Scan barcode
starrysea98's review against another edition
DNF. i really wanted to read more non fiction books this year but i guess i picked the wrong one to start with.
ninakeller's review against another edition
5.0
I was tickled by this structure for storytelling crafted to give a picture of Chinese culture and history. The author nailed down ten concepts that provide an anchor for diverse stories that illustrate ideas that drive the quintessential China, according to the author.
The stories I enjoyed most were those under the characters 鲁逊 Lu Xun, 差距 Disparity, 阅读 Reading, and 写作 Writing. Lu Xun made me laugh, because the evocation of the famed writer as a debate stopper. The author was so determined to win arguments with his classmate that he would falsely claim Lu Xun agreed with his position, at which point his opponent would finally concede. Disparity aptly illustrated the drastic contrast between rich and poor, and the arbitrary unfairness of the fact. Reading made me connect with the author as I got to know him as a voracious and desperate reader under scarce conditions for text availability. Writing made an interesting comparison between propaganda posters of the past and blogs of the more contemporary present.
I lived in China as a foreigner for a few years, and I failed to integrate into the society in any authentic way outside of my expatriate experience. I remember feeling perplexed by many mindsets or habits of locals, and I wish I had read this book then as an initial entry point.
The author crafted an intricate piece of storytelling to give the reader concepts to connect to in a quest to better understand China, past and present.
The stories I enjoyed most were those under the characters 鲁逊 Lu Xun, 差距 Disparity, 阅读 Reading, and 写作 Writing. Lu Xun made me laugh, because the evocation of the famed writer as a debate stopper. The author was so determined to win arguments with his classmate that he would falsely claim Lu Xun agreed with his position, at which point his opponent would finally concede. Disparity aptly illustrated the drastic contrast between rich and poor, and the arbitrary unfairness of the fact. Reading made me connect with the author as I got to know him as a voracious and desperate reader under scarce conditions for text availability. Writing made an interesting comparison between propaganda posters of the past and blogs of the more contemporary present.
I lived in China as a foreigner for a few years, and I failed to integrate into the society in any authentic way outside of my expatriate experience. I remember feeling perplexed by many mindsets or habits of locals, and I wish I had read this book then as an initial entry point.
The author crafted an intricate piece of storytelling to give the reader concepts to connect to in a quest to better understand China, past and present.
zmeiat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I love how when Yu Hua was asked why his earlier works were so brutal and graphic, he just answered with✨trauma✨.
Traumatised is in essence the kind of contemporary China Yu Hua is describing and honestly one can see why. The writting is simple, but it does an amazing job at describing how the regime of Mao Zedong and the aftermath of the cultural revolution affected the average person and chinese society in general.
Traumatised is in essence the kind of contemporary China Yu Hua is describing and honestly one can see why. The writting is simple, but it does an amazing job at describing how the regime of Mao Zedong and the aftermath of the cultural revolution affected the average person and chinese society in general.
patronsaintofmidnightsnacks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0