First published 2013
Peter Hessler brings his decade of experience as a New Yorker staff writer to this collection of reportage spanning Asia and the United States. His approach combines the perspective of both insider and outsider as he moves between vastly different cultures. Hessler takes readers to rat restaurants in South China for "Wild Flavor," profiles basketball giant Yao Ming as China's most celebrated cultural ambassador, and follows David Spindler, a historian obsessed with documenting the Great Wall. In "Dr. Don," he explores the world of a small-town pharmacist and his connections to his community. The book demonstrates how local traditions persist across cultures, reveals unexpected connections between seemingly opposite societies, and shows what happens when individuals navigate between different worlds.
Genres: american, china, biography-memoir, 21st-century, cultural, asian-american, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, insider-outsider
Setting: Asia, China, United States
Period: 21st Century
384 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial