A twoyear sojourn in a small city in central china yields this youthful, gracefully impressionistic portrait of a time and place from newcomer hessler. This unusual perspective distinguishes strange stones, which showcases hesslers unmatched range as a. Wall street journal from the acclaimed author of river town and oracle bones, an intimate excavation of life in one of the worlds oldest civilizations at a time of convulsive change drawn by a fascination with egypts rich history and culture, peter hessler moved with his wife and twin daughters to cairo in 2011. Peter hessler books list of books by author peter hessler. Thats a little how i felt about peter hessler s river town. He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama book prize, oracle bones, which was a finalist for the national book award, country driving, and strange stones. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when peter hessler. His memoir of teaching in a village called fuling, river town, is one of my favorites. Over the last decade, as a staff writer for the new yorker and the author of three books, peter hessler has lived in asia and the united states, writing as both native and knowledgeable outsider in these two very different regions. Dispatches from east and west, is a compilation of groundlevel short stories mostly about the. The american author, peter hessler, shares his experiences as an outsider, trying to find his place amid the tumult of the cultural revolution, without getting lost in the process. Online shopping from a great selection at kindle store store. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama prize. Two years on the yangtze 2001 is a kiriyama prizewinning book about his experiences in two years as a peace corps volunteer teaching english in china. In the heart of chinas sichuan province lies the small city of fuling. Peter hessler, author of river town, two years on the yangtze, went to china not to. Peter benjamin hessler born june 14, 1969 is an american writer and journalist. River town tells the story sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often inspiring. Read this book and over 1 million others with a kindle unlimited membership. In oracle bones, peter hessler explores the tension between narrative and story, past and present, china and the west.
It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in fuling, sichuan, which started in 1996 and lasted for two years. Fuling becomes his home for the next two years and here we are treated to a feast of chinese life in a town where they are very unused to waiguorn foreigners. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read strange stones. In 1996, at the age of twentyseven, peter hessler joined the third group of. River town peter hessler paperback harpercollins us. He is also a contributing writer for national geographic. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. Peter hessler is an american writer who spent years living abroad in china. Poignant, thoughtful, funny, and enormously compelling, river town is an unforgettable portrait of a city that is seeking to understand both what it was and what it someday will be. A new york times notable bookwinner of the kiriyama book prizein the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley. Two years on the yangtze unabridged peter hessler audiobook bestreads. Read unlimited books and audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. I became acquainted a dozen years ago with his first book, river town, which is the story of his years in china as a member of the peace c peter hesslers fourth book is a compilation of eighteen essays, most of which appeared in some form in the new yorker.
Dispatches from east and west 0062206230 book cover. It documents his peace corps teaching assignment at fuling teachers college in. He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama book prize. Id taught in china for a year a decade before hessler taught there for two years. Two years on the yangtze is a 2001 book by peter hessler. Hessler then moved to beijing, where he became the china correspondent for the new yorker and a contributing writer to national geographic. For two years, he lived in fuling, a small city affected by the three gorges dam. While there are still a lot of great writers covering china, there was something about hesslers writing his ability to capture a moment and the ordinary people in it that resonated. Firstly because hes a beautiful writer and he gives you this wonderful sense of what its like to actually be there. He won the 2008 national magazine award for excellence in reporting, and he was named a macarthur fellow in 2011.
This unusual perspective distinguishes strange stones, which showcases hessler s unmatched range as a storyteller. In 1996, hessler reported for his peace corps duty to fuling, a city of some 200,000 souls astride the murky yangtze river, which cuts through the green and terraced mountains of sichuan province. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Hessler won a national magazine award for instant cities, a twoyear study of a new factory town in chinas zhejiang province, which was published in national geographic, in 2007. River town peter hessler paperback harpercollins publishers. Dispatches from east and west by peter hessler isbn. River town hessler has written perhaps the best travel book on china that shares his story of teaching but also the story of many volunteer teachers worldwide.
