Author:Da Chen
In this second volume of memoir, following his acclaimed Colours of the Mountain, Chen arrives in Beijing, armed with a dogged determination to learn English and familiarise himself with 'all things Western', he must compete with every other student to win a chance to study in the US - a chance that rests in the shrewd and corrupt hands of the all-powerful professors. In this remarkable book - by turns poetic, ribald, hilarious, and heartbreaking - Chen retains his indomitable spirit, but will he be any closer to attaining his goal?
Enlightening...a very engaging history.
—— Daily TelegraphBooth tells this story with admirable restraint...this book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in human freedoms and bad laws.
—— IndependentSo good no one will need to do another for at least fifty years...mesmerizing detail, fantastical digressions, lots of jokes and wry asides.
—— James Delingpole , Literary ReviewA testament to the late Booth that he could make such a boring subject so interesting.
—— Sunday TimesA colourful tale ... Chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis became outlawed throughout the Western world, and the devastating effect such legislation has had on the global economy.
—— Sunday TelegraphAfter two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat.
—— Dr James Munch, pharmacologist'Amazingly informative...fascinating stuff'
—— Financial Times