![]() ![]() Painlessly, you come to understand the complexity of the Chinese alphabet and the complexity of U.S./Chinese relations. Let's face it, who would want to read an entire chapter about the Chinese alphabet? But Hessler shows Chinese characters throughout the story, over the course of many chapters. The structure is delightfully informal and informative. With "Oracle Bones," Hessler again manages to take a huge country with a huge history and define it in a series of interwoven stories. Yet this is much more than a collection of reprints, and it is also more than a travelog. So in one sense, his new book "Oracle Bones" is a reprise of articles he has already published. He came to teach English in the Peace Corps and ended up writing a book called "River Town." He went on to write for The New Yorker, National Geographic, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, etc. Peter Hessler has lived in China for 10 years. "ORACLE BONES," by Peter Hessler HarperCollins 491 pages. ![]()
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