Elisa Chieruzzi Chieruzzi itibaren Bhaurad, Maharashtra, Hindistan itibaren Bhaurad, Maharashtra, Hindistan

About a shepherd and his 'life journey' Great insights, but I was expecting a little more.

Save yourself some trouble and read River Town: Two Years on the Yangtzeinstead. Iron and Silk is essentially a watered-down, less intellectual version of Hessler's classic read on China's recovery post 1978 yet not post-Mao. It's not a horrible book, but it wanes in comparison to River Town. Essentially, the only unique quality that Mark Salzman brings is his experience with gong fu and marsial arts. Additionally, some of the Mandarin and cultural aspects citied in the book are very localized to Hunan.

One of my students asked me to read this and lent me her copy. It was a book I had to put down in the beginning because the nittty gritty reality got to me. But later, the harshness was toned down as Martha is introduced to a life less harsh than the ghettos, though by no means filled with any less problems. What this book tries to show is that rich or poor we all have our package of woes.