margaretefg's review against another edition
3.0
Rob Gifford is a great traveling companion taking the reader along on his journey on route 312, from Shanghai to the border with Kazakhstan. He speaks Mandarin which makes it possible for him to chat with truck drivers, farmers and all kinds of other ordinary people along the route. he fills in pieces of Chinese history and speculates about what may be ahead for China and the world. I appreciated his respect to the people he interviews, always digging for some backstory that might help us understand their decisions or attitudes. And he has a lot to say about what's ahead for China.
pelicaaan's review against another edition
5.0
Gifford doesn't pretend to know what is going to happen in China, where explosive economic boom and convulsive social change are harnessed to a rigid, repressive, and profoundly corrupt political system. Is the government capable of change? Will the entire country explode in revolt? An incredibly fascinating picture of an enormous country at a pivotal moment.
jlange64's review against another edition
3.0
Non-fiction. Gifford, an NPR correspondent, travels clear across China, beginning in Shanghai, on Route 312. Along the way we learn about Chinese history and the current political and economic climate. I read this to learn more about the country before I go there for vacation (I leave tomorrow!!). It was perfect. I would like to rate this 3.5 stars, and I would rate higher but I'm a fiction reader and this didn't grab me and pull me in like fiction. Still a quick, worthwhile read.
gregtatum's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an in-depth vacation without the expense! Rob Gifford did a great job of presenting the many sides and often contradictory nation that is China. He provides enough explanation of the culture and history of the country, along with his own personal insights to his interviews from the road to make them really engaging, informative, and poignant.
I think he also does a really good job of expressing his emotions with the nation, without forcing them on the reader. This book is very personal and about his own experiences with the nation.
I think he also does a really good job of expressing his emotions with the nation, without forcing them on the reader. This book is very personal and about his own experiences with the nation.
dragonstarkat's review against another edition
5.0
This book is definitely one of my favourites about China. Essentially, Rob is travelling along highway 312 from Shanghai to the border with Kazakhstan. Along the way, he talks about all the fascinating people he meets, along with interesting titbits of information about the historical and social context of the topics brought up.
hoperu's review against another edition
4.0
I love this kind of travel book - a mix of history, journalism, and humor. I don't know a lot about China, and found the perspective here interesting and somewhat enlightening. As with any good travel book, I now want to go see China, a place I never had much desire to see before.
caresays's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a lot of books on China. This one holds up. Brings up a lot of concerns I have about China. Fascinating.
sbaunsgard's review against another edition
4.0
China Road is NPR correspondent Rob Gifford's account of his road trip from Shanghai into Kazakhstan. He provides a sketch of the country. I started reading this book to maybe learn some more about China. I learned a little, but then again, there is so much to know. You are seeing the country through the author's eyes. The author is a foreigner and is treated as such. Any opinions that he has are going to color the book. In other words, this is one man's view of the place, and though it is a starting point, it should probably not be the only book you ever read on China. I love anecdotes, and there are plenty of them in here. For example: there's an Amway meeting in the Gobi desert, trips to malls, and truck stops. Gifford talks to people wherever he goes. Does it really tell me where China has emerged from and is going? Not so much. Is it a fun book to read? Yes. But generally speaking, I love road trip books and movies.