As long as I can remember, I've had an interest in other cultures, real or imagined. Whether I was "exploring strange new worlds" with a science fiction story or hearing of the challenges faced by someone living overseas, I was fascinated by a different way of seeing things. But of course, this wasn't really exploring much of anything. I enjoyed the exotic trappings, but never really dug deeper to confront the basic beliefs of these cultures, much less challenge my own worldview. Well, as I've gotten older, I've been able to see things a little bit deeper, and this book has become for me a big step in that direction. Mr. Hartzell has resided for a number of years in Taiwan as a student of the culture and as a Chinese language columnist. Harmony in Conflict is the result of his experiences as he attempts to explain the Chinese culture to the wetserner who wants to live and work with the people of China. I was very surprised how alien the Chinese culture really was to me. Before I read this book, I had a tendency to think of people as being pretty much the same underneath all of the cultural trappings. Now I kick myself for not seeing earlier that even some basic concepts as truth, justice and logic vary between peoples. It was such an eye-opener for me that I would recommend it to anyone interested in dealing with people, Chinese or not. (After all, the book made me see my own culture in a new light as well.) Of course, you'll have to find your own copy of the book, because I'm sure my wife will insist I keep ours on our shelf.
--J. ( )