Customer Reviews

Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While I didn't find this book as edifying as "China Wakes," it's still a good read. Its greatest strength is the vignette format, with anecdotes, history, and statistics from various countries in the region and chapters divided by topic. The authors admit, rightfully, that with the breadth of territory they cover in this book the treatment is bound to be superficial to some degree, but it makes for a much more engaging read for someone interested in Asian studies in a broad sense, rather than the usual academic "fine-toothed-comb" treatment of a narrow topic. Their writing style is nonacademic, which is both highly engaging and very refreshing, and helps this book to appeal to a wide audience, not just ivory-tower types.

There are a few problems with the book, which can take something away from its enjoyability. First, there is a tremendous amount of editorializing. The authors may have felt this was necessary to tie together the disjunctive stories and histories they discuss, but I have a firm belief that the intelligence of the reader and the topic-as-chapter format would have made a much better tie than so much author opinion. That excessive editorializing and the overuse of "the upshot is" to explain things to the reader detracts from the maturity of the writing style. Additionally, the writers obviously consider themselves much more well-versed in Asia-related topics than most Americans. This is fine, but at certain points in the book the reader can't help but think that the authors mistake Americans for idiots. They assert, for example, that most people think of pastoral rice-paddy scenes, and not urban overcrowding, when they think of Asia. Who thinks that? I don't know anyone who doesn't tie overpopulation with India and China! Another example is when the authors assert (more than once) that people perceive Indonesia as stable. Who are these people? Most people I know, in wake of the East Timor situation (not the Bali bombing, since this book was published in '01) and religious/ethnic rioting in that country think of Indonesia as anything BUT stable. These weaknesses combine to give the reader a sense of being pandered to at times--a certain attitude of condescension, if you will.

Overall, this is a good book. It's great for people not well-versed in Asian studies, because it's broad enough to give people an easy-to-read introduction to the region (with both strengths and weaknesses presented). It's also good, however, for people who ARE heavily involved in Asian studies readings, since most of us in academia don't get many chances like this to venture out of our chosen country/culture of study and view the region as a larger whole.

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.

My college chemistry professor, a man of Chinese descent who grew up in the Philippines and was a young boy during the Japanese occupation, once told me that Asians were the most ethnically biased people you could find. Furthermore, he added that one could not understand the politics of the region or presuppose to predict the future in that part of the world unless that fact was kept foremost in mind. Nearly all of the ethnic hostilities between groups such as the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Vietnamese predate the formation of the United States and some the founding of the modern nation states of Europe. Given these complex histories, any attempt to project what will happen in that region would seem to be a foolish exercise.
However, there are times when megatrends make predictions easy and that is the case here. The projections made in this book concerning the major forces driving Asia are too obvious to be wrong. Shed of stifling ideologies such as Communism or socialism, most countries in Asia, but particularly the massive countries of China and India are revamping their economies and growing at impressive rates. It seems clear that if these two can successfully manage their internal ethnic diversity and hostilities, they will be the two global economic powerhouses of the late 21st century. In fact, it is argued, correctly but not too strongly that the major superpower rivalry of the next decade will be between India and China. The emphasis for decades has been the rivalry between India and Pakistan, which is even more dangerous, given the potential for nuclear conflict. However, with the current and clear future differences in population and economic growth, Pakistan could soon be a dwarf when compared to its powerful neighbor.
The forces driving this economic boom are simple, a change in mindset and a growing population. As the authors so correctly point out, China was the global superpower for centuries while the Europeans were immersed in the ignorance of the middle ages. In retrospect, it is amazing that most of the world does not speak Chinese. With a mighty navy consisting of more ships than the west could put together until the 20th century, China had the capability to dominate the Pacific and Indian oceans. However, the scholarly class ordered the navy dismantled and all records of their voyages destroyed. This retreat into isolation was the main event that turned a mighty nation into a weak and backward one. The elimination of this insular mentality is the primary reason that China is growing powerful again.
The economic crises that engulfed Asia in the few years of the twentieth century actually did more good than harm. In traveling through the region, the authors document clearly that it served as the impetus for a restricted but general overhaul of some of the remaining archaic and inefficient economic structures. Given that so many thought that Japan Inc. would dominate the 21st century instead of being in what appears to be permanent recession, predictions are naturally suspect. However, the opinions of the authors are based on extensive travels and observations rather than skewed views from afar.
One very strong aspect of the book is that the authors avoid the descent into moralizing. When describing how parents and grandparents sell their early teen girls into prostitution, it would have been easy for them to climb the moral high ground. However, they use it as an example to describe the incredible tenacity and pragmatism of the peasantry as they attempt to improve their lives. If the sale of a daughter allows them to educate one of their children, then this generation will be the first to have an educated child with the prospect of advancement. A brutal choice to be sure, but one that does lead to substantial economic growth.
A close second to this is the interviews with the Chinese prostitutes who have taken over the trade in areas of Japan. Operating under a strict set of rules of behavior, they could give lessons to most companies about customer relationship management. At first, it is surprising to learn that the prostitutes are in fact well educated and are earning money so that they can continue their education. After some thought, it makes sense, in that sophisticated business people, the main clientele, would have little desire for a tryst with an illiterate, uneducated woman.
Unless there is a major war involving nuclear weapons or destruction on a par with that caused by nuclear weapons, the 21st century will see a shift of economic and political power from North America and Europe to South and East Asia. To profit from it, you must understand the movement at the lower levels of those societies and this book will help you do that.

