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Title details for Lost on Planet China by J. Maarten Troost - Available

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
Simon Vance
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Troost charmed listeners with his humorous tales of wandering the remote islands of the South Pacific in The Sex Lives of Cannibals and Getting Stoned with Savages. When the travel bug bit again, he took on the world’s most populous and intriguing nation.

As Troost relates his gonzo adventure — dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai, eating yak in Tibet, deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as cattle penis with garlic), and visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead) — he reveals a vast, complex country on the brink of transformation that will shape the way we all work, live, and think. This insightful, hilarious narrative brings China to life as you’ve never seen it before.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 8, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483051529
      • File size: 311530 KB
      • Duration: 10:49:01

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 2, 2008
      Troost, J. Maarten. 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. Broadway. 2008. c.304p. TRAV~ Troost tackles modern China with his trademark wit and unstinting honesty. A genuine pleasure to read, this book is recommended for all public libraries. Background: Troost initially traveled to China to see if he and his family could move there and escape Sacramento's pollution and crime. Rather than a refuge, he finds a country changing fast while skipping over nuisances like human rights, copyrights, and pollution controls. Troost (The Sex Lives of Cannibals) is ruthless in his portrayal of China as terribly polluted ("In no way was I ready for the swirling filth that constitutes air in Beijing"), a nation of knockoffs and rip-offs, and cruelly authoritarian in its treatment of Tibet. The author is constantly besieged by offers of questionable Rolexes and Mont Blanc pens and badgered by taxi drivers, beggars, and entrepreneurial women offering massages. A sojourn in the Chinese countryside provides welcome respite for the author and continued entertainment for the reader.--Lee Arnold, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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