This book is defenitly worth the time for those who would like to get a better understanding of China and cut through all the silly propoganda they are forcefed by Chinese tourist agencies and so-called scholars who never leave the comfort of their five-star hotels. Having lived in China for some time I found that many of the stories here were quite similar to those I have myself encountered (some personally). Some of the situations described here are a bit extreme. However, most are reallistic accurate discussions of the kind of things that happen everyday in China. Of course, the average citizen may not suffer as badly as some in this book but the governmental and societal systems of corruption are real and pervade most of Chinese soceity. Chinese commoners ignore them or try to work around them becuase they are impotent in terms of chaning the system.
I hope this review doesn't sound like a review of a review but having lived in China and seen the things this book talks about first hand I would just like to ward off those who would criticize it as unrealistic.
My one main criticism of this book is that if fails to mention many positive aspects of contemporary Chinese society. Especially for expats and students interested in China there are many fascinating and exciting things to see, learn about and experience in China today. Also it is already a bit out of date as there have been some changes in China since it was written.

I read this book for my Chinese history class.It was one of our recommended readings and we discussed each chapter in class. I didn't have much interest in China (simply because I just didn't know much)and "China Wakes" led me to read other related books! I also recommend "Thunder from the East - Portrait of a Rising Asia" by the same authors. That will give you a good overview on the issues now facing Asia. Both books were so easy-to-follow and fun to read! I am looking forward to reading their next book - if there will be one! I definitely hope so!

This is an easy to read book on China that gives some of the insight needed to understand "where" the Chinese "come from" and how they are making steps into the future. I found that I want to read this book again, and again, certain that I will get even more understanding of the culture-past and the culture-future that is taking shape in that continent. These two exceptional authors write with insight and clear descriptions of their personal experiences. And their interpretation of the events they experienced are very informative.

Mr. Kristoff and Ms. WuDunn have written a very interesting and engaging book about one of the most important areas of the world. The strength and weakness of the book derives from the authors' close contact with average people in the areas the write about. This puts a wonderfully human face on an area that for too many Americans becomes a faceless mass of statistics. But sometimes I think the authors are too quick to jump from anecdote to larger societal truth.

I found some of the early history of the region especially fascinating having never been exposed to that before. Like the authors, I spent time afterward thinking about what might have been had China not destroyed its 15th century navy. It is a useful counterpoint to the common argument that the triumph of the West over the past several centuries was inevitable.

The book also provides many good insights into Asia's potential for the future. I was also impressed that the authors seemed very cognizant of the limits of their predictive powers and often pointed the wide variety of things that could happen to change their overall outlook. I would recommend this book for all but the most serious scholars of Asia.

The title of this book is very apt; this is definitly a portrait, painted w/ very broad strokes. The stories are intriguing, especially since this book was researched after the Asian Economic Crisis. It is encouraging to read stories of people's resiliance in times of catastrophe. My one complaint is the justification for some of the human suffering mentioned in this book. No, I am not overly optimistic & I am aware that life is hard, but, it seems impossible for me to justify in any circumstance, for example, selling your daughter to a brothel.
I learned from this book & enjoyed it. If you want a big picture of Asia, this is a good read. Kristoff & WuDunn are well traveled in Asia & the book seems well researched. The difficulty lies in trying to describe 2.5 billion people in 300 pages; there are some generalizations. Overall, a worthwhile read that should whet your appetite for more.

This is the main message of the book. I just have two comments and a reflection. There are surprising examples of how Japan is willing to spend huge amounts of money to keep services in sparsely populated rural areas. The emphasis seems to be more on how soft-hearted the Japanese are to do this than on how creating employment and contracts benefits various political constituencies. The authors predict that China will eventually grant independence to Tibet, but I don't see why the government would agree, especially if they can bring in enough Han Chinese. I haven't read their earlier book, _China Wakes_, but there isn't enough information in _Thunder_ to support their opinion.

If present trends persist, Asia will have the majority of the world's economic activity in a few decades, in addition to the majority of its population. The discussion of these trends in the first chapter made me think that the United States has a responsibility to encourage economic growth in Latin America so that there can be economically vibrant multiracial societies throughout the Americas to offer the world an alternative to the nationalism that might develop in the more homogeneous East Asian countries.