Customer Reviews

Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
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2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book absolute blew me away by the powerful experiences related by this equally brilliant musician. I read it 3 x times within the first 3 weeks after release. I will cherish and read this book over and over again. It feels to me as if Lang Lang is standing or sitting next to me telling me his life story personally.

I believe reviewer "G. Hansman "jakebc" (Vancouver, Canada)" was reviewing an altogether different book when he wrote his review of this same phenominal title. I hope to have Lang Lang sign my book in the near future to cherish even more for years and decades to come. I have and will continue to recommend this outstanding book to any possible real reader of good books. Not only is the content extremely moving and moved me to tears on every reading whether Lang Lang achieved success or whether he failed, but the presentation style is extremely accessible and of a deeply personal nature.

Lang Lang absolutely bared his soul to readers and lovers of his brilliant music CDs & performances. I will also forever in future when I see, watch or hear any other talented person - not only in music - remember that the artist I'm enjoying may have gone through an often brutal training and preparation phase to produce that which I'm enjoying now.

To every person who loves reading good Non-Fiction: Buy this book immediately - I can hardly imagine anyone not getting his/her value for their money and time reading this amazing book!!

When he burst into the classical music world as a seventeen-year old pianist from China, it was more than his piano playing versatility, and repertoire that caused a sensation; it was also Lang Lang's personal history and background. That a seventeen year old student at the Curtis Institute of Music, alone with his father in America, and away from his mother, etc, etc. This book is Lang's answer to the thousands of times he has been asked the same questions. He did a credible and honest job of describing his life and hardship in China. However, his telling of his growth and maturation in America in the last quarter of the book is superficial and shallow, as what one would expect from a 26-year old.

However, as a Chinese-American reader I am also struck by several aspects of Lang's book. First, it must have been a catharsis for him to retell the relationship with his father, the conflicts and mental and physical abuse (in American eyes, but not necessarily to the Chinese) he suffered. He has violated one of the most important Chinese canons, that is: "don't publicize family dirt." It must have taken a tremendous amount of courage and maybe some American rebelliousness to write a tell-all book about his father. Second, he appears to be challenging the musical, maybe even the artistic hierarchy of China, that winning competitions, especially international competitions is not the measurement of musical or artistic achievement. Third, Lang Lang's fierce personal drive and desire to succeed is not often evidenced in Chinese-American artists. This book explains his love of fashion, hairstyles as well his flamboyance and showmanship (good or bad) and, in turn, his success in America.

I highly recommend this book, especially to Chinese-Americans and readers who wish to better understand and appreciate Lang Lang.

I picked up the book reluctantly, expecting it shallow and celebratory. Loving Lang Lang's music, I had no intention to idolize him however. But the book turned out to be well written and surprisingly rich in meaingful details.

The book is more about human bonding amid struggles, the power of passion, the cut-throat but still humane environment in today's China, than about parading the gamut of Lang Lang's musical feelings. The tone of the book is honest and sincere.

I am moved particularly by the character in Lang Lang's father. The book depicts him as relentless, maniacal, absurd, but utterly committed to his son and capable of all-out self-sacrifices. He represents a familiar truth that has terrified many people in the past - a father's love is most revealed in his despair. When he despairs, he is at the most destructive.

I have both books about Lang Lang.
Buy just one. They seem to be written from the same interview transcripts. This book has more details. The other books covers mroe events.

While recognizing that he is still early into his career, and as someone who appreciates the piano work of Mr. Lang, I was surprised at how hollow, clunky, and one-dimensional this autobiography came across -- even with an English-speaking co-writer. The difficult relationship between Mr. Lang and his father, who overzealously pushes his son to an almost abusive level, is the predominant narrative here -- while there is little about Mr. Lang's love of particular pieces of music, his vision for bringing Chinese musice to Western audiences, or anything of depth written about his art itself.

Too bad. I would have liked to have read those things. Mr. Lang does so well in interviews in making classical music accessible to audiences, often his enthusiasm doing most of the talking! That doesn't come across here.

