A review by sbaunsgard
China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power by Rob Gifford

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.