Author:Duncan Hewitt
Welcome to the new China, a nation in perpetual fast forward - where cities rebuild themselves in double quick time, peasants leave the land in their millions, and parents scratch their heads as the young generation embraces pop culture, the internet and the sexual revolution, while the new middle-classes rush to enjoy previously unimaginable lifestyles, the ruling Communist Party struggles to keep up with shifting values among calls for a more open media and society and an ever-growing wealth gap.
Through individual stories, former BBC correspondent Duncan Hewitt paints a memorable picture of China in all its complex, contradictory, often startling reality.
A brilliant insider's account of life in the new China... tender and often shocking
—— Sunday TimesA lively and human portrait of a society living in extraordinarily interesting times
—— ScotsmanA perceptive, detailed and entertaining exploration of the tumult that is modern china
—— Times Literary SupplementCaptivating... A remarkable guide to the faultlines in China today
—— Asian Review of BooksThere is no artifice or pretension in Underground. There is no need for cleverness. What Murakami describes happens to ordinary people in a frighteningly ordinary way. And it is all the more bizarre for that
—— ObserverA heart-wrenching anthology of the personal stories
—— GuardianI am deeply touched by these stories... Dear Zari should be read by anyone who cares and wants to know about Asia and Asian women
—— XinranIntimate, emotional, often painful but at time uplifting, these stories uncover how the customs of this deeply religious and intensely traditional society can cause real suffering for many women'
—— The Middle EastThis isn't a book for the faint-hearted, but is a chilling yet emotional read for anyone who cares to know about the real plight of Afghani women. A powerful collection of true-life stories compiled over the years (and re-introduced by the author's own experience). Dear Zari takes the blanket off Afghani women, showcasing the bleak reality of their existence
—— AsianaDear Zari is disquieting but essential reading. Occasionally uplifting, frequently harrowing, and unfailingly candid, it is a must for anyone – male or female – seeking to better understand Afghanistan
—— Mike Stafford , bookgeeks.co.ukPankaj Mishra has produced a riveting account that makes new and illuminating connections. He follows the intellectual trail of this contested history with both intelligence and moral clarity. In the end we realise that what we are holding in our hands is not only a deeply entertaining and deeply humane book, but a balance sheet of the nature and mentality of colonisation
—— Hisham MatarHighly readable and illuminating ... Mishra's analysis of Muslim reactions is particularly topical
—— David Goodall , TabletEnormously ambitious but thoroughly readable, this book is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the processes of change that have led to the emergence of today's Asia
—— Amitav Ghosh , Wall Street JournalSophisticated ... not so much polemic as cri de coeur, motivated by Mishra's keen sense of the world, East and West, hurtling towards its own destruction
—— Tehelka, New DelhiOutstanding ... Mishra wears his scholarship lightly and weaves together the many strands of history into a gripping narrative ... The insights afforded by this book are too many to be enumerated ... Mishra performs a signal service to the future - by making us read the past in a fresh light
—— The Hindu, New Delhi[Full of] complexity and nuance
—— Mail TodaySubtle, erudite and entertaining
—— Financial ExpressMishra allows the reader to see the events of two centuries anew, through the eyes of the journalists, poets, radicals and charismatics who criss-crossed Europe and Asia
—— Free Press JournalA vital, nuanced argument ... prodigious
—— Mint