This unusual perspective distinguishes strange stones, which showcases hessler s unmatched range as a. Thats a little how i felt about peter hesslers river town. He is the author of river town, which won the kiriyama book prize, oracle bones, which was a finalist for the national book award, country driving and strange stones. Feb 22, 2019 peter hessler s the buried puts egypts past in perspective. River town is a uniquely descriptive account of life in the chinese countryside during a time of change and evolution. See all books authored by peter hessler, including river town. Hessler, who spent two years as a peace corps volunteer in a city called. Two years on the yangtze by peter hessler goodreads. A journey between chinas past and present, and more on. Peter hessler journalist and author of strange stones. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as beijing correspondent from 2000 to 2007, and is also a contributing writer for national geographic.
Buy this book in china, the year 1997 was marked by two momentous events. Peter hesslers the buried puts egypts past in perspective. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as beijing correspondent from 20002007 and cairo correspondent from 20112016. He is the author of river town, which more about peter hessler. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a ne. The city rushed past, dim and strange under the stars. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as beijing correspondent from 20002007, and is also a contributing writer for national geographic. Dispatches from east and west ebook written by peter hessler. In 1996, peter hessler joined the peace corps as a volunteer english teacher. China expert peter hessler goes to the ground in strange. Two years on the yangtze new ed by peter hessler isbn. Like many other small cities in this everevolving country, fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into. Peter hessler is a staff writer at the new yorker, where he served as the beijing correspondent from 2000 to 2007, and is also a contributing writer for national geographic.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3. River town by peter hessler book read online scribd. If you read only one book about china, let it be this jonathan mirsky. Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, strange stones is a farranging, thoughtprovoking collection of peter hesslers best reportage a dazzling display of the powerful storytelling, shrewd cultural insight, and wa.
Dispatches from east and west, is a compilation of ground. He is the author of four books about china and has contributed numerous articles to the new yorker and national geographic, among other publications. Lu chuan is attached to direct and produce river town, the tristine skyler adaptation of the peter hessler memoir river town. In the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. This is the story of peter hessler, an american student, who takes up an english teaching post in a remote town called fuling where the river wu meets the yangtze. Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, strange stones is a farranging, thoughtprovoking collection of peter hessler s best.
He won the 2008 national magazine award for excellence in reporting. May 31, 20 china expert peter hessler goes to the ground in strange. Hessler joined the new yorker as a staff writer in 2000 and served as foreign correspondent for the same publication until 2007. Hessler, who spent two years as a peace corps volunteer in a city called fuling, a yangtze river town in southwestern china, taught english and american literature at fuling teachers college, and the classroom provides the. The buried river town oracle bones country driving strange stones.
He is best known for his first three books on china. River town, new yorker writer peter hessler s memoir of teaching in the remote yangtze town of fuling in the mid1990s, is coming to the big screen with chinese director lu chuan at the helm. Strange stones compiles various observations from his time in china, but also upon his return to the united states, where he lives in a small town in the rocky mountains. Elizabeth i have only read two of peter hesslers books. Whereas his first book, river town, focused on geography and sense of place, oracle bones is concerned with history and time. Have you ever read a book about something youve done that was by someone who did the same or close to it but better and that bothers you. Read river town by peter hessler for free with a 30 day free trial. Buy peter hessler ebooks to read online or download in pdf or epub on your pc, tablet or mobile device. A new york times notable book winner of the kiriyama book prize in the heart of chinas sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the yangtze river valley, lies the remote town of fuling. His three books about china river town, oracle bones and country driving are still some of my. Two years on the yangtze 2001 by peter hessler is an evocative, sometimes disturbing portrayal of hessler s time spent as one of the first two americans in fifty years to live and work as a peace corps volunteer teaching literature at a university in fuling, china from 1996 to 1997. We had been sent to work as teachers, and both of us were young. Oracle bones, which was a finalist for the national book award.
162 1470 1288 862 560 1322 1080 1201 1571 563 215 980 187 1214 525 626 221 1380 452 964 802 1170 393 618 703 726 1277 1592 1076 1285 1078 807 1378 213 1175 457 892 1337 329 1211