of portraits of their mei mei's who are still waiting for their forever families to find and come for them.

No comments about Time Warp Trio: Wushu Were Here (Time Warp Trio).

5 comments about News from Tartary: A Journey from Peking to Kashmir (Marlboro Travel).

1. I haven't bought this edition yet. I read this while in Nepal and India and loved it. It is one of the finest pieces of travel writing I know of. I rank it with Harrer's "Seven Years in Tibet", Newby's "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, Thesiger's "Arabian Sands" and Stark's "Valleys of the Assassins." No new-age, PC navel-gazing here: just an honest and humorously-told narrative of an adventurous overland crossing of central Asia in a turbulent time. If you are interested in central Asia, I think this book is a must.



2. This is probably the best travel narrative ever written about China (although Owen Lattimore's 'The Desert Road to Turkestan' is a close second) and has influenced a great deal of subsequent writing about the region--not in content, but in style. Fleming presents himself as a bumbling amateur traveller, a mild eccentric, and someone who has only the vaguest idea what's going on. Later writers, attracted no doubt by the fact that this book has stayed in print for nearly 70 years, have taken this as justification to write narratives which revel in their own ignorance. But Fleming's amateurishness is merely a pose, and the book is full of humorous detail on life in China at that time, backed by sound journalism and knowledge of the political situation. It's also full of perceptive observations on the people he meets and their behaviour, guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the modern traveller when coming across their latter day counterparts, both Chinese and expatriate foreigner.



3. Peter Fleming's "News from Tartary" is a classic travel book about trekking through the wilds of Asia. Unfortunately, it has been badly served by this edition; it's overpriced and lacking in quality. It doesn't have the 26 illustrations of the original; it doesn't even have the absolutely necessary map. Reading it is like watching a great movie without sound or captions. Fleming (Ian Fleming's brother, as it happens)would have had a well-turned phrase of damnation had he seen how this edition emasculates the original. I urge you to read the book, but not this way. Go online and buy a used copy of the hardback for not much more (over 50 copies were listed when I checked abebooks.com)and enjoy Fleming's travel saga as it deserves to be enjoyed. I feel cheated; readers should be informed when a reprint edition is, like this one, incomplete. My one star rating is not for the writing--its for this shoddy presentation of a great travel book.



4. "News from Tartary" is number 64 on National Geographic's list of 100 all-time best adventure books -- and it deserves the ranking. The author, Peter Fleming, brother of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, would deny that the book is about an "adventure" and claim that he and companion Ella K. Maillard merely took a long walk through Chinese Turkestan and, oh yes, crossed the Himalayas. Maillard wrote her own book about the trek, "Forbidden Journey," and it's also worth reading.
   
   "News from Tartary" is the story of a seven-month, 3,500 mile journey in 1935 from Peking to Kashmir, beginning by train and continuing by bus, foot, camel, and horse. Fleming is the British amateur par excellence. His equipment consisted of "a rook rifle, six bottles of brandy, and Macaulay's "History of England." He claims no qualifications or expertise to speak of, no purpose in traveling other than his own entertainment, and he gained little in the way of earthshaking wisdom that he shares with us. (If you read Maillard's book, you will find that his modest and self-mocking attitude may not be too far from the truth -- although Fleming is certainly an outstanding writer and journalist.)
   
   This is a cracking good story, more informative than it may seem, and charmingly told. Of an acquaintance, Fleming says that he "had seen me act more than once at Oxford, but he was of a forgiving disposition and prepared to let bygones be bygones." And, the author to the contrary, it was an adventure. Fleming and Maillard traversed some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world at a time in which banditry and political strife were rife. Fleming describes vividly the Chinese, Tungans, Turkis, and Tibetans they meet, the impossibly remote oasis towns at the foot of the Himalayas, and the passage across 15,000 feet mountain passes into British India. One of the more interesting elements of the book is the intrusion of modern politics into this narrative of exotic lands and unchanging people. The pair encounter civil war, Russian soldiers and airplanes in Kashgar, and "Great Game" intrique.
   
   I recommend you read this book with a good map at your side - or better yet buy a used copy of the original hardback edition which has a map and some good photos.
   
