Country Driving; A Chinese Road Trip By Peter Hessler

I have read River Town by the same author and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to reading this book. It didn't disappoint. I didn't care for the first section about driving along the great wall. It was okay just not captivating for me. But this was made up for my by the strength of the section about his country home and the relationship and experiences he has in the small agricultural village. The real power of his writing is the ability to connect with the Chinese and really describe their lives, government and beliefs. In no other chapter is his love and frustration with this culture so evident. I especially loved the sections about seeking health care in the big city for a little boy- I always like anything that looks at health care in different cultures.

I also liked the last section where he looks at an area of the country that is just starting to develop factories. This was especially fascinating and he is able to illustrate so well a changing country by highlighting the experiences at one bra accessory factory. I highly recommend this book. But I think I still prefer River Town- if you are only going to read on read that one but I hope you read both.