Country Driving - by Peter Hessler (Paperback)

About the Book

From the bestselling author of "Oracle Bones" and "River Town" comes the final book in his award-winning China trilogy, reporting on the human side of the economic revolution in China.

From the Back Cover

One of The Economist's Best Books of the Year

From the bestselling author of Oracle Bones and River Town comes the final book in his award-winning trilogy on the human side of the economic revolution in China.

Peter Hessler, whom the Wall Street Journal calls "one of the Western world's most thoughtful writers on modern China," deftly illuminates the vast, shifting landscape of a traditionally rural nation that, having once built walls against foreigners, is now building roads and factory towns that look to the outside world.

Review Quotes

"A valuable account. . . . Hessler's attention to detail is impressive, and certain passages resemble photographs that capture a fleeting moment in time. China has not always been so effective at historical preservation, so future generations of Chinese may thank Hessler for his efforts. . . . Hessler effectively demonstrates that there are in fact millions of 'China stories'--and they are all hurtling into the future without a roadmap." - The New Republic
"Peter Hessler, a modern Marco Polo crossing China in a rented Jeep Cherokee, has witnessed signs and wonders worthy of a Coen brothers film. . . . Every so often, I read a book that upends my perceptions about a place. This is one of them." - Bloomberg News
"Exceptionally moving. . . . Hilarious. . . . An absolutely terrific book, at once highly entertaining and deeply instructive, as he paints a portrait of a country in the midst of change so widespread and profound that it can scarely be grasped. . . . Hessler clearly came to love China in the more than a decade he spent there, and he was endlessly surprised, amused, and delighted by it. . . . Country Driving is a wonderful book about China that also happens to be a terrific book about the human race. - Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
"A fascinating road trip through a land in transition. . . . Hessler's description of China's new drivers is hilarious. . . . Country Driving tells us as much about contemporary China even when Hessler is not on the road." - The Christian Science Monitor
"Exceptionally moving. . . . Hilarious. . . . An absolutely terrific book, at once highly entertaining and deeply instructive. . . . Country Driving is a wonderful book about China that also happens to be a terrific book about the human race. - Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
"Hessler's genius has always been in his wry commentary and ability to transcribe the rhythms of his environment onto the page. . . . From this cast of thousands emerges a picture of great hopes tinged with sadness at what is being cast aside without second thought." - The Wall Street Journal
"Unforgettable. . . . Hessler's experiences on Chinese superhighways, local paved roads, and dirt paths paralleling the Great Wall are simultaneously hair-raising and humorous. . . . Unlike most journalists, Hessler is able to immerse himself in the culture, befriending Chinese of all ages and ranks. . . . Westerners who want to understand the faraway nation must hope Hessler visits China often." - The Seattle Times
"Delightful. . . . Epic. . . . The reporting in Country Driving is impressive in its scope. . . . Hessler delivers eloquent disquisitions on everything from how to buy a used car in China to the history of the Mongol conquest. . . . Impeccable. . . . Affecting. . . . Hessler is a fine tour guide for the new China." - Dwight Garner, The New York Times
"Delightful. . . . Epic. . . . The reporting in Country Driving is impressive in its scope. . . . Hessler delivers eloquent disquisitions on everything from how to buy a used car in China to the history of the Mongol conquest." - Dwight Garner, The New York Times
"Extraordinary. . . . Country Driving, like Hessler's previous works, tells the story of China's transformation powerfully and poetically. . . . Through the lives of the ordinary Chinese he gets to know so well, he explains the country's complexity, insecurities and tensions better than many of the more analytical works that have appeared in recent years." - The Economist
"Extraordinary. . . . Country Driving, like Hessler's previous works, tells the story of China's transformation powerfully and poetically." - The Economist
"The best yet from Peter Hessler, whose two earlier books, River Town and Oracle Bones, were exemplary forays into the genre. . . . Told with his characteristic blend of empathy, insight, and self-deprecating humor." - Time
"In contemporary China, the business of the country is business, and no Western writer captures the atmosphere quite like Peter Hessler. . . . His experiences on Chinese superhighways, local paved roads, and dirt paths paralleling the Great Wall are simultaneously hair-raising and humorous. . . . An invaluable book for readers curious about China." - USA Today
"Lively. . . . Engaging. . . . Hessler sets out with some suspect maps and a great deal of bravado. . . . If China's first urban planners had persevered, Hessler's road trip from east of Beijing to the Gobi Desert would have taken place on top of the Great Wall instead of alongside it. . . . He shows the effects China's ever expanding network of roads exerts on individual lives. . . . Hessler [has an] irresistible urge to follow a story." - The New York Times Book Review
"Lively. . . . Engaging. . . . Hessler sets out with some suspect maps and a great deal of bravado. . . . He shows the effects China's ever expanding network of roads exerts on individual lives. . . . Hessler [has an] irresistible urge to follow a story." - The New York Times Book Review
"Hessler has made a career of interpreting contemporary China and, for my money, nobody does it better. . . . Hessler is a magnificent guide to this largely uncharted territory, witty, insightful, keenly aware of the ironies of this communist-capitalist society. Every page of Country Driving helped me interpret the China I was seeing." - The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Hessler has made a career of interpreting contemporary China and, for my money, nobody does it better. . . . Hessler is a magnificent guide to this largely uncharted territory, witty, insightful, keenly aware of the ironies of this communist-capitalist society." - The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"If you want to understand today's China, and the forces changing it, you need to read Country Driving." - The Huffington Post
"A ground-level mosaic of life amid the nation's transition into a modern economic and political powerhouse. . . . Hessler is a keen observer of mind-catching details and an engaging storyteller. . . . Full of exotic detail, solid reporting, and ironic observation, Country Driving offers a personal snapshot of the world's second superpower hurtling through the 21st century." - The Boston Globe
"Hessler is a keen observer of mind-catching details and an engaging storyteller. . . . Full of exotic detail, solid reporting, and ironic observation, Country Driving offers a personal snapshot of the world's second superpower hurtling through the 21st century." - The Boston Globe