Rating: 
Summary: Backroads China
Review: This is an unusual book because it gives a picture of China that we rarely see--China off the beaten track.
The author, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of China, tells the story of three people whose unusual stories show how change is coming to China at the grassroots level. I found this more useful than the run-of-the-mill generalizations that one reads about on China, about how it's the next superpower or the next enemy. Instead, we have an up-close look at China by looking at these three people. An added bonus is that the stories are cleverly told so you're wondering what's going to happen next. In a way, they're kind of like three suspenseful short stories, although they are true stories and the author gives references and endnotes explaining how he obtained the information.
As someone who has been involved with China for several years, I also thought that the author shows a deep knowledge of China--his understanding of Chinese religions, traditions and literature shines through repeatedly.
If there's one thing I'd quibble about it is that the author saved the best story for last. The story on the Falun Gong spiritual movement is clearly better than the other two stories: it's not only longer but also seems to have for my money more suspense. Personally, I believe in leading off with your strongest hitter so I think it would have been better to start with this story rather than holding it back. But the other two stories are good, too, and this way the reader finishes this quick-paced book with the feeling of having read something very special.
Rating:
Summary: A Lyrical Delight!
Review: Well cadanced and lyrical, the polished prose of Ian Johnson's Wild Grass propels the political non-fiction narrative genre to new heights. Each story's protagonists reflect Johnson's keen understanding of the human condition as well as his delicate sensitivity to the current political situation -- in the way one would expect of a Pulitzer Prize winning writer who was the Beijing Bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal. While one does not doubt for a second the material's authenticity, each story is beautifully crafted to better support the book's thesis concerning the changes in modern China that threaten Communist rule. Gripping honesty and raw emotion propel the reader forward and make learning more about courage, politics and China that much more delightful.
Rating:
Summary: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
Review: WILD GRASS contains three stories (they can't be termed novellas because they are true, although they are novella length) that show, quite poignantly, how change has, and has not, affected ordinary people in modern China.China today is the China created by Deng Xiaoping, not Chairman Mao, or at least it should be. Things, however, haven't changed as much as one might think. WILD GRASS shows us that China's "common man" is still struggling to claim the freedom, prosperity and happiness promised to him under the regime of Deng Xiaoping. All of the three stories in WILD GRASS center around ordinary people who exhibit extraordinary courage. The first is Ma Wenlin, a former Red Guard and former teacher who defies his village officials regarding illegal taxes levied on him and the other village peasants. In fact, he files a class action lawsuit on everyone's behalf. The village officials refuse to hear his case so he takes his cause to Beijing where the unbelievable happens. The second story actually takes place in Beijing, itself, as residents of that city's old town fight to keep their lovely and historic homes from being replaced by modern, gleaming skyscrapers that will accommodate the crowds of people that will arrive for the coming Olympics. Sometimes, where we live is just as important as how we live. The third story revolves around the rise of Falun Gong and Chen Zixiu, a mother and grandmother who embraces it. Unfortunately, Chen Zixiu isn't content to simply embrace the serenity and compassion of Falun Gong, she's determined to correct the Beijing officials misrepresentations of the movement as well. Chen Zixiu suffers the worst fate of any of the book's protagonists. WILD GRASS is an extremely well written book but one that is very sad and quite depressing. Many westerners, like me, think life in modern China is changing, albeit slowly, but, in WILD GRASS we learn that it's not changing as quickly as we might have thought it was and that all change is not for the good. WILD GRASS is definitely not a pessimistic book, however. While the author doesn't seem to place much hope in China's political leaders he does seem to have great faith in her ordinary, everyday people and this is what he showcases. WILD GRASS, while telling us a lot about the politics of modern China, is definitely not a political book. It is an extraordinarily human one. The true stories in WILD GRASS ultimately raise more questions about modern China than they answer, but this is, I think, how it should be. I liked this book because it focused more on people than on politics. I think WILD GRASS is a very important book and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It's beautifully written and it should be required reading for anyone interested in modern China.
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