The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga

I really loved this book, even the second time I read it. It's beautifully written and has something for everyone ... tragedy, foreign travel, terrorism, religion, love, sex, forgiveness, eating, humor, music. It's a work of fiction about an English professor at a small college in northern Illinois whose oldest daughter is killed in an event that is actually historical -- the bombing of the Bologna train station. It goes on to show how the different members of the family ... father, mother, and two younger sisters ... adjust to this tragic event. If you've never read anything by Robert Hellenga, you might be surprised at what he's accomplished here.

Reviewed by Cal

Lost on Planet China, by J. Maarten Troost

The full title didn't fit in the title box so:

Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid, by J. Maarten Troost

This easy read was written by the same author who penned Sex Lives of Cannibals (see review below). It was recommended to me by a coworker (and fellow expat) as something we can all appreciate. The author doesn't always paint a pretty picture of China but there was nothing in the book that I particularly disagree with. In fact, I 100% absolutely believe everything he wrote actually happened to him and I can say that while I have not traveled as extensively as he has, I have shared many of the same experiences and felt much the same way. In general, he pokes fun at cultural norms which westerners find somewhere between amusing and appalling. I don't particularly share his disdain for China but I think that is because I have been in the same place for 9 months and have actually gotten to know people, as opposed to judging them based on their habits. I do share the general distrust he does for the Chinese government and I think he describes the feeling rather well. Most if not all of the people I work with (Americans, Europeans, Indians, and other SE Asians) seem to feel the same way about the communist party (and state-owned companies) and the absurdities we have to deal with.

This book gets a bad rap because it portrays China in a relatively negative way but I can honestly say that it is a pretty darn accurate description of what one will find on the main backpacking circuits throughout the middle kingdom. I will say that most of the individuals I've come to know here are very nice, generous, and generally great hosts but I am ready to move on to a new set of appalling cultural norms in the next assignment.