What are you reading now?

[YOhio]

Originally Posted by Colly Wolly

Sounds like you've read up alot more than I have already. I've heard "The Private Life of Chairman Mao" is also a good read. My brother recommended it to me. Written by Mao's personal physician. Apparently Mao didn't like to shower because he believed he "cleansed himself on the insides of women" or something along those lines. Never brushed his teeth, was basically just a nasty-ass dude.

If you like the personal narrative-type stories, you'll enjoy Red Star Over China. Edgar Snow traveled with Mao during the 30's and wrote the bio before Mao took over China. It can be dry, but fascinating.

A fairly recent one I enjoyed was "Mr. China" by Tim Clissold. A great story of a Brit who entered into the Chinese business world in the early nineties and saw the difficulties of the merging cultures firsthand. He has a lot of great stories you'd enjoy.

[UteStar]

I am usually reading two or three books at a time. The one thing that I have been blessed with is to be able to read real fast and still retain the information.

**One or two international spy thrillers
**'Lewis and Clark and the Journey of the Corps of Discovery'
**'Hiroshima' (personal accounts of the bomb)
**'Good to Great' (businesses go from good to great and how they did it)

Next up on the list is: The life of Pi

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by FarrahWaters

Wild Swans by Jung Chang, a really interesting memoir about three generations of Chinese women. The grandmother was a concubine, the mother was a high-ranking Communist official under Mao.

Excellent choice. That's a great book.

One my favorite parts is when the author recounts that when she was a little girl at the dinner table, her parents would say "Eat all of your dinner. Do you realize that there are millions of starving capitalists in America who would love to have that food?"

[woot]

I neglected to mention that I'm almost done with the audio version of Stiff: The Secret Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. Other than a couple minor quibbles, I consider it a must-read for anyone who likes very dark humor (or who is interested in the subject material).

[creekster]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Your very funny joke was made even funnier with the helpful hint.

Thank you. I thought it might help.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by UteStar

I am usually reading two or three books at a time. The one thing that I have been blessed with is to be able to read real fast and still retain the information.

**One or two international spy thrillers
**'Lewis and Clark and the Journey of the Corps of Discovery'
**'Hiroshima' (personal accounts of the bomb)
**'Good to Great' (businesses go from good to great and how they did it)

Next up on the list is: The life of Pi

I usually have a pooing room book (something easy to read 3 minutes at a time) and a normal book for non-pooing times.
Currently in the B.M. drop off room, one of those DK books with 2 page factoids on cats.

[FarrahWaters]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

Excellent choice. That's a great book.

One my favorite parts is when the author recounts that when she was a little girl at the dinner table, her parents would say "Eat all of your dinner. Do you realize that there are millions of starving capitalists in America who would love to have that food?"

I got a laugh out of that part too. The effect of Mao's crazy economic and social reforms is horrible and fascinating to read about. The upheaval that country went through during this time period was incredible.

[Mormon Red Death]

Originally Posted by UteStar

I am usually reading two or three books at a time. The one thing that I have been blessed with is to be able to read real fast and still retain the information.

**One or two international spy thrillers
**'Lewis and Clark and the Journey of the Corps of Discovery'
**'Hiroshima' (personal accounts of the bomb)
**'Good to Great' (businesses go from good to great and how they did it)

Next up on the list is: The life of Pi

the life of PI was a great book

[fuegote]

Book 10 of the Wheel of Time.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by FarrahWaters

I got a laugh out of that part too. The effect of Mao's crazy economic and social reforms is horrible and fascinating to read about. The upheaval that country went through during this time period was incredible.

Yes.

Sadly, the country still suffers from the effects of "The Great Leap Forward". The deforestation resulted in massive erosion that continues to this day. The erosion destroys topsoil and results in incredibly high silt loads in the rivers. China is building dams at a rapid pace, but many of them fill up with silt 1-2 years after construction. Some fill simultaneously with construction. In other areas, they build levees on top of levees as the river bottoms getter higher and higher due to sedimentation. In some places, the bottom of a river can be 30 meters or more above an adjacent village. And you can imagine what happens when a levee breaks.