This was the perfect book to bring along on my trip out to Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. While I traveled a much different route than the author, I thought about a lot of the same issues he discussed with the people he met. I had planned to do a big loop from Shanghai to western China, maybe Tibet, then take the train back through the parts Gifford went through. But my bag got to heavy with souvenirs, so I cut my trip short and flew back Shanghai. I live in Shanghai and am sheltered from most of the issues he explores, but they are always on my mind as the city changes each week. The one issue that stands out for me is the one-child policy and the horrific details of how its enforced. This is when I'm reminded that this is still communist China. I really enjoyed how the author gave a concise historical perspective on China's development and offered his predictions on its future. Being in China for probably a little longer than I expect, I'll get to see how accurate he is.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. Second half had me feeling like that maybe this book was better off a short-story, if it had started as one. After hearing Murakami mentioned by so many friends lately, I had to find out for myself what all the buzz was about. I look forward to picking up another of his books.

If I ever teach a class on video games this will be the first book I add to the syllabus. A must-read for gamers, casual gamers and designers of interactive digital environments. More importantly, I think this book is a must-read for parents and teachers. Koster does a great job of explaining what it is about games that eat up so many hours of our kids' and students' lives.

Iceland. I'm moving to the land where it's dark and cold half the year. Wait, I think it's cold there even in the summer. But, it's okay because THIS is the happiest place on Earth according to this book. The place where failure is celebrated and everyone is a poet. I read this book while traveling through Xingjiang Province, not a very happy place, especially after the recent riots in Urumqi. This is a quick read and most of it seems like common sense (choose to be happy), but it was actually well researched and a well rounded trip around the globe. The title is misleading. The author isn't really that much of a grump.

I thought the late 60s in the US were a time of radical change, but they're nothing compared to how Mao's Red Guards turned China upside down. I live in Shanghai where this memoir took place. Surprisinly, there's very little local history preserved. No walking tours, nothing much in the Shanghai Museum. While reading I wanted to run out and find her former house and the prison where she spent six years. No luck yet finding them. The author does a great job of blending her personal narrative with enough background history lessons that when you're done reading her story you come away with a much deeper understanding of why and how thousands of Chinese were persected. But for me, I have more questions about Communism than ever before. What Mao preached as class struggle and a new revolution was just the usual dictatorship diatribe. Maybe after reading up on it and comparing the Chinese revolution with the Cuban revolution I'll understand Communism better.Read this book.

Very quick read. Very good use of Chinese parable. Will pick up his newest work. I think many of my students would enjoy this. And I think it's possible to use it in a Chinese language class where you delete the English text in the speech bubbles and ask students to fill in the text with either their working Chinese vocabulary or just to create a new narrative with what they can say in Chinese. Provides an engaging context for them to use their Chinese vocabulary.

I read this on the heels of finishing A Theory of Fun by Raph Koster. Both books provide several well supported points on the benefits of gaming. As a teacher and 38 year old gamer, I feel a need to defend gaming or more accurately I'm interested in the educational benefits of gaming and am always looking for support. This Gaming Life was a good read - quick, lots of leads on new games to follow-up on, and lots of references to current research. But, definitely read A Theory of Fun!

Beautiful book. Kind of experience I wish I had had for myself after collge. This was another book that after reading it pulled me to new parts of China. Never went on a Yangtze cruise or saw the dam in my trip out west. Too many people said it was over-rated. I did, however, SEE the thick murky waters of the Yangtze when I was hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge. This is a must read for anyone living in China. Very well written. Would love to see if he's gone back since and to read an article on how the area has changed now that the dam project is complete. And, I'd love to hear what he has to say about the dam being blamed for triggering the earth quake that decimated northern Sichuan province.

I read this in a two days. Not because I couldn't put it down, more so because it was light reading, a series of short stories about the author's life and how Shaolin thinking helped him deal with challenges in his life. While the writing is simple and the author's self-promoting a bit too much at times, I took away a few insights that have really helped me feel better about some key parts of my life. $15 for a quick boost in my overall outlook? Definitely worth the two day read.

This book started out strong, but then flopped with the main character not really becoming that interesting. It is NOT a phrase book or guide to dating in China. I liked the short chapters. Perfect read while traveling.