River Town - Two Years on the Yangtze
River Town is Peter Hessler's first book, although I read it after his second book Oracle Bones. It's safe to say that I am now a life long reader of Hessler's books. Whatever he writes, I will read.
River Town is about Hessler's experience teaching English in a teacher's college in Fuling, Sichuan between 1996 and 1997, as a Peace Corps volunteer. During these two years, he learned nuances of Chinese culture and language, he imparted English language skills and tried to influence his students to think individually. His book is extremely engaging. It's thought provoking and it was difficult to read at certain points given my Chinese nationality. However, I appreciate his perspectives immensely. It's a perfectly painted delineation of a small river town, its characters coming alive through the restrained narrative.
Hessler's maturity is ageless. I envy his open-mindedness and his pragmatic empathy.
This is a book that's worth all the stars and repeated reading.