   Smallchief



5. Peter Fleming (1907-71) was Ian Fleming's (James Bond) older brother. Peter first rose to popularity in his 20's, during the early 30's, with 3 major travel/adventure books about trips through Brazil (33'), China (34') and Central Asia (36'). 'News from Tartary' (1936) is the last of the three and describes a 6 month 3500 mile trip from Peking (Beijing) due west across Chinas western provinces and south to India ("Tartary" is a Western term roughly meaning Central Asia). At the time China's most western province of Sinkiang (sometimes known as "Chinese Turkestan") was embroiled in a complex struggle of colonial and civil wars with Russia, China, etc.. and was a black hole of news. Sort of like Chechnya today, it held a certain dangerous fascination for intrepid western adventurers. Fleming traveled with Swiss writer Ella Maillart (1903-97) who was herself an accomplished adventurer, although not so well known in the English speaking world, she also wrote her own book about this trip and the two can be read for profitable comparison. There are many re-prints of News in circulation but the original edition is best as it contains dozens of fascinating black and white photos, thick rough-cut paper and a color tri-fold map of the route.
   
   'News from Tartary' is today considered a classic of travel literature ranked #64 on National Geographic's "100 Best Adventure Books". It is an early example of "British understatement", the bumbling amateur English gentleman who travels for no reason other than traveling, as would be copied in the post war years, with authors such as Eric Newby. Fleming graduated from Oxford with an advanced degree in English literature and while he believed in adventure, he wondered how - in a modern world of motor vehicles, trains and planes - real adventure could be written of anymore. Just as Cervantes in 'Don Quixote' believed in the spirit of chivalry, but knew its time had passed, he was able to write about it through a bumbling knight who could be laughed at. Likewise Fleming sought to disarm his readers with word play and self-deprecation, thus strengthening the more serious parts of the book and lending the author more credibility - Fleming succeed, in the readers eyes, not because of physical prowess and skills, but despite them. By being an approachable everyman, he is more able to vividly convey to his readers - who probably have never been to remote central Asia and never will - how it feels to travel through the Gobi desert on camels, arriving in oasis, going through sandstorms and traveling through the Himalayas.

4 comments about Time Out Shanghai (Time Out Guides).

1. This is the first TimeOut guide I have bought. Usually travel guide series is too glossy without any real details or not glossy enough. This book is glossy with great pictures and also has alot of detail. The history section is well written and thorough. The book also has several interesting sidebars with additional information and stories. The sidebar on raising the Bund was especially interesting. Some travel guide series also have a tendency to be too neutral with hotel/restaurant listings. This book does not fall into that trap. I would strongly recommend this book to any Shanghai traveler and I am exploring other books in this series now.



2. I've used Time Out guides for years, mostly attracted to the layout of information. But the Shanghai guide highlighted all the annoying aspects of the Time Out "formula" I managed to overlook in guides to other cities. Time Out is definately written for the bored European who'd rather be in Ibiza, the that doesn't work for China. The focus is glam experiences at clubs and being trendy, which has the effect of dismissing what makes a city unique, its history, culture and people. What really annoyed me is the gratuitous commentary on what's "wrong" with Shanghai. You are treated to various comments on how clueless bartenders will ruin your favorite cocktail, and how your aesthetic sensibility will be offended by having to look at an ugly building while navigating your way. Such snide comments appear throughout the guide. The Time Out formula also gives unmerited emphasis to such aspects as where to find gay bars or classes for the lastest fitness craze (note to Time Out writers: go to Ibiza, not Shanghai.) At the same time, the city's extensive restaurant scene is hardly covered, expect for a handful of pricey celebrity-chef venues. While I still appreciate the guide's organisation by neighbourhood, and the listing of opening times for venues, the guide needs to include Chinese names and addresses, not just romanized ones -- the Chinese name appendix in the back of the guide is inadequate.



3. Compared to Frommer's, Fodor's, and Lonely Planet, the Time Out Guide to Shanghai has proved to be far and away the most informative and useful, and it has the best maps. As the guide itself does not fail to mention, Shanghai is changing at a blinding speed, and a lot of the listings are already out of date. Nevertheless, even after living here several months, my beat-up copy still sits on my kitchen table and gets referenced at least once a week. Indispensable.



4. My friend got the LP Shanghai book while I got this one. This proved to be very helpful and I love the Chinese street translations at the back of the book, which came in handy when a cab driver couldn't understand what we were saying. I hope they release an updated version as I will definitely visit Shanghai again.

No comments about City Walks: Washington, D.C.: 50 Adventures on Foot (City Walks).

5 comments about Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China.

1. As someone who loves graphic novels and who has traveled widely in Asia, I wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, the vignettes lack feeling or meaning let alone structure to tie them together--I suppose a comment on Delisle's experience overall in the country--and so at one point, I was flipping the pages to figure out how much longer until the end.
   
   I am giving him one star for the consistent tone of his stories. He certainly conveys well his isolation and the surreal (to him) experiences of an extended stay in an industrial city in China. Since it's an autobiographical travelogue, I won't attempt to separate the author's intentions from the character in the book. So, more stars would have gone to someone who tried to see the many encounters from his Chinese colleagues' points of view.
   