Overall, an solid survey of an Asia in flux both from a general and country-specific perspective. Engrossing narratives combined with facts and figures produce a survey of Asia that is both informative and easily read. The one (significant) caveat I have results from the no-so-subtle editorializing that both Kristof and Wudunn bring to their analysis. As a piece of social science work one could expect an explicit statement of one's own ethical and normative perspective. But this is not a social science work and so each chapter contains at least one impressionistic (and frequently irritating) generalization about some aspect of Asia or Asians that tries to slide by as an objective truth. I wish the authors had simply been a little more forthcoming about thier own analytical viewpoints during the introduction. However, that can be overlooked in light of the otherwise solid work. I recommend it with only this one qualification.

The authors write of their experiences and observations in a number of Asian countries. Their story is greatly helped by conversations with people from all walks of life, from world leaders to the desperately poor. Their story is very well told, and is consistent with my experiences in Asia.

Anyone who aspiring to "think globally and act locally" needs to read this book. Opponents of globalization are especially advised to read this book -- the world looks a lot different on the ground in parts of Asia than it does from the comfort of a North American or Western European armchair. High-minded ideals can cause a lot of real damage to the poorest of the poor, to those in most need of help.

The authors describe the above attributes as the hallmark of most Asian Cultures. Ingredients which will elevate Asia to the upper echelons of global leadership very soon.

This is one of the most fascinating books that I have ever read. It exemplifies Asian attributes, beliefs and character strengths through anecdotal experiences with common people, most of whom live in wretched conditions. It serves as an poignant eye-opener on how the will to survive allows people to overcome and face the greatest of adversity.

It also correlates the above mentioned values with an economic perspective and details reasons why the Asian Miracle is far from being over.

Tremendously enlightening and insightful, it is must read for every global manager

I bought this book because I have already read their previous book, "China wakes". I was delighted once again by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I found "Thunder from the East" to be as insightful and entertaining as "China wakes". Kristof and WuDunn write the kind of books that I enjoy the most and I am already looking forward for their next book.

I think the authors have gone overboard in their rosy opinions. But I do recommend this book highly because they did their homework by interviewing lots of people on the ground in China. Their resumes are also sterling: Kristof is a NY Times editor, Harvard grad with a first-class honors in Law from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and his wife, the co-author, is a Harvard MBA who shared a Pulitzer Prize with him for their China reporting. Some credentials.

The main themes of this book are Asian economic crisis(1997-) and prospect for Asian countries' future. Though it is very helpful to understanding Asian economic crisis, the prospect for Asia's future borders on a fairy tale, which I don't believe.
And I found a few factual errors. In page 137, South Korea is describe as importing more than exporting. But in reality, South Korea is exporting more than she is importing. In page 155-156, Sheryl WuDunn said Russian(Ukraine) serfs had been freed by law in 1848. If my memory is correct, Russian emancipation was in 1842(voluntary) and 1861(mandatory). According to page 246, South Korean president Kim Dae Jung visited Japan in 1998 and announced that he was ending the ban on imports from Japan. This gives false impression that all Japanese products had been banned until 1998. The ban was only about Japanese cultural products like movies. I, as South Korean man, am now able to see Japanese movies since the ban was lifted.

MY FAVOURITE! Really. If you want to know something about Asia, read it! I read about 8 books about Asia, and lots of articles in Newspapers, and this book finally made sense of all that. It really makes you understand things you might have read of before.
One outstanding feature: The authors actually traveled and lived in different parts of Asia and have experienced the realities. They've learned from farmers and tycoons and prostitutes. So everything they experienced from two perspectives: The overall perspective of an informed newspaper journalist, and the real life perspective. I could go on and on telling you how much enlightening this book was to me, but let me put it this way: I did tell all my friends to get this book and bought extra copies for many of them, and I will tell you too: read it. You'll love it.
[...]