Book description
Peter Hessler's previous book River Town was a prize-winning, poignant and deeply compelling portrait of China. Now, in Oracle Bones, Hessler returns to the country, excavating its long history and immersing himself in the lives of young Chinese as they migrate from the traditional Chinese countryside to the booming ever-changing…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Oracle Bones as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Peter Hessler is one of my favorite writers, and this is my favorite of his books. It is, in some ways, a continuation of his first book, River Town, about teaching English in the Peace Corps in a fast-changing China, but this one is a deeper, richer book.
It covers a time when Hessler was finding his footing as a freelance writer while all his former students were finding theirs in the new China. Woven into this is the story of the so-called ‘oracle bones,” on which Chinese writing first emerged, and a powerful meditation on the meaning of…
From Frank's list on travel, culture, and the mix between the two.
This is the second book by Peter Hessler that I have read (River Town was the first). Having visited China several times since the 1980s, when the country was first open to visitors from the West to my more recent trips, I have seen so much change. What I like about this book is how Hessler, a reporter who has lived and taught English in China, tries to describe and explain these changes.
From Deborah's list on China's myths, religions, politics, and culture.
If you love Oracle Bones...
Unwelcome
In the years following his graduation from college, Cole Chen has been back and forth between the U.S. and China, struggling to navigate his transition into adulthood. Estranged from his parents, he returns to Hunan province to work for his friends, while also attempting to write a memoir based on…
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