Customer Reviews

A Million Truths

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I recently took a trip to China and had difficulty finding a book that would give me insight into the real China and her people. This book provided that insight. During my trip, I found many of the anecdotal accounts Ms Jakobson wrote were validated by my experience. In addition the descriptions of the political situations, recent and past history, cultural differences, beliefs, and lifestyles provided a view of China that I might not have recieved in my short visit. Several of the questions raised by my visit were answered as I continued to read this interesting account of Ms Jakobson's 10 year stay in China. Her discussion of her own experience and understanding of this mystical country is enlivened by quotes and paraphrases of discussions with her Chinese students, friends, neighbors, and the people she met in her travels. For anyone who wants a look at the real people and the real China, beyond the tourist trappings, this is an excellent book!

It's a shame the publisher hasn't bothered to provide a short description. The author is a reporter with an excellent grasp of conditions in China in the late 90's. Because of her friendships with a number of Chinese people and because of her understanding of Chinese culture, she is able to present a fresh perspective on conditions in China. This can supplement or even replace books by other reporters like "China Wakes", "Chinese Awakenings," or "Red China Blues". Why isn't it in paperback?

I spent the last 15 months working in and out of Beijing, Shenzen and Hong Kong. During this period I read everything I could and found this book, "A Million Truths", the best single book on modern China. Linda Jakobson is Finnish and is untainted by both the western and eastern xenophobia that each feels towards the other. It is a very remarkable book which highlights China's progression to modernity, including Tiennaman Square and its aftermath, while also exploring and detailing the rich cultural traditions and continued relevance of Han society.

Though Ms. Jakobson claims knowledge of Chinese and Chinese culture from her 10-year stint in China, she falls into the trap of stereotyping at many discussions. At moments where she cannot explain particular experiences, she throws up her hands and starts criticizing the Chinese culture. She uses her Chinese friends to substantiate her arguments but admits that many of them do not agree with her, and she explains the disagreements with further stereotyping. For example, she claims that the Chinese, even among the most educated Chinese, do not like it when foreigners criticize their government, and she further explains that in the "Western" countries, journalists readily criticize their governments. However, the distinction here is that the criticism comes from a FOREIGN, not domestic, source. She does not mention, for example, the French animosity toward Americans and American criticisms of their government's feebleness. Another counter-example is the recent re-naming of French fries to Freedom Fries on Capitol Hill as a response to French criticism of the American War in Iraq. Examples I can readily recall without much effort.

Another tool she liked to use was to emphasize the fact that she was not "American." Rather, she claimed she was Finnish and thus unbiased. I particular disliked this use of nationality to substantiate her book, when she was claiming to present as unbiased a view as possible. An unbiased book is evident in the reading of it, not in the author's constant insistance of fairness.

Overall, this book is good for tourists who want to feel comfortable about their experiences by the stereotypical explanations in the book. However, if a deeper understanding of the root causes of these experiences is desired, this book should be avoided.