China: Getting Rich First: A Modern Social History Review

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China: Getting Rich First: A Modern Social History ReviewThere have been many books written about this 21st century phenomenon called China but few to my mind have been particularly insightful, mostly because they are either of the blatantly pro-western ideologically tinged variety that would like nothing more than for China to fail, playing on the country's many shortcomings whilst conveniently forgetting its relatively short history of modernisation or the adage that Rome was not built in a day, or the other kind written by hacks who have never set foot in the country but are nevertheless tempted to cash in on a subject that's on everyone's mind.
That's why Duncan Hewitt's "Getting Rich First (GRF)" is such a welcome surprise and should be warmly embraced for filling a yawning gap in readable and worthwhile titles in the market on what's really happening in China today without the usual ideological bias. Not that Hewitt is a China apologist or pulls his punches when he sees any negatives in the country's developments, only that he prefers to tell it as it is and leave the reader to draw his own conclusions. In writing this book, Hewitt's lasting contribution lies in bringing us bang up-to-date with the revolution taking place in the political, social, economic and cultural space of this once great ancient civilisation eager to join the rest of the civilised world. From the wholesale carving up of the country's urban landscape that cruelly throw families who have lived in these cities for generations out of their homes, to the age of the internet and its influence on a nascent civil society and the freedom of speech, to the sexual revolution among the young generation, to the east west wealth divide between peasants and the urban elite, etc, etc, there is nothing we want and need to know about China's development that GRF doesn't cover in reasonable depth and detail.
Hewitt mixes statistical facts with personal observations and interviews to deliver an objective and rounded record of trends that will shape China's path into the future. GRF is a must read for anyone interested in the unstoppable juggernaut that is China. Hewitt's book is accessible, interesting and informative. It is essential reading for China watchers. Highly recommended.
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One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey Review

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One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey ReviewI can understand some people giving this book or the related video only three or four stars; this is one of those stories that depend heavily on the outlook you bring to them. Some might find Proenneke's feat mildly interesting but wonder why he did it. I found it enthralling.
You have to be fascinated by a man who seemed capable of creating almost anything he needed from raw materials using only hand tools. He carves out wooden spoons; builds his log home; turns gas cans into buckets, pots, and in-ground coolers; builds a cache on stilts; works up sturdy door hinges from stumps; and on and on. In our age of repetitive assembly of the same part or being a small cog in a service industry machine, in an age of such specialization even American farmers whose granaries overflow run to the supermarket for bread and then complain about the price, in an age of abundance that comes at the price of over-dependence on others, Richard Proenneke reached a satisfying level of self-reliance now nearly extinct.
I'm reminded of the "Little House on the Prairies" book series in which father Ingalls briefly laments having moved to South Dakota where he was dependent on the railroad trains to bring in food and fuel, compared to the days of self-sufficiency in the woods of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Proenneke's dream isn't for everyone. Imagine trying to do what he did if your skills are incomplete or you have a family to bring up. Living in the middle of wild Alaska would be more suffering than fulfilment. But what a dream to have, in which you turn your back on the rat race and build what you need to live from start to finish, or as Proenneke says "to do a thing to completion." His accomplishments give me daydream release from the tedious grind of bills and mindless work.One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey Overview

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