Nor does one really get a sense of Mr. Lang as a person. One gets the sense that his father has trained him to be a piano-playing machine -- cut off from anything resembling real life, asexual, and flat. Where is the living, breathing man? One fears that the sterility of life as depicted in "Journey of a Thousand Miles" will only have a negative impact on his art in the long run -- unless there's much more to Mr. Lang than what is conveyed here in this autobiography. If so, it's a missed opportunity, and doesn't make for an interesting read.

This was a very enjoyable biography. What is rare and gratifying is that Lang Lang wrote it when he was 26 years old. His childhood memories were still vivid, honest, and unfiltered. When he described his feelings about his achievements and disappointments or when he was forced to practice by his dictatorial father, the reader can readily empathize. A plus about the book is that he gave a glimpse of what it takes to become a great pianist. His parents had to make great sacrifices, he had to practice the piano for 7-9 hours everyday, he had a dogged determination to succeed, he had excellent piano teachers and mentors, and he had to overcome a piano teacher who wanted to destroy his career. Another plus about the book is that he gave some insight in how the Chinese and the Westerners define musical (and the accompanying economic) success. The former emphasizes winning piano competitions while the latter emphasizes engrossing oneself in the "process" of making music. When I finished the book, I found that I not only liked Lang Lang as a great pianist, but, most of all, as a human being.

It is difficult for those who have not experienced it themselves to understand what type of society was created by the Cultural Revolution in China. Lang Lang, one of the world's foremost pianists, gives us an interesting glimpse of domestic life in post-Cultural Revolution China in this engaging autobiography. The story starts with Lang Lang's birth in 1982, some 6 years after the Revolution had ended.

During the Cultural Revolution, musicians and artists -- along with many other types of people -- were sent to work on farms and learn from peasants. Lang Lang's mother was a singer and actress, and his father had always dreamed of being a professional musician, but their dreams had been thwarted by the Revolution. The book tells the story of Lang Lang's training as a pianist, learning to read music before he could read letters, and seeking out the best piano teacher in the city when he was four.

The story is one of a father sacrificing everything and demanding everything to live out his own ambitions through his mostly-willing child. After many years of constant practice, Lang Lang wins admission to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, then ultimately moves to America and achieves international fame. It is a well-written and inspiring story that raises issues about the fine line between parental encouragement and child abuse in the development of extraordinary talent.

I owe this book in Chinese. Lang Lang is a super hard-working genius. That determined his success. He is also such a well-rounded person. Great personality. Great humor. This book is very readable and sincere.

We didn't expect some extraordinary comebacks while reading this book, (classical music is an avocation and we were "off duty" while reading this) but were struck in the face with one, as it were, here. After failing to gain admittance to Beijing Conservatory at the tender age of 9, Lang Lang's hyper-driven, raging father suggested -- quite seriously -- the young pianist kill himself, providing two practical suggestions: 'here, take all 30 of these pills....or jump from the 11-story balcony.' That would give any kid a complex if he didn't already have one, and it knocked young Lang Lang off the keyboard for months (as well as fostering a loathing for his father). But with the help of a new friend, Uncle No. 2, his old teacher, his mother, and friends in the school chorus, Lang Lang found his way back to music. He even reconciled with his father. Not long after, he was the top student in China, and not long after that, he was winning international competitions. Today, he is perhaps the leading young pianist, playing with technique to burn. [...]. We are hearing a lot about child abuse now in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's untimely passing, but here's an encouraging story that shows a person can emerge from a scarred childhood and still be a productive adult, even in the hothouse world of classical music. Tremendous comeback, tremendous story. Starts a bit slow, stay with it, after about one-fourth of the way in it won't let you go.

What a wonderful, inspiring, upbeat story! And I am very glad to have gotten to know Lang Lang through his writing. I now plan to listen to some CDs of his music. My late mother was a pianist...and I thought today as I finished listening to the audio version of the book, how my mother, Virginia, would have loved reading this book and hearing his music like I plan to do. It is also wonderful that he didn't forget his impoverished youth...and is now the youngest Unicef Ambassador (for children). Good luck Lang Lang in everything you do!