   Another star goes to the soft shadings of his panels. There are some wonderful scenes, like the candles in the gym. To be honest, I wish I could give him only half of star for the drawings, since after a while, the slanted eyes and buckteeth do become tired, if not downright annoying.
   
   Delisle is one of those travelers who eats at the same place over and over, and even orders the same dish over and over. Many of the stories reek of condescension, fear or that amusement that comes from thinking "they are so strange and different." It's sad, actually. For example, after three months in China, he admits that he only begins to get to know his translator half an hour before he leaves the country.
   
   In a few stories, outright stereotypes fuel the images and the dialogue. If it's intentional, this depiction of an unhappy, displaced individual with seemingly no amount of curiosity or compassion could be taken as a statement on Westerners' attitudes about China and its workers.
   
   If you prefer the company of expats when you travel, this book will resonate with you. If you at least attempt to make connections with people in your host country, then this book is a delightful guide that shows how NOT to travel.



2. Guy Delisle's book is a great example of a graphic novel, though this being nonfiction is not really a novel, that is able, or rather requires, the drawings to capture the atmosphere of his life in China. Set in Shenzhen, a city that is primarily a mega-industrial park, Delisle is on a short term international assignment to oversee a company doing animation for a French tv show. Through a sparse, yet entertaining story line, and dark, almost smoggy illustrations, he is able to capture the alienation and isolation of a Westerner's expat life in this grim city. Furthermore, the lack of available distractions are highlighted by one weekend trip to Hong Kong. This book is an entertaining read, and for anyone who has lived abroad for even a short time, it is enough to make you give thanks you did not have to live/work in Shenzhen.



3. I first came to Shenzhen a year or two after Delisle spent his three months in the city, and I have been here since. Mr. Delisle should have gotten out a bit more and tried to get to know more expats at least, although understandable because his time was limited. There's no reason for a dull moment here. Nevertheless, many of his observations were spot on and made me chuckle about how things were and how some are still the same. The physical city has changed and it is so much easier to live a life with the comforts expats expect. Likewise, the outlook of the people here is much more cosmopolitan than before--although there are still many moments of cultural disjunction.
   
   The inherent story of Shenzhen isn't as compelling as his book on Pyongyang, but Delisle has found plenty of observations that keep the book flowing fast. It's great snapshot of a city in the midst of a huge transformation. (BTW, that 15 story windowless building you saw once, but never saw again. It's a parking structure that is still around.)



4. This is an absorbing traveller's tale which I began reading late at night and couldn't go to bed before finishing. Not only didn't I find it boring but I disagree with most of the criticisms in Thy Tran's review. Firstly, Delisle made it clear that he tried hard to converse with and get to know his translator but received no encouragement, which he found quite disheartening. The incident where they only begin to talk a short while before he leaves, when the formality and apparent awkwardness inherent in their situation fall away and parting is suddenly close at hand, is entirely true to life and happens to all sorts of people both within and across cultures. Also, Delisle obviously tried several places to eat and a variety of dishes with varying success and for him to settle on reliable favourites, as a semi-permanent resident, is quite natural. We all do it both at home and abroad while keeping our curiosity and options open. It seems to me that Delisle does all this in an understandably human way and I cannot see how this reflects badly on his attitude. He is obviously frustrated by many things and makes no bones about it, but he remains curious about the world he finds himself in and tries to find a way into it through the thing he knows and loves best, drawing - and by seeking out the work of Chinese artists that he has a powerful response to. I also fail to see any of the stereotyping that Thy Tran seems to infer from the book and on another flick through it I cannot readily see any of the "buckteeth" he finds so annoying. Like Delisle's "Pyongyang" this is a highly enjoyable and very human book and I recommend it.



5. I have read both Delisle's travelogues, Shenzhen and Pyongyang. Pyongyang was on enigmatic North Korea and interested me even purely because so few information come out of that country. To be able to see (weird) North Korea from a regular traveler's standpoint (even though Delisle was on a work assignment, which he was again at Shenzhen) was curious and very refreshing. On the other hand, Shenzhen, while Delisle's keen attentions to cultural details still shine through his wonderful drawing, somewhat lacks that curiosity factor. The story is filled with more of the portrayal of his loneliness in a foreign land, where he can hardly communicate with anyone. I feel Shenzhen is a sort of a more realistic version of the movie "Lost in Translation." The book still receives a very high mark for its artistic value, but if I were to choose only one between two of Delisle's travelogues, it has to be Pyongyang.